Modern vehicles are an intricate combination of electrical and mechanical parts. If your electrical components run into trouble, your car will quickly stop functioning properly. Here are some common electrical problems a car might experience. For most of these issues, it’s best to have a trusted technician at your local Chevy dealership to take a look.
Faulty Alternator
The heart of your car’s electrical power is your alternator. This component converts the mechanical energy of your engine into electricity to power every other electrical component of your car, including the ignition coils inside the engine.
Alternators usually last a good seven to ten years, but a few things can cause them to break down earlier, such as leaking fluid, an overly tight serpentine belt, or a bad accessory that overloads it. If your alternator runs into trouble, the battery might take up the slack for a while, but pretty soon, all your electrical accessories will stop working. Without sufficient power for your spark plugs, your engine will falter too.
Aging Battery
The alternator charges the battery, which provides electrical power to the car when the engine’s turned off. Every time your engine runs, your battery should fully charge up. If it fails to do so, then it might be on its last legs. Car batteries usually last three or four years but can become damaged by extreme temperatures or corrosion.
If you can’t start your car one morning, your battery probably doesn’t have any juice. To know if the problem lies with the battery or the alternator, jump-start your car. If the engine dies again shortly after, then it your alternator is to blame it’s not providing enough power to keep the engine going or recharge your battery.
Failing Electronics
A serious electrical problem will cause most of your accessories to fail. Your headlights and other lights will lose brightness and then die. Your dashboard might turn dark, and your air conditioning will also stop working. A single accessory failing indicates a problem with that part alone, but many accessories faltering together indicates a larger underlying electrical problem.
Fuses Blowing Out
Just like your house, your car has a fuse box designed to protect individual components from sudden electrical surges. Again, if one fuse blows, it might not be a big deal. But if fuses keep blowing, then you have more serious underlying issue that requires the attention of a technician.
Burning Plastic
Electrical malfunctions can sometimes melt the plastic insulation around connections and wiring. A burning plastic smell often points to electrical issues, especially if this smell is accompanied by failing lights and other accessory problems.
Your Chevy Dealer Finds an Electrical Flaw
During periodical vehicle inspections at your local dealership, technicians will use tools to plug into the onboard diagnostics port of your car. They can then collect data from your car’s onboard computer and its many sensors and use this information to diagnose problems. This helps them to find and repair electrical issues.
Have your car’s electronics inspected today at Randy Wise Chevrolet. We’re an award-winning dealership dedicated to delivering a top-notch customer experience.
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