For car models that have been in use for many years, the situation of the car suddenly turning off the engine while running often makes the car owner immediately think that the battery is weak or broken. However, the cause may also stem from the charging system, in which the generator malfunction is a possibility that needs to be checked.
According to a technician at the Ninety Eight Auto Repair, Maintenance and Care Center (Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City), the generator is responsible for generating electricity when the engine is running, supplying electricity to the equipment on the car and recharging the battery.
Therefore, when the generator does not work or the charging capacity is reduced, the battery will not be replenished with electricity during vehicle operation.
In this case, the car may continue to run for a while thanks to the remaining electricity in the battery. Operating time depends on the battery condition as well as the car's electricity consumption. When the voltage drops too low, the ECU and electrical systems, fuel injection and ignition may operate unstablely, even causing the engine to turn off.
The generator can encounter many forms of damage such as the stator or rotator coil being short-circuited, broken, or burned; the ballast diode is damaged; the voltage regulator is having problems; the charcoal broom or supply ring is worn.
Transmitter belts, wires and connectors can also be the cause of the charging system not working properly.
When removing the generator for inspection, technicians can determine the condition of the coil and internal components. Depending on the severity of the damage, the generator can be repaired or replaced.
For errors that can be fixed, technicians can replace each component such as diodes, pressure regulators, charcoal brooms or bullet silver. If the generator is heavily burned and many parts are damaged, repair may no longer be cost-effective.
In case of replacement, vehicle owners can choose a new generator or a generator that still works well. For vehicle removal components, it is necessary to carefully check the condition and charging capacity before installation.
Technicians recommend that when car batteries warning lights appear while the engine is running, headlights are weak, electrical equipment operates intermittently, or the car is difficult to start, the car owner should check the entire charging system instead of just changing the battery.
Measuring charging voltage, checking generators, pressure regulators, belts and related wires helps to correctly identify the cause, avoiding the situation of replacing batteries but the incident still occurs.
