There are different symptoms that can indicate problems with a car’s electrical system. Some of them are bigger than others and can increase your risk of an accident on the road. For this reason, it is important to maintain the car’s electrical system. Changing a bulb is something that you can make yourself, but something more serious like a short in wiring requires the experienced eye of a professional mechanic.
Regardless of the cause, it is important to know what might be causing a car’s electrical system malfunction. Below are 3 problems that can contribute to problems with cars’ electrical systems. Also, visit haltech racepak for SmartWire Power Control Module Kit.
1. Alternator
The alternator is a part of your car that produces electricity stored in the battery. It ensures the work of all electrical systems and accessories in the car, including the ignition and the engine control systems. The alternator is belt-driven by the engine. It produces an alternating current that converts inside to 12 volts direct current through the diode bridge. The problems with the alternator can cause problems like dimming lights, fading radio, and stalling.
An alternating current is easily produced, but it cannot be stored in the battery. For this reason, the car needs an alternator to turn the electricity to DC so the battery can hold it. Old cars used additional generators to produce DC electricity. It was ineffective and very problematic because of constant failures.
An alternator doesn’t produce electricity all the time. But in reality, it works in only certain moments to meet the demands of the car’s systems. This means that the alternator produces electricity less than about 50% of the time.
In modern cars with a wide variety of advanced electrical devices like super-powered audio and video systems, or computers the alternator and battery need to work even harder. The lifespan of an average alternator is about 3-4 years. Then, the alternator can fail to produce energy and can easily be confused with the battery problems. For this reason, it is important to check the alternator before the replacement of the battery.
2. Battery
The battery is the heart of your car because it supplies all car systems with energy. This is a device that stores power used to start the engine, electrical systems, and electric devices in your car. It’s made up of six cells of positive and negative lead plates stacked on top of each other. They are divided by insulators and covered with water and sulfuric acid mixture(electrolyte). Each cell can hold 2.1 volts of energy, for a total of 12.6 volts. Problems with battery can wreak havoc on any electrical system part(alternators and starters.)
Any battery loses its charging ability over time. This happens because of the loss of electrolyte, deterioration of the parts, and chemical malfunction of the contacts. In a normal climate, the lifespan of an average battery is about 3-5 years. If working in extreme climate conditions, the lifespan of the battery decreases to 2-3 years.
If a warning light in the panel indicates a charging or starting mechanism failure, you need to make a visual and voltage test of the battery. This allows you to exclude the risk of battery failure or save you from an unnecessary replacement of a starter and alternator. But if the battery is responsible for electrical system malfunction, you need to visit the electrical system repair service.
3. Starter
The starter is a part of your car that you use only a few times a day. But it doesn’t make it less important than the battery or alternator. The starter is the largest power user in your car’s electrical system that is critical for your car’s operation. The starter gets its voltage directly from the battery. This process is controlled by an operated key that you switch inside your car.
A slow cranking engine can be a symptom of a bad starter. The older your car, the higher the risk of starter malfunction. To ease the stress on the starter, you need to start your car with all electrical components and devices unpowered.
