© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only It's 11:45 p.m. and you just finished working a double shift. It's late, you're tired and you have class in the morning. As you fumble for your car keys, you can't help but shiver. It's about to snow.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only You hop in your Honda Civic and crank it up. The engine turns over grudgingly but eventually catches and fires. After warming up the engine, you pull out and begin your half-hour journey home. Just as the heater begins to remove the frosty conditions inside the car, the radio begins to cut out. Soon after, the dash light starts to dim ever so slightly. ­

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  You keep driving but eventually, the radio and the heater quit altogether, and the comfortable warmth is slowly replaced by the outside chill. Your headlights are the next thing to start going. Now you're getting worried. Only 15 more minutes and you're home.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  Those next 15 minutes never come. The headlights dim to the point of dangerous, and the unthinkable happens: The engine starts to miss. Less than 8 kilometers from home, your engine dies, along with everything else in the car. You coast to a stop on the side of the road and pull out your cell phone.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only It's dead, so you plug it into the cigarette lighter so you can call for help. Guess what? No power. It's past midnight, and you're stranded on the side of the road with snowflakes for company.­ What you've just experienced is an example of an alternator breathing its last breath…

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  AlternatorAnimationAnimation  uses mechanical power to produce electricity  Voltage regulator  controls the output voltage of the alternator  Alternator drive belt  links the engine crankshaft pulley with the alternator pulley Charging System Parts

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Charging System Parts  Charge Indicator  ammeter, voltmeter, or warning light  informs driver of the charging system condition  Battery  provides current to initially energize the alternator field

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Charging System Recharges the battery and supplies electricity when the engine is running

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only 1.Recharges the battery after cranking 2.Supplies the car’s electricity when the engine is running 3.Provides an output voltage slightly higher than the battery voltage

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Pulley and Belt The crankshaft turns the alternator belt

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Types of Belts Changing a Serpentine Belt VideoVideo

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Internally Regulated Alternator

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only  Informs the driver if the alternator is not working  Types:  warning light  voltmeter indicator  ammeter indicator

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Charging Circuit The warning light glows when the alternator output drops to a specified level

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Voltmeter Indicator  A battery has 12.6 volts when fully charged  Alternator output must be higher:  13–15 volts  A voltmeter shows the voltage

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Ammeter Indicator  Shows the current output in amperes  Reads to the right if the battery is being charged  Reads to the left if the battery is discharging

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only Testing the Charging System  Gz0PKIl84 Gz0PKIl84

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only The End