Springtime brings warmer weather and the desire to get out after being homebound during the winter. Your car has safely and securely made it through the snow, freezing cold, and ice and now is the best time to inspect your car to see if you are ready for spring traveling. After you have checked your fluids, changed your oil, cleaned your headlights, and aligned your tires, you may think that you are ready to go. Then, one day your car will not crank up. What could be the problem? Maybe it is the alternator. The alternator is a very important part of your car and there are some things that you should know about it, do about it, and not do about it.

Purpose of the Alternator

If the battery were to be considered the heart of the car, then the alternator would be that life spark, or the spirit, that keeps the heart beating. It is the power source for the electrical system and it works in tandem with the battery and the voltage regulator. It keeps the battery charged and it provides power for all of the electrical components, such as the headlights and windshield wipers. The main job of this part is to convert the AC power that it generates into the DC power that is required by the battery. This conversion of power is the life force that keeps the heart beating, or in this case, keeps the car running.

The Dos of the Alternator

To make sure that your alternator performs, you should make sure that you have it inspected regularly. Your owner’s manual may give you a timetable of when to perform the inspection. It would be wise to test the voltage output so that you can gauge the health of it. You can also have your mechanic to test it for you. When you test your unit and you find that the voltage reading is low, you should have it replaced as soon as possible. The alternator will give you signs that it is going bad, but those signs will not manifest very long. If you notice that when you crank up your car and your headlights or dashboard gauges do not illuminate brightly, that is a sign that you should replace the alternator soon.

The Do Nots of the Alternator

You should not continue to operate your car if the alternator is going bad. While it will give you signs that it is about to fail, you will not get any warning when it goes completely out. Your car will just not start. Some people believe that you can just tap the alternator with a hammer to get it to operate. You should not do this because it will damage the part and you might even damage the surrounding parts to the car, resulting is a large car repair bill. Do not dispose of the unit in the trash; it should be recycled in an environmentally safe manner.