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 , certainly you’ve already had that apprehension. So when you hear an alternator noise on Volkswagen Golf 5, you can already imagine yourself breaking down, stuck awaiting the tow truck. That’s why our team has decided to write this content to support you find the origins of alternator sounds. In this article, you will first see the role and functions of the alternator in your Volkswagen Golf 5 and then what the causes and solutions to alternator noise on Volkswagen Golf 5 may be.
Role and alternator operation Volkswagen Golf 5
Alternator role
Your alternator is an fundamental part of your Volkswagen Golf 5. In fact, its mission is to give power to your entire electrical system: headlights, interior lighting, signalling, computer… It will have the mission 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 sufficient energy source 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 rotating creates electricity. It is the engine itself that will provide the energy requested by the alternator to produce the energy, via the accessory belt or alternator belt. When your Volkswagen Golf 5 engine stops, the battery takes over to provide the car with energy.
What are the distinctive alternator noises or sounds on my Volkswagen Golf 5 and what are the causes?
I listen to a knocking noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 5
One of the typical noises of a tired alternator on Volkswagen Golf 5 is a knocking noise. This alternator sound on Volkswagen Golf 5 will most of the time appear when your engine is idling, it can be linked to voltage drops that could disturb the normal operation of electrical elements 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 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 5 is tired and you should think about swapping the bearing if it is the only reason otherwise the whole part.
I hear a grinding noise coming from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 5
If you are in the situation where the alternator of your Volkswagen Golf 5 produces grinding sounds, in this circumstance you will have to look into it more seriously. This symptom can testify as for the knocking sound of a tired bearing, but usually, we generally notice by looking more strongly that it is the accessory belt that is loosened or worn and is therefore the reason of it. In this circumstance, we recommend that you read this content to find all the necessary details to solve an accessory belt noise on Volkswagen Golf 5.
I hear a loud noise from the alternator of my Volkswagen Golf 5
Finding out a loud noise from the alternator of your Volkswagen Golf 5 is quite regular, in fact, it emits an audible sound when creating 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 recommend that you go to this content to find other ways to solve problem of noises from front end on Volkswagen Golf 5.
