My first question is: From which year did cars begin to have alternators? My dad has a 80's Fiat 127 car and I'm not sure if it has an alternator.
Second question: When does it work? Does the car have to be in motion or does it only need the engine on?
Thanks.
Alternator only works when the motor is running cause it runs on a belt. I'm not sure when they first starting using them though.
[QUOTE=Bledrix;28957696]Alternator only works when the motor is running cause it runs on a belt. I'm not sure when they first starting using them though.[/QUOTE]
So just the engine running is enough? The car doesn't have to be in motion?
[QUOTE=dj_night;28957838]So just the engine running is enough? The car doesn't have to be in motion?[/QUOTE]Doesn't need to be moving. The motor just needs to be on to have all the belts moving.
[QUOTE=Bledrix;28958003]Doesn't need to be moving. The motor just needs to be on to have all the belts moving.[/QUOTE]
Ok, thanks. Now I just need to know if it has an alternator.
Every engine has an alternator/generator, generally the only difference is Alternator = 12v and generator = 6v. There are also some 12v generators but they ALL work the same way. There is no production car without a charging system. That '80s Fiat had an alternator, by the way.
[QUOTE=bradley;28958899]Every engine has an alternator/generator, generally the only difference is Alternator = 12v and generator = 6v. There are also some 12v generators but they ALL work the same way. There is no production car without a charging system. That '80s Fiat had an alternator, by the way.[/QUOTE]
Thank you.
the alternator works at night when the local chi energies are at their highest levels
[QUOTE=bradley;28958899]Every engine has an alternator/generator, generally the only difference is Alternator = 12v and generator = 6v. There are also some 12v generators but they ALL work the same way. There is no production car without a charging system. That '80s Fiat had an alternator, by the way.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, true.
Think about it this way, if a car didn't have an alternator, the battery would constantly go flat as it wouldn't get charged at all. Would be dead in less than a days use i would say.
[QUOTE=Buxton-SG;28964867]Yeah, true.
Think about it this way, if a car didn't have an alternator, the battery would constantly go flat as it wouldn't get charged at all. Would be dead in less than a days use i would say.[/QUOTE]
If not even faster, the iginition system of the car takes the power directly from the alternator due to it's powerconsumption, pretty much all appliances in the car does this, the battery is just there so you can start the engine and use the appliances for a short period of time when the engine is not running.
[QUOTE=Skusty;28965566]If not even faster, the iginition system of the car takes the power directly from the alternator due to it's powerconsumption, pretty much all appliances in the car does this, the battery is just there so you can start the engine and use the appliances for a short period of time when the engine is not running.[/QUOTE]
Not true, all of the electrics run off of the battery, including the starter motor. The alternator then charges the battery when the engine is running, so the battery is both charging and discharging at the same time.
An alternator needs power to work, there isn't enough residual magnetism in the field coils for it to produce power without some electricity. A generator won't produce as much power at idle and the battery can actually drain while the engine is running at idle for too long.
I had this happen to me at school (I go to school for my commercial pilot certificate) The maintenance program were learning how to taxi aircraft and we have one that was built in the mid 60s that uses a generator. After an hour of them driving around at idle, I went to go on a cross country trip and the battery was almost completely dead, so I had to take a different airplane.
[QUOTE=Buxton-SG;28966508]Not true, all of the electrics run off of the battery, including the starter motor. The alternator then charges the battery when the engine is running, so the battery is both charging and discharging at the same time.[/QUOTE]
Once your car is running, you can disconnect the battery and the car will remain on and all electronics will work, the battery just won't help regulate the voltage spikes and you can fry some stuff.
Does this all mean that if I use my inverter (1000 Watts) while the engine is on it wont harm the battery?
By the way I'm only using like 200 Watts out of it (Logitech Z-2300) if it matters.
It's perfectly safe to use a 100w inverter with a vehicle while it is running. I do it all the time.
[QUOTE=bradley;28972218]It's perfectly safe to use a 100w inverter with a vehicle while it is running. I do it all the time.[/QUOTE]
100w? Do you mean 1000w? Because 100w is not enough for what I'm using it for.
Ah, 1000w. lol. Sorry, misread a zero. I'm not sure, what vehicle are you running it on? You may need a higher output alternator.
lol inverters
just get legit car speakers and not computer speakers in a car. i laugh when i see speakers like that in the back window of cars
[QUOTE=Buxton-SG;28966508]Not true, all of the electrics run off of the battery, including the starter motor. The alternator then charges the battery when the engine is running, so the battery is both charging and discharging at the same time.[/QUOTE]
Obviously the starter runs on the battery, but I recall that I was taught in school that pretty much everything (atleast that has a big powerconsumption) runs of the alternator first, and then the battery, but this could ofcourse vary from car to car, or I could just be wrong.
[QUOTE=bradley;28972460]Ah, 1000w. lol. Sorry, misread a zero. I'm not sure, what vehicle are you running it on? You may need a higher output alternator.[/QUOTE]
It's a Fiat 127 from the '80's
[editline]3rd April 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=lemon_lover;28972488]lol inverters
just get legit car speakers and not computer speakers in a car. i laugh when i see speakers like that in the back window of cars[/QUOTE]
It's just for fun for me and my friends we're planning doing that one day it's not like I'm gonna use desktop speakers every day in the car. I don't like to see them either.
I wouldn't recommend using a 1000w inverter with that car, and I don't know of any higher output alternator for the car. Unless you retrofit a GM alternator to it...
[QUOTE=bradley;28973124]I wouldn't recommend using a 1000w inverter with that car, and I don't know of any higher output alternator for the car. Unless you retrofit a GM alternator to it...[/QUOTE]
Damn I'm not experienced with cars so that "GM alternator" doesn't make any sense to me. I googled it and it gave me a "General Motors" website..
Yeah. GM makes more powerful alternators for their engines, generally they are installed on vehicles with electric winches, along with one or two extra batteries.
So for this Fiat 127 you don't recommend even just for 1 day? Is it that harmful?
[QUOTE=Buxton-SG;28964867]Yeah, true.
Think about it this way, if a car didn't have an alternator, the battery would constantly go flat as it wouldn't get charged at all. Would be dead in less than a days use i would say.[/QUOTE]
10 minutes if you're also listening to the radio and using A/C or something, while driving.
I know somebody who's alternator was broken, and she drove out of the garage and the battery was dead when she entered the street :v:
It's also affected by how much starting power your engine needs ofcourse..
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