Did you ever had this trouble trying to start your car in the morning and it doesn’t work ? If it never happened to you , at minimum you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you find out an alternator noise on Nissan Maxima, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this article to help you find the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and functions of the alternator in your Nissan Maxima and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Nissan Maxima may be.
Role and alternator operation Nissan Maxima
Alternator role
Your alternator is an fundamental component of your Nissan Maxima. Indeed, its goal is to generate power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal of recharging the battery once the car is in motion, to provide power to the car in motion and to let 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 concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating makes electricity. It is the engine itself that will furnish the energy required by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Nissan Maxima engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Nissan Maxima and what are the causes?
I perceive a knocking noise from the alternator of my Nissan Maxima
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Nissan Maxima is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Nissan Maxima will most of the time happen when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical components such as headlights for example. Often, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to check it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your car with the engine running and you must look for a value between 12 and 14.7 volts, which means that your alternator is recharging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Nissan Maxima is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I find out a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Nissan Maxima
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Nissan Maxima causes grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look into it more seriously. This sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but in general, we often realise by looking more carefully 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 details to solve an accessory belt noise on Nissan Maxima.
I find out a loud noise from the alternator of my Nissan Maxima
Hearing a loud noise from the alternator of your Nissan Maxima is quite common, in fact, it emits an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to check 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 read this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Nissan Maxima.
