Your Chevy’s alternator is an integral part of your car’s charging system. It’s responsible for powering all of your car’s electrical systems while you drive, and it also ensures your car’s battery is always fully charged. If your alternator fails your battery will have to service all of your car’s electrical demands, which is something it was never designed to do. If you need an alternator repair when you’re in Temecula, CA your friendly Chevy dealer is here to help you.
Do You Need an Alternator Repair? See Your Chevy Dealer in Temecula, CA
Battery Warning Light
If the battery-shaped warning light comes on, this means that there is a problem with the charging system. Sensors are attached to all of the important components in your car to monitor for any strange or unusual behavior. A healthy alternator produces 13.5 to 14 volts, but an alternator that’s wearing out will produce less power.
If the alternator’s output drops for any reason, the alternator’s sensor will send a signal and the battery warning light will come on. If this light comes on, it’s a sign that our technicians need to check your car’s electrical system.
Electrical Glitches
A single incident of strange electrical behavior like a sunroof that won’t close or a CD player that swallows CDs could be completely random. If these random behaviors continue, the most likely culprit is a bad alternator. When the alternator starts to go bad, it produces less power but your car’s electrical requirements are still the same. The lack of an adequate power supply means that the available electricity has to be shifted according to the various components’ demands.
The glitches caused by the weakening alternator will grow worse and happen more frequently as your alternator wears out. We can test your alternator, and if it’s failing and needs to be replaced we’ll fit a new OEM one for you.
Damaged Rectifier
Your alternator may be in perfect shape, but your electrical systems can start to go offline and your battery can suddenly die. This strange situation can happen if a component called the rectifier fails. The alternator produces electricity in the form of alternating current (AC). All of your car’s electrical systems require direct current (DC) to work. The rectifier acts as a convertor to change the AC to the DC that your car needs.
If the rectifier fails, your alternator will continue to produce AC but it won’t be converted to DC and will be unusable. Your electrical components will draw on DC from the battery of your car and this will cause your battery to die prematurely. Our experts will examine the rectifier, and if it has failed we can quickly replace it with a new one.
Many problems that can affect your alternator can be prevented with regular maintenance. If your car’s electrical systems are starting to malfunction call our service department right away at Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac. Our service technicians will find the problem and repair it ASAP.
Image via Pixabay
Connect with us
