How Do I Know If Alternator Is Bad. If youre hearing a grinding sound in your car this could indicate that the alternator is going badThe grinding sound may be caused by a worn-out bearing. Turn the alternator gently by hand.
Whenever your car wont start take out the jumper cables and try to jump-start the car. After all the voltage regulator is supposed to keep the power flowing to the lights so its no surprise that those lights dont work right anymore once this part goes bad. Another way you can tell the voltage regulator is bad is when the car lights keep dimming or flickering.
Reach down to feel the bearings as you turn the alternator.
The first step in monitoring your alternator to check the levels is to check the alternator gauge itself. Usually a bad alternator diode will cause your headlights or instrument panel lights to flicker or dim and sometimes drain battery power overnight or in minutes To check for a possible bad alternator diode switch your voltmeter to a low setting on the AC alternating current voltage scale. When a car doesnt start many people wonder whether the alternator or the battery is to blame. Well cover the symptoms of when an alternator goes bad and how to diagnose a bad one which is really pretty easy.
