Who hasn’t found himself in the situation where his car doesn’t start one morning on the way to work? If that didn’t happen to you, certainly you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you find out an alternator noise on Kia Sportage, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this content to help you locate the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Kia Sportage and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Kia Sportage may be.
Role and alternator operation Kia Sportage
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital part of your Kia Sportage. In fact, its objective is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the task of charging the battery once the car is in motion, to provide power to the car in motion and to allow you to always have a sufficient energy reserve to be able to restart the next time.
Alternator functioning
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The alternator works on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning makes electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will give the energy required by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Kia Sportage engine stops, the battery takes over to give the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Kia Sportage and what are the causes?
I hear a knocking noise from the alternator of my Kia Sportage
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Kia Sportage is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Kia Sportage will generally show up when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical parts such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is faulty, to verify it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your car with the engine running and you must get a value between 12 and 14.7 volts, which means that your alternator is charging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Kia Sportage is tired and you should consider replacing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I find out a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Kia Sportage
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Kia Sportage causes grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to check it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but usually, we generally realize by looking more closely that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this circumstance, we recommend that you read this article to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Kia Sportage.
I find out a loud noise from the alternator of my Kia Sportage
Hearing a loud noise from the alternator of your Kia Sportage is quite common, in fact, it emits an audible sound when producing the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to verify that the battery indicator light on your dashboard does not show up, and that you do not have a voltage drop when your engine is running (headlight or dashboard light that jumps for example. If this noise is too loud, we recommend that you take a look at this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Kia Sportage.
