Q: How do i know if my voltage regulator is bad

asked by on September 09, 2017

my car keeps telling me to service charging system. i have replaced my battery and it keeps telling me to service it

My car has 186000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

Alternator Replacement $166.62 - $1297.14 Get a Quote

This may be related to ether the alternator or the voltage regulator. I would suggest having the alternator checked to determine if it is receiving the proper amount of voltage from something called the voltage regulator. The voltage regulator regulates the charging voltage that the alternator produces, keeping it between 13.5 and 14.5 volts to protect the electrical components throughout the vehicle. The voltage regulator controls the field current applied to the spinning rotor inside the alternator. When there is no current applied to the field, there is no voltage produced from the alternator. When voltage drops below 13.5 volts, the regulator will apply current to the field and the alternator will start charging. When the voltage exceeds 14.5 volts, the regulator will stop supplying voltage to the field and the alternator will stop charging. This is how voltage output from the alternator is regulated. When the voltage regulator is not working properly, this may cause the alternator to allow the power the alternator supplies to drop resulting in the battery dying again. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle.

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