Why does my alternator fuse keep blowing?
If it was the fusable link, it is possible that some of the diodes shorted to ground. A third possibility is a mechanic accidentally shorted one of the alternator terminals to ground. The last possibility is the wire from the fuse to the regulator or field terminal shorted to the body of the car.
What causes a fuse to burn out?
First, and most commonly, when too many lights or plug-in appliances draw power from the circuit, it can overload the capacity of the fuse and cause the metal ribbon inside the fuse to melt through. The result is that all lights, outlets, and appliances powered by the circuit will go dead suddenly.
What causes an alternator fuse to blow out?
These fuses blow out after a while or when there is a power surge. In these cases, your alternator would fail and your battery would not charge. If you have a bad alternator, look in the owner’s manual to see where the alternator fuse is in your car and check to see if it is blown.
What causes an alternator to have a bad connection?
When there is a defective connection between the battery and the alternator, charging current will be forced to find an alternate route to flow out toward the battery. A defective connection may be caused by corrosion or an open circuit from a break in several battery cable stands.
When do people hear that they have to replace an alternator fuse?
When people hear that they have to replace an alternator fuse when they have an alternator fuse blown in their car, they sometimes start to panic. It sounds like it would be a pretty expensive job, doesn’t it? But the truth is that the average car fuse is only going to cost you $20 or so, if that.
What happens when an alternator diode goes bad?
Properly functioning diodes also protect all of the sensitive electronic equipment in the vehicle from reverse current flow. When there is a defective connection between the battery and the alternator, charging current will be forced to find an alternate route to flow out toward the battery.
These fuses blow out after a while or when there is a power surge. In these cases, your alternator would fail and your battery would not charge. If you have a bad alternator, look in the owner’s manual to see where the alternator fuse is in your car and check to see if it is blown.
What happens when the diodes of an alternator fail?
More so than in the past, your alternator will slowly fail as the diodes fail. Your battery is being drained and your alternator (new or replaced) is working overtime to charge the battery while the diodes are being damaged by the draw in the window circuit. Disable this circuit via the fuse and see what happens.
What happens when an alternator overcharges the battery?
Battery. Alternators that overcharge will typically produce excess voltage to the battery, making the battery case swell up, become very hot and lose its electrolyte through boiling. Improperly jump-starting the vehicle can send a surge through the battery that destroys one or more cells in the battery or shorts it out.
Why does my alternator go to full output all the time?
If the wiring between the alternator output and the battery hasn’t been checked for a problem then that needs to be done. There may be a bad connection there. The battery sense lead to the alternator also needs to be checked out to see if a problem with it is causing the alternator to go to full output all the time.