Alternators

Alternators

The alternator's primary purpose is to keep the battery charged when the vehicle is running, but it also helps the battery keep the electrical components in your vehicle charged, which may include the windshield wipers, headlights, and more. The alternator works by turning mechanical energy into electrical energy. When your engine is on, it powers a drive belt that rests on a pulley attached to the alternator. The pulley turns the alternator's rotor shaft, which spins a set of magnets around a coil. An alternator is a type of electric generator used in modern automobiles to charge the battery and to power the electrical system when its engine is running.

There are two types of alternator damage: mechanical or electrical. The former is a failure of fasteners, bearings. The latter is a winding rupture, diode bridge defects. Weak headlights, difficulties when starting the engine, a sensor signal: all these symptoms signalize of problems with the alternator. An alternator is a device that converts mechanical energy into AC electrical energy. A generator is a mechanical device which converts mechanical energy to either AC or DC electrical energy. An alternator always induces an alternating current. A generator can generate either alternating or direct current.