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 , at least you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you hear an alternator noise on Volkswagen Caddy 3, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting 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 discover the role and functions of the alternator in your Volkswagen Caddy 3 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Volkswagen Caddy 3 may be.
Role and alternator operation Volkswagen Caddy 3
Alternator role
Your alternator is an fundamental part of your Volkswagen Caddy 3. In fact, its mission 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 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 functions on an electrical principle that has been used for decades, the principle of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning generates 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 Volkswagen Caddy 3 engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the car with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Volkswagen Caddy 3 and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Caddy 3
One of the characteristic noises of a tired alternator on Volkswagen Caddy 3 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Volkswagen Caddy 3 will generally occur when your engine is idling, it can be associated with voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical elements such as headlights for example. Most often, 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 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 Caddy 3 is tired and you should think about changing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Caddy 3
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Volkswagen Caddy 3 produces grinding sounds, in this case you will have to look at it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but in general, we often see by looking more carefully that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this case, we suggest that you read this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Volkswagen Caddy 3.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Caddy 3
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Volkswagen Caddy 3 is quite normal, in fact, it produces 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 suggest that you take a look at this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Volkswagen Caddy 3.
