Who hasn’t found himself in the situation where his car doesn’t start one morning on the way to work? If it never happened to you , certainly you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you listen to an alternator noise on Mazda 5, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to support you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Mazda 5 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Mazda 5 may be.
Role and alternator operation Mazda 5
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital component of your Mazda 5. Indeed, its task 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 vehicle is in motion, to provide power to the vehicle in motion and to allow you to always have a enough 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 concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning produces electricity. It is the engine motor itself that will furnish the energy requested by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Mazda 5 engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the vehicle with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Mazda 5 and what are the causes?
I hear a knocking noise caused by the alternator of my Mazda 5
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Mazda 5 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Mazda 5 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 most cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is faulty, to verify it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your vehicle with the engine running and you must obtain 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 Mazda 5 is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the complete part.
I listen to a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Mazda 5
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Mazda 5 produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look at it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but usually, we often notice by looking more closely that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this circumstance, we encourage that you read this article to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Mazda 5.
I listen to a loud noise from the alternator of my Mazda 5
Listening a loud noise from the alternator of your Mazda 5 is quite normal, 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 appear, 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 encourage that you have a look this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Mazda 5.
