Your car’s alternator is complex and fascinating. Without the alternator, there would be no electrical production. Nearly all vehicles are equipped with alternators. The only exception is some hybrid models. The alternator is responsible for producing up to 14.5 volts of electricity that your vehicle uses to power numerous things. The alternator generally lasts about 100,000 miles.
The Belt Spins the Pulley
The alternator is attached to the serpentine belt. A pulley system attaches the alternator to the serpentine belt. When you fire up your automobile, the serpentine belt spins quickly. Once it starts spinning, the pulley system starts to spin. This is the first step in allowing the alternator to produce electricity. Everything stops when you turn off the engine.
The Pulley Spins the Magnets
The pulley needs to spin because it spends a set of magnets around a coil inside of the alternator. These magnets help the alternator generate an electrical current. Again, the pulley is spinning constantly while your engine is running. As such, the magnets are also spinning constantly. This constant action builds up an electrical current in a coil around which the magnets spin.
The Pulley Spins the Rotor Shaft
The magnets are the only things that spin around the coil. The pulley also turns a rotor shaft. This, too, spins the entire time your engine is running. The combination of the rotor shaft and magnets create the current needed to generate electricity. They work in tandem with the coil to produce this current. The initial current that is produced is an AC current.
The Rectifier Converts the Electricity
Unfortunately, your automobile needs a DC current to run through the electrical system. Thankfully, the alternator has a solution for this. As the current is generated, it is routed through a rectifier that switches the current from AC to DC. This gives the alternator a chance to send the electricity with the correct current through the electrical system.
The Electricity Gets Routed
Let’s talk more about this. The electricity is routed through the electrical system to power a ton of things in your automobile including the air conditioning system, the lights, and the electronics. The alternator also routes any excess electricity that is produced well your engine is running to the battery to keep it charged while the engine is not running.
There you have it. The inner workings of your alternator produce electricity that is used by your automobile. If you are having electrical problems with your vehicle, call our shop right away to schedule a service visit.