Sage-Tips

Can I drive with an overcharging alternator?

An overcharging alternator can lead to headlights and tail lights prematurely blowing out alone or in tandem. Other burnout symptoms of an overcharging alternator are repeated blown fuses, dash and interior lights blowing out and lights becoming extremely bright when engine speed increases.

How do you tell if your voltage regulator or alternator is bad?

Symptoms of a bad voltage regulator may include:

1. High voltage output.
2. Low voltage output, sometimes.
3. No voltage output.
4. Lights dim or flicker.
5. Faulty high-beam headlamp bulbs.
6. Engine working erratically (weak or flickering ignition system)
7. Adding water to the battery frequently.

How do I stop my battery from overcharging?

Pro tip: a good rule of thumb to help avoid the trap of overcharging is to make sure you charge your battery after each discharge of 50\% of its total capacity. If the battery will be stored for a month or more you should charge to full capacity before storing and then charge throughout the storage time.

Where is the voltage regulator installed?

The regulator can be mounted inside or outside of the housing. A wiring harness will connect the regulator to the alternator if it is mounted outside. The alternator’s field current is controlled by the voltage regulator.

Can an overcharged car battery be fixed?

In most cases, your battery has been overcharged, it won’t be repairable. Taking a battery apart to replace the lead plates is just not cost-effective. However, you can recondition your car battery by using Epsom salt and distilled water.

What happens if a battery gets overcharged?

An overcharged battery will boil the sulfuric acid and distilled water mix. The casing of the battery can become hot to the touch, and begin to melt or swell. Flammable hydrogen can build up inside the sealed cells of the battery, causing swelling of the casing under pressure and seepage through small vents.

What does it mean when your car battery is overcharging?

Overcharging a battery causes excessive gassing — the electrolyte gets hot and both hydrogen and oxygen gas are generated. On older vented batteries, the electrolyte could cook away, leaving the plates exposed and ruining them. On sealed batteries, the buildup of gases could cause the battery to burst.

What are the signs of a faulty voltage regulator?

Bad Voltage Regulator Symptoms

• Too High Voltage in the Battery. There are two ways a voltage regulator can fail.
• Dead Battery.
• Battery Light or Check Engine Light.
• Inconsistent Operation of Electrical Components.
• Vehicle Dies While Running.
• Dimming/Pulsing Lights.

Can an alternator overcharge a car battery?

However, if the alternator isn’t working correctly, it may send too great of a charge to the battery, which is known as overcharging. This condition is dangerous to your car’s battery and electrical system. You can test to see if the alternator is overcharging, using a simple voltmeter. Start your vehicle and open the hood.

Can an alternator cause too much voltage on the brushes?

You are correct, 18 volts is much too high, but an alternator can not cause over-charging unless it is assembled incorrectly with one of the brushes grounded through its mounting screw. Over-charging is caused by the voltage regulator driving the alternator too hard. There’s two possibilities for this condition.

What happens to a car without an alternator?

Without the alternator, the battery will eventually discharge. However, if the alternator isn’t working correctly, it may send too great of a charge to the battery, which is known as overcharging. This condition is dangerous to your car’s battery and electrical system.

How do you hook up an ohm meter to an alternator?

To verify this, with the ignition switch off, connect your ohm meter with small jumper wires so you don’t have to hold onto the probes. Connect one to a paint-free point on the engine, and the other one to the green wire. Actually, you can use either small terminal on the back of the alternator.