Part of a combustion engine is the combo of battery and alternator. These two work in tandem to start and keep a car going. If one experiences too frequent failures of the battery, it could be that the alternator is not producing enough power and might need to be replaced with a higher capacity model.
The battery of the car powers all electricals systems on board when the engine is switched off. When starting the car, the starter motor is powered by the car’s battery. As soon as the engine turns over and runs, the battery’s job is done and it won’t be needed anymore. Driven by a chain or a belt, the alternator is attached to the engine and produces the electricity required to power all the systems on board of the car. In addition, the alternator produces excess energy to re-charge the battery.
An alternator is designed and specified to meet the energy needs of the vehicle without having the depend on additional power from the battery. One can literally remove the battery from the engine compartment once the engine is running. It is when additional electrical components are installed that there could be problems. Given that the alternator is specifically built to provide just enough power for the car’s original configuration, any additional electronics would have to find power from other sources: the battery.
Winches, sound systems, and other electronic gadgets will consume power. When running a lot of electrical systems in the car, the power provided by the alternator will not be sufficient. Energy will be drained from the battery to make up for the balance needed. This may result in a constantly drained battery, quickly wearing down and eventually failing.
The recommendation from German Motors’ technicians is to work closely with a trusted service provider to establish if a more powerful alternator would be needed when adding electrical components. The replacement is not necessarily a major process, however, it will ensure that the electronics on board work as intended.
