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 fear. So when you hear an alternator noise on Volkswagen Beetle, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to produce this post to support you locate the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first discover the role and operation of the alternator in your Volkswagen Beetle and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Volkswagen Beetle may be.
Role and alternator operation Volkswagen Beetle
Alternator role
Your alternator is an essential component of your Volkswagen Beetle. Indeed, its mission is to provide power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the goal of charging the battery once the car is in motion, to provide power to the car in motion and to let you to always have a enough energy reserve to be able to restart the next time.
Alternator functioning
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The alternator functions on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while rotating generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy required by the alternator to generate the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Volkswagen Beetle engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the different alternator noises or sounds on my Volkswagen Beetle and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Beetle
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Volkswagen Beetle is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Volkswagen Beetle will generally show up when your engine is idling, it can be connected to voltage drops that could affect the normal operation of electrical components 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 car 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 Volkswagen Beetle is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only cause otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Beetle
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Volkswagen Beetle causes grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look at it more seriously. This indicator can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, however , in most cases, we often realise by looking more meticulously that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the cause of it. In this case, we advise that you read this content to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Volkswagen Beetle.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Beetle
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Volkswagen Beetle is quite regular, in fact, it produces 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 advise that you have a look this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Volkswagen Beetle.
