How long is the service life of an alternator?

The alternator is an important part for the operation of various parts of your vehicle, such as engine and electronic accessories such as Lightsthen window, radio ... If you do not know how to identify the signs indicating that change your generator this article was made for you!

🚗 How long is the service life of an alternator?

Replacing a generator is very expensive. Fortunately, he rarely gets rid of the ghost before he has covered 100 kilometers. Average service life ranges from 000 150 to 000 250 kilometers, depending on the model.

More recent cars use alternators, which may explain the relative reduction in generator life.

Good to know: si your generator is dead before reaching 150 km, you can complain to the manufacturer of your car. Ask the manufacturer for participation, as well as, if necessary, expertise, be convincing and make it clear that you are ready to go to court. If it is released up to 000 km, it must be fully supported by the manufacturer and at least 50% up to 000 km.

🗓️ When to change the generator?

As you can imagine, the age of your generator cannot tell you exactly when you need to replace it. But a few signs to be aware of may alert you to his condition:

• Internal and external lighting, which changes depending on the engine speed;
• Dimly glowing headlights;
• Electrical equipment is not working properly.

If any of these symptoms appear, we advise you to quickly check and replace the alternator if necessary.

We also recommend that you get tested in the following cases:

• One fine morning, your car will no longer start, even if you have not left the electrical equipment on (lights, heating, radio, etc.).
• Battery indicator is on continuously
• You can smell burning rubber in the interior of your car, possibly from a belt that gets hot and can break very soon.

This test can be done very simply with a voltmeter.

🔧 How to check the generator?

To test your alternator, you will need a multimeter. A multimeter is a set of tools that acts as a voltmeter and will allow you to measure the voltage of an alternator.

First, you will need to test the battery: connect the multimeter to the battery terminals (red wire to red terminal and black wire to black terminal). To then check the generator, the battery voltage must be higher than 12.2 V.

You can now check the voltage of your generator. Start your car engine and accelerate to 2000 rpm.

• If your multimeter measures voltage below 13.3V, this is a bad sign; you will have to replace the generator;
• If the voltage is between 13.3V and 14.7V, everything is in order, your generator is still running;
• If the voltage is higher than 14.7V, your alternator is under voltage and you risk burning accessories.

Even if you shouldn't have a problem with a generator over 150 kilometers, feel free to check and repair it every 000 kilometers in one of our Reliable mechanics.