Shop Discount Alternators

An alternator is a fairly simple device that is used to generate electricity while your car is running. This electricity is vital to the operation of your vehicle, and therefore the alternator must be kept in good shape in order to maintain good power and fuel economy. The alternator is attached to the engine by a belt which also rotates other accessories such as the air conditioner compressor or the power steering. Alternators are generally constructed out of a non-magnetic metal such as aluminum, and often have holes or cooling slats cut into them in order to avoid overheating while the electricity is generated. Inside the alternator casing is a rotor shaft containing an electromagnet, and this rotor spins inside of a circular device called a stator. Sometimes at the ends of the rotor small brushes can be found, which provide electrical charge to the electromagnetic shaft from the battery. Electric current is generated when the charged rotor shaft spins, moving past wire coils that are wrapped all around the stator. The magnetic field of the rotating magnet stimulates a current in the stator, and this current is then transmitted through diodes out to the rest of the vehicle. The charge in the alternator is controller by the regulator, which controls the amount of power to the electromagnetic rotor. Like all moving parts, alternators eventually wear out. They can also suffer from internal component failure due to overheating. It is not uncommon to see the regulator cease functioning, causing an overcharge or an undercharge situation. The bearing that keeps the rotor spinning inside the alternator can also fail.

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