As a car owner, the last thing you want is to have your car unexpectedly break down. One of the most common reasons for this is that your alternator has burned out. Your alternator is a component of your car that converts mechanical energy from the engine into electrical energy to power all of your vehicle’s electrical components.

What happens when it fails? You’ll have issues ranging from mild ones like dimming lights to catastrophic ones where your car will be completely dead.

In either case, you’ll have to have the alternator replaced, which can turn into a very expensive and aggravating process. Are you wondering why your alternator keeps burning out? We’re here to help you and will also share a couple of tips on how to shop high output alternators near you.

1. Oil Dripping Into The Alternator

You will have a pretty easy time solving this common reason for your alternator failing. When oil drips out of your engine and lands on the alternator, it can short it out or even make it overheat. Open the hood and take a look to see if you can spot where the oil is coming from.

Your solutions will range from replacing your gasket, sealing your engine block, or, the worst-case one … replacing an entire part. Hopefully, it will be one of the first two.

2. Overheating

This is not something that’s unique to cars. Any electrical item that becomes too hot can fail, including the computer that this post is being written on. If your alternator gets too hot from powering all of your car’s electrical systems – including your air conditioning, which you really don’t want to happen if it’s a scorching day – then things will shut down.

There are several ways to keep this from happening. Keep an eye on your car’s coolant levels and keep them full at all times. Also, check to make sure there are no cracks or leaks, and have a professional look at it if you notice things like steam coming out of the hood.

3. Overloading

While it’s fun to have a lot of accessories in your car running at the same time, or you are always blasting your radio on your amp, then your alternator is going to suffer and finally give out, most likely at the worst time. Try to moderate the processes you have going on in your car at a given time, and your alternator will appreciate the lesser workload.

4. Incorrectly Mounting

It’s important to have your alternator mounted correctly, or it can burn out quickly due to overheating. This can occur even if you are running a relatively light load of accessories. Take a look at the mounting brackets and see to it that the screws are not too short – they need to run through both halves of the bracket – otherwise, they can loosen over time and cause the alternator to shift into a bad position.

5. Loose or Worn Serpentine Belt

If you have a loose or worn serpentine belt, this can cause a lot of issues since it’s a very important part of your car’s engine and its cooling system. It is connected to several major components, including the crankshaft pulley, the water pump pulley, and the air conditioner compressor pulley, all of which spin in sync. If that doesn’t work, then that can cause a lot of damage.

6. Faulty Battery

Having an old or weak battery can create a lot of problems for your alternator and make it burn out due to a lack of power. Your alternator won’t be able to charge properly when the engine isn’t running. As a result, you’ll find out that your alternator burns out a lot faster than you’d like.

The best way to fix it is to routinely bring your car in for maintenance. Neglecting to do that will lead to a lot more problems down the road than having to deal with alternator issues. Always have a professional regularly take a look at all parts of your car to make sure that everything is running smoothly.

7. Wiring Problems

Faulty wiring is often a big culprit when it comes to electrical issues with your car. That will include your alternator. The best thing to do is to have the wiring checked, and if they are too old, then you should have them replaced.

This should probably be done by an experienced mechanic. Otherwise, you risk finding yourself right back where you started … and having to pay even more money than you would like.

8. Overuse

While it might be fun to drive for long distances with the air conditioning running on max, that will be taxing your alternator a lot. As a result, it will wind up burning out and possibly leaving you stranded at a really bad time. Give your alternator a break by turning off the A/C for periods of time, and don’t have a lot of accessories running for any longer than necessary.

9. Age

Like all other kinds of electronic items, there’s a limit to how long they will last. Usually, an alternator can last for up to 150,000 miles, but the years can also affect its performance. If you’ve had your car for more than a decade, there’s a good chance that your alternator needs to be replaced.

10. Lack of Maintenance

You can’t just keep using your car and not have it looked at by professionals as time goes on. They will need to take a look at your battery and change it if needed, and do regular oil changes. If you neglect to do these things, then that will affect your car’s power and then a burned-out alternator.

Last Words

There are a lot of things that can cause your alternator to fail. If you notice that your alternator is acting up, then you shouldn’t hesitate to bring your car to a mechanic so that they can diagnose the issue and fix it. That way, you will be able to be back on the road with an alternator that works perfectly.

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