What is an alternator?

An automotive charging system is made up of three major components: the battery,

the voltage regulatorand an alternator. 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.

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 the rotor 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 sectio

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 the alternating 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 three-phase 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
single-phase 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 deltawound 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 needle bearings 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 more maintenance than newer models, but there's no hard and
fast rule for how long an alternator will last. It varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.

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.