The headlights, air conditioner, ignition coils, engine cooling fans, radio and all those other things you have become accustom to and may even take f...
The headlights, air conditioner, ignition coils, engine cooling fans, radio and all those other things you have become accustom to and may even take for granted. The functioning of all these is possible due to your electrical system, that is powered by the jeep's tank. The alternator is the link that makes it all connect. The main function of your Jeep's alternator is to convert power from the gasoline engine that drives you along the roads and trail you adore, to electrical energy to keep the battery in the perfect shape. Bad alternator means no fun for you or your jeep.
Alternators are typically found near the front of the engine and are driven by the crankshaft, which converts the pistons up and down movement into circular movement. Some early model vehicles used a separate drive belt form the crankshaft pulley to the alternator pulley, but most cars today have a serpentine belt or one belt that drives all components that rely on crankshaft power. Most alternators are mounted using brackets that bolt to a specific point on the engine. One of the brackets is usually a fixed point, while the other is adjustable to tighten the drive belt.
If your alternator dies or malfunctions, your vehicle will run for a while directly off the battery, until all the battery's power is sapped. Therefore it is hard to tell when your alternator has problems.
You can test your alternator by using a voltmeter. Start your jeep and make sure all your accessories are off – headlights, radio, fans, etc. Rev your motor for a fast idle. Set the voltmeter to the DC scale and measure your jeep's voltage across battery terminals. The voltage will probably read around 14 volts. It it reads less than 12 volts, you probably have a failed alternator, if not continue testing.
Start throwing 'on' your jeep accessories like heater, fans, radio, headlights etc. If it continues to read 14 volts, its perfect. If it reads less than 13 volts, chances are that your alternator is failing. Before stopping testing, make sure you check your battery terminal connections and check to see that your belts are tight. These things can alter voltmeter readings.
An indicator of your alternator failing is noise. The alternator rotates on bearings and when these fail, you will hear a loud grinding noise.
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