You’ve probably noticed all the warning lights on the dash that light up when you start your car. They come on while the car self checks it’s systems and then go off if everything is okay. One of the warning lights looks like a battery, it’s purpose is to let you know if your battery is not charging properly. It is the alternator that charges the battery.
You know that your battery stores electricity, enough to start your engine and get you going. That’s about all it does though, you won’t get to far on just battery power. You need the alternator to generate enough electricity to run your engine properly and power all your electrical accessories…. like stereo, power seats, heater fan, computers, GPS, DVD, you get the point. The alternator needs to recharge your battery. So if your alternator doesn’t work properly there isn’t enough electricity for all of these things. When your alternator fails, your not going very far.
You may ask WHY would the alternator fail? Normally they just get worn out. Alternators are driven by the belt and spin 2 to 3 times faster than the engine. Let’s say your car idles at 600 RPM’s (revolutions per minute) and your alternator pulley spins twice as fast, that means for every minute your car idles the alternator spins 1200 times- this number goes up with the RPM’s. That’s a lot of work! The bearings wear out, as do the copper wires coils and magnets that generate the electricity.
There is no point in trying to limp the car along if the alternator isn’t working properly. It will fail and leave you stranded. If your battery light comes on get it tested ASAP. It is truly only a short time before your car shuts off and your stuck once that light comes on.
