How Alternators Work

by Josh Briggs This article How Alternators Work is from www.howstuffworks.com It's 11: ! ".m. an# you $ust finishe# working a #ouble shift. It's late% you're tire# an# you ha&e class in the morning. As you fumble for your car keys% you can't hel" but shi&er. It's about to snow. 'ou ho" in your Hon#a (i&ic an# crank it u". The engine turns o&er gru#gingly but e&entually catches an# fires. After warming u" the engine% you "ull out an# begin your half)hour $ourney home. Just as the heater begins to remo&e the frosty con#itions insi#e the car% the ra#io begins to cut out. *oon after% the #ash light starts to #im e&er so slightly. 'ou kee" #ri&ing but the anomalies with your e&er) reliable car "ile u".

This is what it could come to if your alternator dies without warning, and your cell phone has no juice.

+&entually% the ra#io an# the heater ,uit altogether% an# the comfortable warmth is slowly re"lace# by the outsi#e chill. 'our hea#lights are the ne-t thing to start going. .ow you're getting worrie#. /nly 1! more minutes an# you're home. Those ne-t 1! minutes ne&er come. The hea#lights #im to the "oint of #angerous% an# the unthinkable ha""ens: The engine starts to miss. 0ess than 1 2ilometres from home% your engine #ies% along with e&erything else in the car. 'ou coast to a sto" on the si#e of the roa# an# "ull out your cell "hone. It's #ea#% so you "lug it into the cigarette lighter so you can call for hel". 3uess what4 .o "ower. It's "ast mi#night% an# you're stran#e# on the si#e of the roa# with snowflakes for com"any. What you'&e $ust e-"erience# is an e-am"le of an alternator breathing its last breath. 'our first thought might ha&e been the battery is #ying. In a sense% you woul# be right because the battery an# the alternator are relate#% but the battery ten#s to get all the "ress. This article aims to e-"lain the mechanics of alternators% how you can #iagnose "roblems an# what you can #o if you ha&e a ba# alternator. 5ea# the ne-t section to learn some backgroun# information about alternators an# the war of the currents.

What Is an Alternator?
An automoti&e charging system is ma#e u" of three ma$or com"onents: the battery% the &oltage regulator an# an alternator. The alternator works with the battery to generate "ower for the electrical com"onents of a &ehicle% like the interior an# e-terior lights% an# the instrument "anel. An alternator gets its name from the term alternating current 6A(7. Alternators are ty"ically foun# near the front of the engine an# are #ri&en by the crankshaft% which con&erts the "istons' u")an#)#own mo&ement into circular mo&ement. 6To learn more about the basic "arts of car engines% rea# How (ar +ngines Work.7 *ome early mo#el &ehicles use# a se"arate #ri&e belt from the crankshaft "ulley to the alternator "ulley% but most cars to#ay ha&e a ser"entine belt% or one belt that #ri&es all com"onents that rely on crankshaft "ower. 8ost alternators are mounte# using brackets that bolt to a s"ecific "oint on the engine. /ne of the brackets is usually a fi-e# "oint% while the other is a#$ustable to tighten the #ri&e belt.
You can spot the alternator (with the tag hanging off it) in the foreground of this shot of a stoc car engine. You can also see the serpentine !elt looped around it.

Alternators "ro#uce A( "ower through electromagnetism forme# through the stator an# rotor relationshi" that we'll touch on later in the article. The electricity is channele# into the battery% "ro&i#ing &oltage to run the &arious electrical systems. Before we learn more about the mechanics of the alternator an# how it generates electricity% let's look at the &arious "arts of an alternator in the ne-t section.

Alternator "omponents
9or the most "art% alternators are relati&ely small an# lightweight. 5oughly the si:e of a coconut% the alternators foun# in most "assenger cars an# light trucks are constructe# using an aluminum outer housing% as the lightweight metal #oes not magneti:e. This is im"ortant since aluminum #issi"ates the tremen#ous heat generate# by "ro#ucing the electrical "ower an# since the rotor assembly "ro#uces a magnetic fiel#.

Tesla: Scientist, Rock Band or Sports Car?

Time & Life Pictures/Getty ma!es " picture of t#e !reat man

#i ola Tesla pa$ed the way to modern electricity, yet Thomas %dison is re$ered as one of the greatest in$entors of all time. Tesla and %dison were fierce ri$als who faced off in the war of the currents in the late &'((s. While %dison is credited with in$enting the first light !ul! and had the power mar et cornered with his wor on direct current or )" power, it was Tesla who de$eloped the first A" induction motor and A" power. After *eorge Westinghouse financially !ac ed Tesla, the two sides joc eyed for position in the electricity mar et. %dison launched a propaganda assault against A" power, going so far as de$eloping the electric chair to demonstrate the lethality of A" power. In the end, A" power won out, as it could tra$el much farther, produce more $oltage and ser$e more customers more efficiently. Tesla+s in$ention and pioneering wor pro$ided the foundation for the modern alternator.

If you closely ins"ect an alternator% you'll fin# it has &ents on both the front an# back si#e. Again% this ai#s in heat #issi"ation. A #ri&e "ulley is attache# to the rotor shaft on the front of the alternator. When the engine is running% the crankshaft turns the #ri&e belt% which in turn s"ins the "ulley on the rotor shaft. In essence% the alternator transfers the mechanical energy from the engine into electrical "ower for the car's accessories. /n the back si#e of the alternator you'll fin# se&eral terminals 6or connecting "oints in an electrical circuit7. 0et's take a look at those: S terminal ) *enses battery &oltage

IG terminal ) Ignition switch that turns the &oltage regulator on L terminal ) (loses the circuit to the warning lam" B terminal ) 8ain alternator out"ut terminal 6connecte# to the battery7 F terminal ) 9ull)fiel# by"ass for regulator (ooling is essential to an alternator's efficiency. It's easy to s"ot an ol#er unit by the e-ternal fan bla#es foun# on the rotor shaft behin# the "ulley. 8o#ern alternators ha&e cooling fans insi#e the aluminum housing. These fans o"erate the same way% using mechanical "ower from the s"inning rotor shaft.
This diagram shows the diodes, rotor assem!ly and stator, all of which you wouldn+t normally see without opening the alternator.

As we start to #isassemble the alternator% we fin# the #io#e rectifier 6or rectifier bri#ge7% the &oltage regulator% sli" rings an# brushes. The regulator #istributes the "ower the alternator creates% an# it controls the out"ut of "ower to the battery. The rectifier bri#ge con&erts the "ower% as we'll learn in the ne-t section% while the brushes an# sli" rings hel" con#uct current to the rotor fiel# win#ing% or wire fiel#. .ow let's crack the coconut o"en.

/"ening the alternator re&eals a large cylin#er with triangular finger "oles aroun# the circumference. This is the rotor. A basic alternator is ma#e u" of a series of alternating finger "ole "ieces "lace# aroun# coil wires calle# fiel# win#ings that wra" aroun# an iron core on the rotor shaft. *ince we know the "ulley attaches to the shaft% we can now &isuali:e how the rotor s"ins insi#e the stator. The rotor assembly fits insi#e the stator with enough room or tolerance between the two% so the rotor can s"in at high s"ee#s without striking the stator wall. /n each en# of the shaft sits a brush an# a sli" ring.

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

As we touche# on briefly% alternators generate "ower through magnetism. The triangular finger "oles fi-e# aroun# the circumference of the rotor are staggere#% so the north an# south "oles alternate as they surroun# the wire rotor fiel# win#ings. This alternating "attern creates the magnetic fiel# that in turn in#uces &oltage into the stator. Think of the stator as the catcher's glo&e as it harnesses all the "ower create# by the s"inning rotor. All these com"onents work together to gi&e us the "ower we nee# to run our &ehicles. Tesla ca"ture# this electrical energy an# use# it to light u" cities% but we only nee# enough &olts to "ower our stereo% lights% win#ows an# locks. 0et's take a look at how the alternator "ro#uces that "ower in the ne-t section.

,nderstanding Alternator -ower .utput

In the early #ays% cars use# generators rather than alternators to "ower the &ehicle's electrical system an# charge the battery. That's not the case anymore. As automoti&e technology e&ol&e#% so #i# the nee# for more "ower. 3enerators "ro#uce #irect current% which tra&els in one #irection% as o""ose# to the alternating current for the electricity in our houses% which "erio#ically re&erses #irections. As Tesla "ro&e# in 111;% alternating current became more attracti&e as it generates higher &oltage more efficiently% something necessary in contem"orary automobiles. But car batteries can't use A( "ower since they

"ro#uce <( "ower. As a result% the alternator's "ower out"ut is fe# through #io#es% which con&ert the A( "ower to <( "ower.

A"/)" 0oc s 1ore than "urrents

The hea&y)hitting rock ban# A(=<( forme# in Australia in 1>;?. 0egen# has it the foun#ing members got their name after rea#ing the term off the back of an a""liance. The ban# "laye# u" to its name% with lea# guitarist Angus 'oung an# lea# singers Bon *cott an# then Brian Johnson gi&ing the ban# its #istincti&e high)&oltage soun#. The grou" saw ma$or success in the 1>1@s an# is still going strong% more than ?@ years after its formation. The rotor an# the stator are the two com"onents that generate "ower. As the engine rotates the alternator "ulley% the rotor s"ins "ast three stationary stator win#ings% or wire coils% surroun#ing a fi-e# iron core that makes u" the stator. This is referre# to as a three) "hase current. The coil win#ings are e&enly s"ace# at inter&als of 1A@ #egrees aroun# the iron shaft. The alternating magnetic fiel# from the rotor "ro#uces a subse,uent alternating current in the stator. This A( current is fe# through stator lea#s into a connecting set of #io#es. Two #io#es connect to each stator lea# to regulate the current. The #io#es are use# to essentially block an# #irect the current. *ince batteries nee# <( current% the #io#es become a one)way &al&e that will only allow current to "ass in the same #irection. Three)"hase alternators ha&e three sets of win#ingsB they're more efficient than a single) "hase alternator% which "ro#uce a single)"hase A( current. When working "ro"erly% the three win#ings "ro#uce three currents that make u" the three "hases. A##ing all three together "ro#uces the total A( out"ut of the stator. The two basic stator win#ing #esigns are #elta woun# an# wye style. <elta woun# are easily i#entifiable by their sha"e% as they're triangular. These win#ings allow for a high current flow at lower 5C8. Wye win#ings resemble the flu- ca"acitor seen in DBack to the 9uture.D These win#ings are i#eal for #iesel engines% as they "ro#uce higher &oltage than #elta stators at e&en lower 5C8. After the A(=<( con&ersion% the resulting &oltage is rea#y to use in the battery. Too much or too little &oltage can #amage the battery% as well as other electrical com"onents. To ensure the correct amount% a &oltage regulator #etermines when an# how much &oltage is nee#e# in the battery. /ne of two ty"es of regulators are foun# in most alternators: The groun#e# regulator works by controlling the amount of negati&e or battery groun# going into the win#ing in the rotor% while a groun#e# fiel# ty"e works the other way aroun# ) by controlling the amount of battery "ositi&e. .either "oses an a#&antage o&er the other. With so many com"onents working to create the electricity &ital for our &ehicles% it's safe to say the alternator is a crucial com"onent un#er the hoo#. But like many "arts on our cars% they fail. The ne-t section will gi&e you an i#ea of how to #etermine if you are about to be stran#e# an# what you can #o if you nee# to re"lace your alternator.

The 2ife and )eath of an Alternator

As we saw in the beginning of the article% a failing alternator will kill a battery an# ruin your #ay. But why #i# the alternator fail in the first "lace4 Alternators ha&e mo&ing "arts% get #irty an# are sub$ect to stress from heat an# col#. As a result% the internal "arts gra#ually wear out. /ne of the most common failures is bearing failure. The nee#le bearings that allow the rotor to s"in freely insi#e the stator can break #own from #irt an# heat. When the bearings fail% the rotor will not s"in efficiently an# can e&entually sei:e. Esually an alternator with bearings failure makes a lou# grin#ing noise. If you sus"ect this "roblem% it's only a matter of time before the alternator gi&es u". /l#er &ehicles with generators ten# to re,uire much more maintenance than newer mo#els% but there's no har# an# fast rule for how long an alternator will last. It &aries from manufacturer to manufacturer. 'ou can take se&eral easy ste"s to #iagnose whether your alternator is on the frit:. 9irst% most cars to#ay ha&e a #ashboar# light that glows when the ignition is switche# on. This light usually is re"resente# with a symbol of a battery. Ha&e you e&er hear# a bu::ing noise when the key is on% but the car isn't running4 That's the &oltage from the battery running through the charging system. If this bulb is burne# out% chances are the alternator won't work. The car may start% but as we learne#% it's $ust a matter of time before the battery #rains an# the electrical system fails. As a rule% a three)"hase alternator can o"erate with only one of the stator win#ings o"erational% although it's only one)thir# as efficient. To test whether your car ha# an issue with one of its stator win#ings% you'# nee# to use a &oltmeter to check the &oltage. 6'ou can buy a basic &oltmeter at an electronics store.7 This is calle# a loa# test. *ince the battery "ro#uces <( "ower% set the &oltmeter to <( rather than A(. (onnect the re# lea# 6or wire7 to the "ositi&e terminal an# the black to the negati&e. With no accessories on% start the car an# raise the 5C8 to aroun# 1%@@@. The &oltage shoul# register aroun# 1 &olts. Anything less than 1A may in#icate a "roblem. .e-t% turn on the hea#lights% air con#itioner% ra#io an# anything else that #raws electrical "ower. 5e& the engine an# check the &oltmeter. Again% the &oltage shoul# register aroun# 1 &olts. If you ha&e a failing alternator% the &oltage will be well below 1 &olts. If so% it's time to re"lace the alternator. Before you #eci#e you nee# to yank the alternator an# re"lace it% make sure you check the ser"entine belt. If the belt is worn or loose% the alternator won't function "ro"erly. A ba# belt is easy to re"lace an# won't set you back much% usually less than FA@. But if you ha&e to re"lace the alternator% you ha&e o"tions. 5ea# on to learn how to go about re"lacing an alternator an# what it may cost in the ne-t section.

Alternator 0eplacement
9or the most "art% alternators are less e-"ensi&e than say% a "ower steering "um" or air con#itioner com"ressor. .e&ertheless% you ha&e alternati&es to forking out a lot of cash for a re"lacement alternator. 8any automoti&e stores sell remanufacture# or rebuilt alternators at a #iscounte# "rice.

*ometimes alternators are easily accessible an# sim"le to re"lace for the amateur mechanic. With a mo#est amount of automoti&e e-"erience an# the "ro"er tools% re"lacing an alternator in your garage can be #one. But more an# more cars #on't ha&e room un#er the hoo#% an# the alternators can be #ifficult to reach without first remo&ing se&eral other com"onents. In this case% it's best to take your car to an e-"erience# technician who can #o the $ob ,uickly. If you ha""en to own an alternator that has a re"air kit a&ailable for sale% you can really sa&e some money. Alternator re"air kits run between F1A an# F?@% #e"en#ing on which com"onents you nee# to fi-. Again% you nee# the "ro"er tools an# a little know)how% but if you're able to fin# the right kit an# know what you're #oing% you can rebuil# an alternator for a fraction of the cost of e&en a remanufacture# unit. /ne thing is certain: A ba# alternator will ruin a goo# battery if you #on't a##ress it ,uickly. Batteries can only be recharge# so many times before they'll lose their ability to hol# a charge. 9or the most "art% if the battery isn't relati&ely ol#% it shoul# sur&i&e. But an ol#er battery that is constantly #raine# an# charge#% #raine# an# charge# will ha&e a shorter life s"an than a battery o"erate# un#er normal con#itions. The a&erage life s"an of a battery is usually aroun# 1 months.

Alternator 3uestions
1. A. ?. . !. What is an alternator an# why is it im"ortant to your car4 Who was Tesla an# why was he im"ortant4 What are the terminals on the back of the alternator for an# what #o they #o4 .ame the "arts of the alternator an# state what they #o. Why is it #esirable to con&ert "ower from <( to A(4