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 perceive an alternator noise on Toyota Prius, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting 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 discover the role and functions of the alternator in your Toyota Prius and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Toyota Prius may be.
Role and alternator operation Toyota Prius
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital component of your Toyota Prius. 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 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 operates on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning creates electricity. It is the engine itself that will give the energy needed by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Toyota Prius engine stops, the battery takes over to give the vehicle with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Toyota Prius and what are the causes?
I hear a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Toyota Prius
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Toyota Prius is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Toyota Prius will most of the time show up when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disrupt the normal operation of electrical components such as headlights for example. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is defective, to examine 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 Toyota Prius is tired and you should consider swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the entire part.
I perceive a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Toyota Prius
If you are in the case where the alternator of your Toyota Prius produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look at it more seriously. This warning sign can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in most cases, we often see 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 advise that you consult this article to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Toyota Prius.
I perceive a loud noise from the alternator of my Toyota Prius
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Toyota Prius is quite typical, in fact, it emits an audible sound when creating the electrical pulses it generates. It is up to you to examine 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 advise that you read this article to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Toyota Prius.
