Did you ever had this trouble trying to start your car in the morning and it doesn’t work ? If that didn’t happen to you, at least you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you discover an alternator noise on Toyota Highlander, 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 origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and operation of the alternator in your Toyota Highlander and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Toyota Highlander may be.
Role and alternator operation Toyota Highlander
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Toyota Highlander. Indeed, its mission is to give 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 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 principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning produces electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Toyota Highlander engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Toyota Highlander and what are the causes?
I find out a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Toyota Highlander
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Toyota Highlander is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Toyota Highlander 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 elements such as headlights for example. In many cases, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is malfunctioning, 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 charging your battery well. If the value is lower, the alternator of your Toyota Highlander is tired and you should consider swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I discover a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Toyota Highlander
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Toyota Highlander produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to check it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in general, we often realize 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 encourage that you consult this content to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Toyota Highlander.
I discover a loud noise from the alternator of my Toyota Highlander
Experiencing a loud noise from the alternator of your Toyota Highlander is quite normal, 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 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 read this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Toyota Highlander.
