3 Signs Your Hyundai May Need an Alternator Repair

Your alternator is one of the most important components in your Hyundai. It provides all of the electrical power that your car’s systems need to function. It also recharges your battery as you drive. Over time, your alternator will start to wear out and will need to be replaced. Fortunately, if you’re in Bentonville, AR, your friendly Hyundai dealer can easily fit a replacement for you. These are some of the signs that you need an alternator repair.

Strange Smells From the Engine

As a driver, you know your car very well. If strange smells start wafting from your engine, this is a sign that there’s a problem. Hot metal and burning rubber smells can be caused by several different components, but the most usual suspect is your alternator. Your alternator is driven by a thick, reinforced alternator belt. If this belt starts to wear, or jams on one of the engine pulleys, it will give off the smell of burning rubber.

A hot metal smell can be caused by an overworked alternator. As your alternator gets older, it becomes less able to produce power. Your car’s demands for electricity remain the same, so your alternator tries to work harder to produce more electricity. The alternator will spin faster than it should to generate power, and this causes it to overheat. If you smell burning metal or rubber, call us right away, and our technicians will fix the problem.

Flickering Lights

Flickering lights could be as simple a problem as headlight bubs that are wearing out and are going to blow. They could, however, be a sign that you have an alternator problem. As we’ve seen, when an alternator gets older it struggles to produce power. When your alternator becomes too weak to supply all of your car’s electrical demands, your computer has to decide on how the limited available power should be allocated.

Certain systems in your car are priority ones, and they just always receive power. The remaining available electricity is shifted between different systems as they are switched on and demand power. Your headlights require a constant and consistent supply of electricity, but the shifting power demands don’t allow for that. The lights will flicker as power is added and then taken away to service other components’ needs.

Battery Light Comes On

The battery-shaped light on your dash panel represents your battery and the rest of the electrical system. Sensors are attached to the vital components in your car to monitor them for any signs of trouble. A working alternator produces around 14 volts, but its power output will drop as it wears out.

The minimum acceptable power output for an alternator under heavy load is 12 volts. When the sensor attached to the alternator registers less than 12 volts, your battery warning light will come on.

If you have a problem with your alternator, call us at Crain Hyundai of Bentonville. Our highly-trained technicians will quickly replace it for you.

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