Starting, Charging & Batteries
Description of Starting, Charging & Batteries
Your vehicle’s starting and charging system is involved in regulating multiple electrical processes to start your vehicle's engine and keep it running. The starting system consists of the battery, a starter motor, and a starter solenoid responsible for starting the engine, while the charging system consists of an alternator and voltage regulator. The charging system is responsible for routing energy throughout the entire electrical process while sustaining the battery’s charge. The battery supplies the electric power necessary to start the vehicle. This process starts when you turn the ignition. Then, the starting system sends power from the battery to the starter solenoid to the starter motor, which turns the engine in order to begin the internal combustion process. The alternator powers the other electrical components in your vehicle while the regulator controls the voltage supplied to each component. The regulator also ensures that the alternator maintains the battery’s charge so that the entire cycle can continue.
Benefits of Starting, Charging & Batteries
Slow cranking engines and dim headlights can sometimes point to a problem with your vehicle’s starting and charging system. Because the battery is required for the electrical charge needed to start the rest of the electrical system, a weak or dead battery can also prevent your car from starting. If a jump start refuses to revive your battery and the starting system, our staff may need to take a closer look at the other components of the starting and charging system to determine whether or not you need a starter replacement or an alternator replacement. All components within your vehicle’s starting and charging system are necessary to ensure proper working order, and one bad link between them can render the entire electrical process useless. If you experience problems with starting your vehicle or maintaining its power even after trying a jump start, then allow our service staff to perform a starting and charging system check on your vehicle today.
- Approximate Service Time: 120 minutes
- Price Range: Get Quote for Price
The Basics Behind Alternator Replacement Services at Total Roadside Services
An alternator is part of a vehicle’s charging system, and is an essential component in keeping a vehicle operable. The alternator works with the battery and voltage regulator to keep electrical components running. Usually located near the front of a vehicle’s engine, an alternator can be identified by its aluminum body, vents, and an internal or external cooling fan. Depending on the vehicle, the alternator pulley is driven by either a serpentine belt or v-belt. This mechanical energy is then converted into electrical energy as internal parts operate to create a magnetic field used to produce the alternating current output. The alternator can reach high temperatures fast, so an operative cooling fan is important. Although the battery can keep the vehicle running for a little while, it will not be able to keep it running for an extended period of time if the alternator malfunctions. In fact, the alternator serves as the charger for the battery as well. Because a bad alternator will eventually render the vehicle inoperable, it is imperative that a driver have this component repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
- Approximate Service Time: 15 minutes
- Price Range: Get Quote for Price
The Basics Behind Battery Replacement Services at Total Roadside Services
Car batteries are fundamental parts of both the charging and starting systems. Within the starting system, the role of the battery is to send a current of electricity to the starter so that the vehicle is able to start and run. In addition, the battery is responsible for supplying electricity to other electrical components, such as the radio and the internal and external lights when the demand exceeds the supply of the alternator or when the vehicle is off. Most vehicles use one battery, but vehicles with diesel engines, electric vehicles, or vehicles that run a 24-volt system may require two or more batteries to power their engines and electric systems. Currently, the SLI battery is a popular type of battery used in many vehicles. The letters, which stand for starting, lighting, and ignition, indicate the battery’s major functions. Overall, an automotive battery is an essential component in vehicles. Without a working battery, an engine will not start. As such, it is important for a driver to keep watch over battery life.
- Approximate Service Time: 60 minutes
- Price Range: Get Quote for Price
The Basics Behind Starter Replacement Services at Total Roadside Services
The starter is a motor that, when supplied with electricity from a vehicle’s battery, will engage the flywheel ring gear and crank the engine. When a driver turns the key to start the engine, the battery sends a small supply of electricity to the starter solenoid. In turn, the solenoid powers the motor which sends a gear to mesh with the ring gear on a vehicle’s flywheel. Depending on the vehicle, the starter may be a direct drive (DD), planetary gear (PLGR), permanent magnet gear reduction (PMGR), permanent magnet direct drive (PMDD), or offset gear reduction (OSGR). In a DD starter, components are attached in a line and run off the armature. A PLGR starter has a shaft that the armature uses and is good at increasing torque. A PMGR starter is similar to a PLGR starter except the PMGR starter uses permanent magnets instead of field coils. Similarly, PMDD starters are akin to DD starters except PMDDs use permanent magnets instead of field coils. Finally, OSGR starters do not run directly off the armature. No matter the type, each starter ultimately plays an essential role in powering a vehicle.
- Approximate Service Time: 15 minutes
- Price Range: Get Quote for Price
The Basics Behind Starting & Charging System Check Services at Total Roadside Services
The starting and charging system is responsible for getting an engine to run and for keeping different components charged. The starting system involves a number of parts, including the ignition switch, starter, and flywheel. Using energy from the battery, the starter uses a gear to interact with the engine. Without a starter, an engine would be inoperable. The charging system, which includes the battery, alternator, and voltage regulator, play an equally important role. The battery is needed to send electricity to the starter. The alternator powers all the electrical components by generating electrical currents, and the voltage regulator ensures that the output of the alternator does not over- or under-charge the components dependent on the electrical current. Together, the starting and charging systems interact with one-another to keep a vehicle operating for its driver.
