It's 11:45 p.m. and you just finished working a double shift.

It's late, you're tired and you have

class in the morning. As you fumble for your car keys, you can't help but shiver. It's about
to snow.
You hop in your Honda Civic and crank it up. The engine turns over grudgingly but eventually
catches and fires. After warming up the engine, you pull out and begin your half-hour journey
home. Just as the heater begins to remove the frosty conditions inside the car, the radiobegins
to cut out. Soon after, thedash light starts to dim ever so slightly. You keep driving but the
anomalies with your ever-reliable car pile up.
Eventually, the radio and the heater quit altogether, and the comfortable warmth is slowly
replaced by the outside chill. Yourheadlights are the next thing to start going. Now you're getting
worried. Only 15 more minutes and you're home.
Those next 15 minutes never come. The headlights dim to the point of dangerous, and the
unthinkable happens: The engine starts to miss. Less than five miles (8 kilometers) from home,
your engine dies, along with everything else in the car. You coast to a stop on the side of the
road and pull out your cell phone. It's dead, so you plug it into the cigarette lighter so you can
call for help. Guess what? No power. It's past midnight, and you're stranded on the side of the
road with snowflakes for company.
What you've just experienced is an example of an alternator breathing its last breath. Your first
thought might have been

the battery is

dying. In a sense, you would

be right because

the battery and the alternator

are related, but

the battery tends to get all the

press. This article

aims to explain the mechanics

of alternators,

how you can diagnose

problems and

what you can do if you have a

bad alternator.

Read the next section to learn

some background

information about alternators

and the war of the

currents.

This diagram shows the diodes, rotor assembly and stator, all of which you wouldn't normally see without
opening the alternator. You'll hear more about them in a little bit.

What is an alternator?
An automotive charging system is made up of three major components: the battery, thevoltage
regulator and analternator. The alternator works with the battery to generate power for the
electrical components of a vehicle, like the interior and exterior lights, and the instrument panel.
An alternator gets its name from the term alternating current (AC).
Alternators are typically found near the front of the engine and are driven by the crankshaft,
which converts the pistons' up-and-down movement into circular movement. (To learn more
about the basic parts of car engines, read How Car Engines Work.) Some early model vehicles
used a separate drive belt from the crankshaft pulley to the alternator pulley, but most cars
today have a serpentine belt, or one belt that drives all components that rely on crankshaft
power. Most alternators are mounted using brackets that bolt to a specific point on the engine.
One of the brackets is usually a fixed point, while the other is adjustable to tighten the drive belt.
Alternators produce AC power through electromagnetism formed through the stator and rotor
relationship that we'll touch on later in the article. The electricity is channeled into the battery,
providing voltage to run the various electrical systems. Before we learn more about the
mechanics of the alternator and how it generates electricity, let's look at the various parts of an
alternator in the next section.

You can spot the alternator (with the tag hanging off it) in the foreground of this shot of a stock car engine.
You can also see the serpentine belt looped around it.

Alternator Components
For the most part, alternators are relatively small and lightweight. Roughly the size of a coconut,
the alternators found in most passenger cars and light trucks are constructed using an
aluminum outer housing, as the lightweight metal does not magnetize. This is important since

aluminum dissipates the tremendous heat generated by producing the electrical power and
since therotor assembly produces a magnetic field.
If you closely inspect an alternator, you'll find it has vents on both the front and back side. Again,
this aids in heat dissipation. A drive pulley is attached to the rotor shaft on the front of the
alternator. When the engine is running, the crankshaft turns the drive belt, which in turn spins
the pulley on the rotor shaft. In essence, the alternator transfers the mechanical energy from the
engine into electrical power for the car's accessories.
On the back side of the alternator you'll find several terminals (or connecting points in
an electrical circuit). Let's take a look at those:

S terminal - Senses battery voltage

IG terminal - Ignition switch that turns the voltage regulator on

L terminal - Closes the circuit to the warning lamp

B terminal - Main alternator output terminal (connected to the battery)

F terminal - Full-field bypass for regulator

Cooling is essential to an alternator's efficiency. It's easy to spot an older unit by the external fan
blades found on the rotor shaft behind the pulley. Modern alternators have cooling fans inside
the aluminum housing. These fans operate the same way, using mechanical power from the
spinning rotor shaft.
As we start to disassemble the alternator, we find the diode rectifier (or rectifier bridge),
the voltage regulator, slip rings and brushes. The regulator distributes the power the
alternator creates, and it controls the output of power to the battery. The rectifier bridge converts
the power, as we'll learn in the next section, while the brushes and slip rings help conduct
current to the rotor field winding, or wire field. Now let's crack the coconut open.
Opening the alternator reveals a large cylinder with triangular finger poles around the
circumference. This is the rotor. A basic alternator is made up of a series of alternating finger
pole pieces placed around coil wires called field windings that wrap around an iron core on the
rotor shaft. Since we know the pulley attaches to the shaft, we can now visualize how the rotor
spins inside the stator. The rotor assembly fits inside the stator with enough room or tolerance
between the two, so the rotor can spin at high speeds without striking the stator wall. On each
end of the shaft sits a brush and a slip ring.
As we touched on briefly, alternators generate power through magnetism. The triangular finger
poles fixed around the circumference of the rotor are staggered, so the north and south poles

alternate as they surround the wire rotor field windings. This alternating pattern creates the
magnetic field that in turn induces voltage into the stator. Think of the stator as the catcher's
glove as it harnesses all the power created by the spinning rotor.
All these components work together to give us the power we need to run our vehicles. Tesla
captured this electrical energy and used it to light up cities, but we only need enough volts to
power our stereo, lights,windows and locks. Let's take a look at how the alternator produces that
power in the next section.

This is what you might see if you were to open your alternator.

Understanding Alternator Power Output

In the early days, cars used generators rather than alternators to power the vehicle's electrical
system and charge the battery. That's not the case anymore. As automotive technology evolved,
so did the need for more power. Generators produce direct current, which travels in one
direction, as opposed to thealternating current for the electricity in our houses, which
periodically reverses directions. As Tesla proved in 1887, alternating current became more
attractive as it generates higher voltage more efficiently, something necessary in contemporary
automobiles. But car batteries can't use AC power since they produce DC power. As a result,
the alternator's power output is fed through diodes, which convert the AC power to DC power.

The rotor and the stator are the two components that generate power. As the engine rotates the
alternator pulley, the rotor spins past three stationary stator windings, or wire coils,
surrounding a fixed iron core that makes up the stator. This is referred to as a threephase current. The coil windings are evenly spaced at intervals of 120 degrees around the iron
shaft. The alternating magnetic field from the rotor produces a subsequent alternating current in
the stator. This AC current is fed through stator leads into a connecting set of diodes. Two
diodes connect to each stator lead to regulate the current. The diodes are used to essentially
block and direct the current. Since batteries need DC current, the diodes become a one-way
valve that will only allow current to pass in the same direction.
Three-phase alternators have three sets of windings; they're more efficient than a singlephase alternator, which produce a single-phase AC current. When working properly, the three
windings produce three currents that make up the three phases. Adding all three together
produces the total AC output of the stator.
The two basic stator winding designs are delta wound and wye style. Delta wound are easily
identifiable by their shape, as they're triangular. These windings allow for a high current flow at
lower RPM. Wye windings resemble the flux capacitor seen in "Back to the Future." These
windings are ideal for diesel engines, as they produce higher voltage than delta stators at even
lower RPM.
After the AC/DC conversion, the resulting voltage is ready to use in the battery. Too much or too
little voltage can damage the battery, as well as other electrical components. To ensure the
correct amount, a voltage regulator determines when and how much voltage is needed in the
battery. One of two types of regulators are found in most alternators: The grounded
regulator works by controlling the amount of negative or battery ground going into the winding
in the rotor, while a grounded field type works the other way around - by controlling the
amount of battery positive. Neither poses an advantage over the other.
With so many components working to create the electricity vital for our vehicles, it's safe to say
the alternator is a crucial component under the hood. But like many parts on our cars, they fail.
The next section will give you an idea of how to determine if you are about to be stranded and
what you can do if you need to replace your alternator.

The Life and Death of an Alternator

As we saw in the beginning of the article, a failing alternator will kill a battery and ruin your day.
But why did the alternator fail in the first place? Alternators have moving parts, get dirty and are
subject to stress from heat and cold. As a result, the internal parts gradually wear out.

One of the most common failures is bearing failure. The needlebearings that allow the rotor to
spin freely inside the stator can break down from dirt and heat. When the bearings fail, the rotor
will not spin efficiently and can eventually seize. Usually an alternator with bearings failure
makes a loud grinding noise. If you suspect this problem, it's only a matter of time before the
alternator gives up. Older vehicles with generators tend to require much moremaintenance than
newer models, but there's no hard and fast rule for how long an alternator will last. It varies from
manufacturer to manufacturer.
You can take several easy steps to diagnose whether your alternator is on the fritz. First, most
cars today have a dashboard light that glows when the ignition is switched on. This light usually
is represented with a symbol of a battery. Have you ever heard a buzzing noise when the key is
on, but the car isn't running? That's the voltage from the battery running through the charging
system. If this bulb is burned out, chances are the alternator won't work. The car may start, but
as we learned, it's just a matter of time before the battery drains and the electrical system fails.
As a rule, a three-phase alternator can operate with only one of the stator windings operational,
although it's only one-third as efficient. To test whether your car had an issue with one of its
stator windings, you'd need to use a voltmeter to check the voltage. (You can buy a basic
voltmeter at an electronics store.) This is called a load test. Since the battery produces DC
power, set the voltmeter to DC rather than AC. Connect the red lead (or wire) to the positive
terminal and the black to the negative. With no accessories on, start the car and raise the RPM
to around 1,000. The voltage should register around 14 volts. Anything less than 12 may
indicate a problem. Next, turn on the headlights, air conditioner, radio and anything else that
draws electrical power. Rev the engine and check the voltmeter. Again, the voltage should
register around 14 volts. If you have a failing alternator, the voltage will be well below 14 volts. If
so, it's time to replace the alternator.
Before you decide you need to yank the alternator and replace it, make
sure you check the serpentine belt. If the belt is worn or loose, the
alternator won't function properly. A bad belt is easy to replace and
won't set you back much, usually less than $20. But if you have to
replace the alternator, you have options. Read on to learn how to go
about replacing an alternator and what it may cost in the next
section.

A voltmeter like this could help to figure out if your alternator is on the fritz.

Alternator Replacement
For the most part, alternators are less expensive than say, a power steering pump or air
conditioner compressor. Nevertheless, you have alternatives to forking out a lot of cash for a
replacement alternator. Many automotive stores sell remanufactured or rebuilt alternators at a
discounted price. For instance, a Beck/Arnley alternator for a 2002 Honda Accord with a 3-liter
V6 engine can cost $229 new, versus $163 for the same part, only remanufactured
[source: PartsAmerica].
While alternators are relatively inexpensive in comparison to some of the other components on
your engine, some can be expensive depending on the car make. If you owned a 2005 Porsche
911 Carrera GT for instance and wanted to replace the original Bosch alternator, you could
expect to pay well over $300, and that's for a remanufactured component [source: Autoparts
Warehouse].
Sometimes alternators are easily accessible and simple to replace for the amateur mechanic.
With a modest amount of automotive experience and the proper tools, replacing an alternator in
your garage can be done. But more and more cars don't have room under the hood, and the
alternators can be difficult to reach without first removing several other components. In this
case, it's best to take your car to an experienced technician who can do the job quickly.
If you happen to own an alternator that has a repair kit available for sale, you can really save
some money. Alternator repair kits run between $12 and $30, depending on which components
you need to fix. Again, you need the proper tools and a little know-how, but if you're able to find
the right kit and know what you're doing, you can rebuild an alternator for a fraction of the cost
of even a remanufactured unit.
One thing is certain: A bad alternator will ruin a good battery if you don't address it quickly.
Batteries can only be recharged so many times before they'll lose their ability to hold a charge.
For the most part, if the battery isn't relatively old, it should survive. But an older battery that is
constantly drained and charged, drained and charged will have a shorter life span than a battery
operated under normal conditions. The average life span of a battery is usually around 48
months [source: Battery Stuff].
High-output alternators have become popular with custom car shops and in high-performance
cars. They produce higher voltage at idle and make more power for vehicles that draw an
excessive amount of electricity. For example, custom cars with lavish audio and video systems
draw more electricity than the stock alternators can handle. As a result, companies such as HO
Alternators make alternators for several makes and models. Some custom shops are even

installing dual-alternator systems to handle the additional electrical loads seen in custom
vehicles.
For more information on vehicle electrical systems and related HowStuffWorks articles, please
check out the lots more information section on the next page.

You may not have to replace your alternator entirely if you're handy in the garage.