When is your alternator bad

The aroma is distinct from other attention-worthy car smells, like the smoky sting of burning oil , the sweet stench of overflowing coolant, or the singe of overheating brakes. Of course, none of these things are good, so if you smell any of them, get them checked out.

And keep in mind that the absence of a bad smell doesn't mean everything is okay. In other words, a bad electrical smell will help you narrow down the source of your trouble, but it's possible the alternator could be failing without any of these accompanying odors.

Are your power windows whining at your simple command to open or close? Is the stereo swallowing CDs or did the power sunroof get stuck open? Modern car features are great right up until the moment they're not, and the complex computers and wiring systems that operate our power accessories lend more opportunity for something to go wrong.

It's possible, of course, for any of these features to break at any time. Motors go bad, wires get crossed, and all manner of glitches can happen. If you notice one electrical quirk, you'll want to get that specific feature checked out. If you're experiencing several issues at once, though, it's probably not a coincidence. Your alternator is one of the most likely sources for electrical problems, and you might not even notice that your car is running with reduced electricity until you make additional demands on the system, such as turning on an interior light or trying to adjust your windows.

Avoid using these features as much as possible until you can get your car checked out, to reduce the chances of actual alternator failure. Because every car is different, difficulty starting your car or keeping it running is likely to crop up as one of the first symptoms of alternator trouble.

However, there are a lot of other mechanical issues that can cause stalling or hard starts. It's important to look at everything else going on with your car to pinpoint the problem.

If your hard starts are, in fact, caused by alternator trouble, the reason for this is because the car starts from juice stored in the battery.

As we've already discussed, if the alternator is not recharging the battery properly, the battery won't be strong enough to confidently and smoothly turn on the car. If you're stalling even after the car has been running, the spark plugs might not be getting enough power from the alternator to keep the engine going.

In other words, your battery isn't dead yet, but it's well on the way. Sharp-eyed readers might remember that a dead battery was mentioned much earlier in this list as a separate symptom, even though the mechanical factors are similar. Is it really worth bringing this up separately, you might ask? The answer is yes — because it is much easier to ignore or overlook a dying battery than a dead one, and if you're aware of what this symptom means, then you have a chance to get your alternator checked out before you actually get stranded.

For more information about alternators and other related topics, follow the links on the next page. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Under the Hood. Diagnosing Car Problems. Mechanical Auto Problems. Top 10 Signs of Alternator Problems. If the alternator's output goes below or above a pre-set limit, then your car's warning dash light will come on.

In most vehicles, it looks like a battery. A failing alternator could create electrical probems that could lead to erratic headlight issues, like frequent dimming or extreme brightness.

A loose or bad belt can cause the alternator to run incorrectly, so a quick inspection of the belt can diagnose the problem. Trouble with power windows or power sunroofs could be a sign of a failing alternator. Difficulty starting your car or keeping it running is likely to crop up as one of the first symptoms of alternator trouble. A grinding or whining sound is a tell-tale sign of a bad alternator.

Even a small rattling sound coming from the engine can be an indicator that your alternator is failing. Battery inspections and charges are free at Les Schwab Tires. If the alternator is working fine, the search for the problem will move to other parts of the starting and charging system.

It may have damaged your battery. Since the alternator regulates how much electric current gets fed back to the battery during recharging, the battery may have overheated due to overcharging. This shortens its expected life and can make it unreliable. Starting Problems? If you run into this situation, it is usually any one of two that might be letting you down- the battery or the alternator.

But then, how do you identify the culprit without being an expert? Whenever you are having any power problem with your vehicle, the battery is the first thing you should examine. Because compared to the alternator, the life expectancy of the car battery is low usually years and is bound to make you scratch your head more times than the alternator. A jump-start is a process of starting a motor vehicle by passing an electrical current from a charged battery to the discharged battery of the vehicle being started, by means of a booster cable connecting the two batteries.

Or contact a company such as AAA. If the jump-start gets the vehicle running again, then you have a bad car battery. I have an old Toyota Camry and recently my battery seems to drain faster these days. A friend also told me tensioner belt could be the problem, is this true? Anyway, At least now I have an idea on where they can start Thanks!

My Honda Accord had some issues and went to workshop. According to the technician I have replaced gasket, power steering and air filter. After replacing the Power Steering there was some noise specially in the morning first start when turn steering wheel completely. Technician said this is normal and will go out the sound after few days. However it remain the same and again I have visited the workshop to address the noise problem. I am really disappointed because I have already paid more than USD and again they recommended to replace the alternator.

I needed good advice please help me. Is this genuine problems? My battery working well. What happens if I drive my car in the same situations? I am thinking to replace alternator once it will completely die.

Still I am not convinced because of the alternator power steering make noise!!!!! Just put a new starter on my car and when I turn it over it still wine what does that mean if I just put a new starter it was doing that with the old starter. We cannot diagnose the issue for you unfortunately. Thank you for sharing this information. I had my GEN light come on yesterday morning, stayed on during the 14km round trip to drop a worker off. Then in the afternoon the GEN light went off once jeep was started and stayed off during the 18km round trip i went the long way to charge battery — hoping that that is the problem as its been sitting for long periods since lockdown.

This morning however, GEN light went off, and came on again after 50metres driving and stayed on, Battery gauge was on the edge of the red, and by the time i was halfway home I was praying to GOD that I would make it as jeep started to lose engine power no ooomph … lost my headlights as i entered the driveway long driveway, mutiple cars parked in a tight area..

Now what? Any suggestions? My Ford Escape has stalled several times this week. I recently just put a new battery in it, but apparently, it stalled out again twice today as I was trying to do doordash. Hi, good day. My car is actually working but once I use my wiper, breaks or headlights the battery indicator turns on. I actually asked 2 mechanics regarding it.

A bad alternator almost always leads to a dead or drained battery. I learned from Dig My Ride that dead batteries due to broken alternators are one of the most notorious causes behind cars not starting.

Thank you for this! My alternator just produced a whining sound. The battery still being charged but at a high RPM like 2, The charge indicator says at 13,1Volts on Aircon at high RPM of 2, how long will the alternator last? The bad part is am at the trails am about 90 miles away from home. Skip to Main Content. Search for: Search Now. Login My Cart Toggle Dropdown. Back to Blog.