When people have electrical issues with their car, their first thought is to blame the battery and rush to get a new one. This means that many times the alternator, another essential part of a vehicle’s electrical system, goes entirely overlooked.  If you’re unfamiliar with what an alternator is, it’s a handy little part that recharges your battery as you drive. Without it a perfectly good battery will quickly drain and appear to stop working.

So before you rush out to buy a new battery, here is how you can find out if your alternator is the real problem without having to wait for your next Phoenix car tune up.

• To start out, you’ll need a $10 voltage meter than can be bought at any auto parts store. This handy little device will tell you exactly how much charge is running through your battery.

• Next you’ll need to turn off the engine (and anything else running in your car), pop the hood, and locate the battery. Attach the positive lead on the meter to the positive battery terminal. Do the same with the negative side. (Note: positive has a + sign and negative has a – sign)

• Now take a look at the reading on your meter. A working battery should show a charge around 12.5 volts.

• Next you need to unplug the meter, turn on your engine (but not your lights, A/C, etc.) and then plug the voltage meter back into your battery.

• Check your meter again. If the accelerator is working properly, your battery should show an increase to at least 13.6 volts.

If the meter shows that you still have the same voltage as before it’s a pretty safe bet that the accelerator, not the battery is to blame.

Note: There is a possibility that the accelerator is not working because the belt that powers it is broken. You can get this fixed with a Phoenix timing belt replacement.

Tags: Alternator Repair, Phoenix Car Tune Up, Phoenix Timing Belt Replacement