What will happen if you put in the wrong alternator in your car?

When the alternator is failing, it cannot provide the car with enough electrical energy, and as a result, the battery starts to make up some of the slack. ... In addition, when the alternator is not working it doesn't provide any regenerative charge to the car battery which can also cause the battery to drain.

1. Can you put the wrong alternator in a car?
2. What happens if you use the wrong alternator?
3. What happens if you put a bigger alternator in your car?
4. Can any alternator fit any car?
5. What happens if you hook up an alternator backwards?
6. How long does it take for a bad alternator to drain a battery?
7. Can an alternator discharge a battery?
8. Can a weak battery damage an alternator?
9. Can charging a car battery damage the alternator?
10. Can an alternator be upgraded?
11. Does it hurt to put a higher amp alternator on my car?
12. How fast does an alternator charge a battery?
13. Do you need a specific alternator for your car?
14. Can you interchange alternators?
15. Is the alternator a generator?

Can you put the wrong alternator in a car?

usually it won't fit, either the shape or the plugs will be wrong. Occasionally on less developed vehicles you might find one model has an uprated alternator to cope with extra electrical loads and the smaller alternator then won't charge the battery quite as well on short journeys on cold dark days.

What happens if you use the wrong alternator?

It is used to recharge the battery after starting the engine and to power the vehicles electrical devices while the vehicle is in operation. Q) What happens if the alternator is bad? A) A bad alternator will result in a discharged (dead) battery and cause a vehicle to not start or run.

What happens if you put a bigger alternator in your car?

You can never have too much amperage when it comes to alternators; therefore, you never have to worry about choosing an alternator with too high of a rated output. ... So high-output alternators will not harm your components or charging system, no matter how high you go with the amps.

Can any alternator fit any car?

In most cases nothing except it would work fine. If the two alternators are physically the same and wired the same it's just a one for one swap. But make sure both alternators use the same gauge output wire in case one alternator has a higher amperage output.

What happens if you hook up an alternator backwards?

With today's units, even going back 20 years or more, it is almost impossible to hook up an alternator wrong. Now if you replace the plug(s), you can wire that up wrong. It could lead anywhere from nothing at all happening all the way up to shorting out the whole system and melting stuff.

How long does it take for a bad alternator to drain a battery?

In this situation, the battery could last as little as 30 minutes. If you are lucky and could get up to two hours. Note: In case you have to start the car without an alternator, don't turn off the engine once you're going. Starting the car flattens the battery down quickly.

Can an alternator discharge a battery?

The alternator is responsible for recharging the car battery and powering electrical systems of the car such as the radio, lights, ignition, etc. ... This, in turn, will drain your car battery and cause the car not to start.

Can a weak battery damage an alternator?

A weak battery cannot have any effect on alternator, but a poor or weak alternator can deteriorate the battery very quickly. ... When you use a weak battery or a smaller battery, it will lead to a loss of power. You will feel that the supply of power for your engine is not good and you will need to use an alternator or AC.

Can charging a car battery damage the alternator?

4 Answers. No, charging the battery from home should not damage the alternator. There is however no need to constantly charge it. If the vehicle is being used frequently there's no need to keep charging it at all really as the alternator will keep the battery charged up just fine.

Can an alternator be upgraded?

In a lot of cases, you can upgrade to an aftermarket radio without worrying too much about installing a high output alternator. However, there are cases where you'll clearly end up piling on more than the factory alternator can handle.

Does it hurt to put a higher amp alternator on my car?

Your alternator will only give a certain amount of power to a certain component. No matter how high the Amps are, high-output alternators won't hurt your components or charging system.

How fast does an alternator charge a battery?

A: Charging time depends on the battery and the charger. For a battery being charged by the car's alternator it can take an hour of driving to get it fully charged. Car batteries range from 40AH to 110AH, and alternators range from 45 amps to 200 amps.

Do you need a specific alternator for your car?

You do need the specific unit for your car as the fittings differ from one unit to the next see if you can find a supply only unit and fit it yourself its an easy job.

Can you interchange alternators?

Interchangeable Alternators

The alternators contained in each row will have the exact same mounting configuration. We can provide wiring harness adapters, a 1-wire regulator, or instructions if wiring changes are necessary.

Is the alternator a generator?

An alternator is a type of electric generator used in modern automobiles to charge the battery and to power the electrical system when its engine is running.