Tips on Fixing Your Generator or Alternator
You may notice that your car continues to start even though the generator light is on, there might just be a flaw in the actually wire to the light, but do not trust that to be the problem. Your car might be able to start on some of the leftover power in the battery, and the generator or alternator, whichever your car has, might be bad.
The first and most simple way to fix it is to make sure that the belt from the motor is still turning the generator or alternator. This can be done buy turning on your car, you might need to charge the battery before you can do this, so get a battery charger, and look at the generator, if the belt is spinning loosely over it, or if the pulley is spinning but not as fast as the belt, then the belt needs to either be replaced, or tightened.
If the generator or alternator is still spinning as normal then you should check the connections, to do this turn off your car and disconnect the battery in order to prevent any chance of getting an electric shock. Now take a look at the generator. You might need to jack up the car to do this.
Get a set of open end wrenches and carefully examine the wires coming off of it. You might find one that is loose, if you do reconnect it so that it is tight. Now reconnect the battery, start the engine and see if the problem persists. However, if all the connections are tight, you can try to loosen them and refreshing the connections in case corrosion has made the connection bad.
If all else fails remove the alternator, the best way to do this is to look in a repair manual for your specific vehicle and follow those instructions. Once you get the generator or alternator out of your car, take it to your local auto parts store such as NAPA or Autozone. They will check your generator to see if it is truly the problem or not. If it is, purchase a new one and install it.
Published by Mich Butler
I am an actor who has an affinity for volkswagons. View profile
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