Your car’s systems require a large amount of electricity, and it’s the job of your alternator to supply the needed power. Your alternator will work quietly behind the scenes generating power, but it will get older. As your alternator ages, damage and wear can occur. When this happens, you’ll need an alternator repair. As your Buick dealer in Joplin, MO, we can help you. These are some of the signs you have an alternator problem.
Worn Alternator
Sometimes the problem with the alternator is that it’s old and worn out. The average lifespan of an alternator is eight years, but as it ages the alternator will slowly decline. Part in the alternator can also wear out, like the bearings or the rectifier. An aging alternator will start to produce less power. This problem starts slowly, but will eventually reach the point where your alternator can’t satisfy your car’s electrical demands. When electrical demand outstrips electricity supply from the alternator, your car’s computer will have to decide which components will receive power. When you switch on a device, power will have to come from another component. This problem will become more frequent as the alternator wears put. Our technicians can test your alternator, and we’ll replace it if it’s failing.
Dead Battery
One of the most common signs of an alternator problem is a dead battery. Your battery provides the power needed to start your engine. The battery, however, can only store electricity, it can’t generate electricity. Once your engine starts, your alternator will begin the recharge cycle for your battery. This works perfectly until your alternator starts to weaken. A weak alternator will have difficulty supplying power to your car’s components. It will also supply less power to your battery. The amount of power that your battery uses to start your Buick is fixed, but the alternator won’t be able to replace all of this power. Your battery will gradually wear out and fail. A dead battery, however, can also be due to old age. Our technicians will need to check it for you.
Stalling Problems
One of the most important components that need electricity is the humble spark plug. A spark plug is attached to each of your engine cylinders. Its job is to provide the spark that ignites the fuel-air mix in the cylinders. Fuel and air will mix in the intake manifold, and the mix is then injected into the cylinders. Once the mix is compressed in a cylinder, the spark plug will ignite it.
The spark plugs depend on an electrical supply from the alternator. When the alternator starts to fail, part of the now reduced power supply is allocated to priority systems, including the spark plugs. An alternator that is close to failing may not have enough power to supply the spark plugs, and your Buick will stall.
If you have any problem with your alternator, call us right away at Skyway Buick GMC.
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