Faulty Alternator Or Faulty Battery? There are usually a few problems that cause more headache than a car that will not start. It can be so exasperating and time consuming; you will most likely waste time while checking the source of the problem and that means other things can happen as well.
If your car fails to start, there are usually two culprits, a faulty alternator or a faulty battery, you can finger either of the two. The problem is finding out which exactly is the cause of the problem. How do you even know if it’s the battery or the alternator that is faulty? That is the exact question this article aims at answering.
How to know if you have a faulty alternator
If a faulty alternator is the reason why your car won’t start, there are a few tell-tale signs that can point you in the right direction. For one, none of the lights on the dashboard will come on, you might also have trouble with starting the car. If and when the car starts, it will only take a while before it stalls again.
A hack that could help you decipher if a faulty alternator is really the issue is to turn your radio on the AM frequency and find a low dial without music. Then revv the engine and see if there will be a whining or fuzzing sound when you hit the gas. If there is, a faulty alternator is the problem you should be looking at solving.
Once you have ascertained that there is a problem with your alternator, you should have a technician fix it. Else, the faulty alternator can also damage your car battery as well even if your battery was not the problem to begin with. At the end of the day, you will have to fix the faulty alternator alongside the faulty battery which was caused by negligence.
How to know if you have a faulty battery
It is fairly easy to find out when you have got a faulty battery problem. That is because you can come up with alternatives and once your car picks up, you automatically know that you have issues with a faulty battery. If you notice that your engine cranks sluggishly or you are having a hard time starting your car especially on cold mornings, you should check your battery. Once you are sure that the terminals are properly connected and there is no visible light on the dashboard, you might be having a battery issue.
If you attempt to jump-start and your car works fine, that is a confirmation that you have a battery problem. If someone else’s battery works in your car, it is a battery problem. You should find out however, if the problem is with the battery itself or the alternator. Perform the alternator check and you will know what the problem is exactly.