Dying Alternator - Or Hey I Learned Something New Today!

To my own detriment, I know nothing about cars. All of those times in high school when I first started driving my 1990 Ford Taurus and my Dad would want to show me certain things like how to check the oil or making sure the tires were full of air pressure, I never really paid attention. To this day, twelve years after I got my license I still don’t do the little things that I know I should do to my car. (Dad, if you’re reading this... sorry) This was all put into sharp perspective last week when the alternator on my 2005 Honda Accord died.

                                                       

This do hickey... runs stuff

 Right now I’m in a period of transition, I’m twenty eight and I moved back into my parent’s house. This isn’t something that I’m particularly proud of, I mean what person in their twenties wants to admit that they need help and have to move back in with their parents? I’m not going to blame this on the economy, or the government or my job, although that would be the easy route. I believe it is a culmination of different factors and ultimately for some reason, I think this is where God wants me to be in my life. I would disagree but he’s the Big Man Upstairs so I’m going to trust him that he knows what he’s doing. He’s got more important things to worry about than my pithy complaining about getting to live rent free... what a spoiled little brat am I..

  So last Monday when I was starting my car to go to work, I discovered that there were a couple of things that were off. The lights were really dim and flickering and my radio didn’t work. I blare my radio... and I’m not listening to music.. I’ve got NPR’s Morning Edition that I’m rocking out to and learning things about what’s going on in the world. The two things I know about cars.... how to fill up a gas tank and I at least know the difference between a perfectly fine working car one that isn’t.

  So at twenty eight I walk back inside and grab my Dad... I did the little Princess, “Daaaaaaaaad???” and he was right behind me. Of course in about five minutes of watching the engine running and poking here and there at things that I don’t know what they do, he immediately announced, “Yup, I think your alternators going.” My guess would have been that my battery is dying. I do know that the battery runs the lights and the radio and stuff like that but not the actually running of the engine. So I was kind of sort of close.

 Wikipedia explains it like this, “An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.” so basically a generator... if there are any engineers or mechanics or knowledgeable and I’m wrong stop me and tell me in the comments. I’m still learning about a lot of this and I would hate to give people the wrong information.

There are a couple of warning signs to be aware of for when your alternator starts to go out.

1. Flickering headlights
2. Dimming headlights also in the dashboard as well
3. Warning light in the dashboard (I missed this one)
4. Radio starts to fail
5. Squealing / Whirring sound
6. Burnt “electric” smell (Like an overheating battery) You know it when you smell it. This I understand is when the bearings inside your alternator seize up and can potentially burn up your serpentine belt, which can spell out major trouble.

  My Dad told me later on that there are two ways that your alternator can die.. and it sounds like it was going both ways. Mechanical and electrical. There might have been possible breakage in the copper wiring, basically it was just beginning to wear out. My car is 7 years old and has over 100,000 miles on it, so yeah things are going to naturally wear out. Also the bearings were probably starting to seize, hence that metal burning smell.

 If you start to notice any of these issues get your car to a reputable mechanic as soon as possible. In my case I was lucky because I was not driving my car to work when this started to happen. I have to drive on the interstate to get to work so all I could think about was, “What would I have done, if I didn't have my Dad to help me?” Also I was thinking, “What about if I move or if they move what would I have done then?” Since I’m one of the few people who do not own a smartphone and I can’t really get the internet on it, I wouldn't have been able to look online for a tow truck. I would have had to call someone to get me the number of a tow truck. What would have happened if I had either no bars or that my cell battery was dead? There’s all sorts of possibilities of how this could have played out but I think the most important things is having a plan or at least know the warning signs and know who to call. At the very least make sure that your cell phone is charged up at all times.

I hope this little article can help at least someone learn something. I know I learned a lot. Also if you have any information to impart or share, please feel free to do so.

Guys have a great night. I'm off to go catch up on some Downton Abbey and spend more time on Pinterest. 

Jilly :)