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, perhaps you’ve already had that fear. So when you perceive an alternator noise on Volkswagen Golf 4, you can already see yourself breaking down, stuck waiting for the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this article to support you find the sources of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first learn the role and operation of the alternator in your Volkswagen Golf 4 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Volkswagen Golf 4 may be.
Role and alternator operation Volkswagen Golf 4
Alternator role
Your alternator is an vital part of your Volkswagen Golf 4. Indeed, its objective is to provide 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 sufficient 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 concept of copper coil wound around a magnet . This coil while spinning generates electricity. It is the engine itself that will furnish the energy required by the alternator to create the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Volkswagen Golf 4 engine stops, the battery takes over to furnish the vehicle with energy.
What are the several alternator noises or sounds on my Volkswagen Golf 4 and what are the causes?
I perceive a knocking noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 4
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Volkswagen Golf 4 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Volkswagen Golf 4 will generally occur 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. In general, it is a of both bearings of the alternator that is faulty, to check it, use a multimeter on the terminals of your vehicle with the engine running and you must get 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 Golf 4 is tired and you should think about replacing the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I perceive a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 4
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Volkswagen Golf 4 causes grinding sounds, in this case 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 see by looking more meticulously that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this case, we encourage that you read this document to find all the necessary information to solve an accessory belt noise on Volkswagen Golf 4.
I perceive a loud noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 4
Hearing a loud noise from the alternator of your Volkswagen Golf 4 is quite regular, in fact, it produces an audible sound when producing 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 encourage that you read this document to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Volkswagen Golf 4.
