Posts Tagged: alternator
How to Safely Test an Alternator with a Digital Multimeter
How to test an alternator using a multimeter If you want to test an alternator all you need is a digital multimeter. There are some old-fashioned ways that many people still use on late-model vehicles, and those out-of-date methods can damage vehicle electronics. For example, disconnecting the battery cables while the engine is running is one of the best ways to fry your vehicle electronics instantly. Don’t do it! Cardone, a major alternator rebuilder, has issued a service bulletin regarding the right and wrong ways to test an alternator. The … Read More
The safe way to test an alternator
How to test an alternator the safe way Disconnecting a battery cable while a car is running to test an alternator can damage your car’s computers and computerized controls. You could do that on non-computerized cars, but not on any car since the early ’80’s. Your car battery filters out voltage spikes Your car’s battery acts like a large capacitor to absorb voltage spikes. For example, any time an electric motor shuts down, there’s a large voltage spike caused by the magnetic field collapse. So there’s a spike when you … Read More