HOW TO DRIVE WITH A BAD ALTERNATOR? -

In this article, we’ll be talking about how to drive with a bad alternator.

This knowledge comes in very handy if you want to reduce the chance of being left stranded on the side of the road.

To be even more clear, with a bad alternator on your car, you will not get far.

Knowing these tips may help you avoid that, prolong the reaction time and if you’re lucky even solve the problem.

If you want to watch our videos about car repair and driving tips, visit our YouTube channel.

You may also find these articles regarding alternator problems useful:

ALTERNATOR REPAIR-10 SYMPTOMS AND SOLUTIONS

10 MOST COMMON ALTERNATOR PROBLEMS

HOW TO FIND THE ALTERNATOR ON ANY CAR?

CAN YOU DRIVE WITH A BAD ALTERNATOR?

So can you drive with a bad alternator? The answer is yes, in the majority of cases.

An exception is if there’s physical damage to the alternator.

In particular, if one of the alternator bearings is bad. In this case, it will block the rotation of the rotor, pulley, and serpentine belt.

You’ll easily notice this problem by the high-pitched screech and burning smell of the serpentine belt.

In this case, pull over and do not drive the car. If you do, you’re at risk of causing further damage to the alternator, serpentine belt, or more.

But if the alternator freely rotates without any strange noises but the battery warning light is on all the time then you can continue driving but only for a very limited time.

In that case, know that you’re driving only on the electricity from the car’s battery and none is coming from the alternator.

HOW LONG CAN YOU DRIVE WITH A BAD ALTERNATOR?

So, when you have a bad alternator that doesn’t produce electricity, you’re essentially driving a battery-powered car.

This gives you a very short mileage and time for driving, especially with today’s modern cars that are packed with electrical appliances.

To get to the point and this is a rough estimate from experience: from the moment the alternator stops working, you have about 50 miles of driving left, give or take 10 miles.

This is under optimal conditions and if you apply the lower-mentioned tips. If you use a lot of electricity while driving this can easily be half.

So, the main message here is that when the battery warning light comes up, you don’t have much time and you have to search for help or a solution quickly.

If you follow the next steps you may buy yourself some extra time which can be precious.

HOW TO DRIVE WITH A BAD ALTERNATOR?

Know that with a bad alternator, the key factor is time. You have very limited time to react and search for a solution so the sooner you start to apply these tips the better.

1. TURN OFF ALL THE APPLIANCES

Once you notice you have a bad alternator problem turn off as many appliances as you can and that are safe to turn off.

If you’re driving during the day, if possible turn off the headlights, if it’s not too hot turn off the AC. Avoid using the power windows, rear window heater, and else.

These all cause massive battery drains and turning them off will significantly increase your range for driving.

2. AVOID NIGHT DRIVING

If the alternator problem happens during the night, pull over as soon as possible and search for help.

Preferably pull over to a gas station, motel, shopping mall, or anywhere you can get help and have a phone signal since you won’t be moving anywhere soon.

Night driving means you’re using the headlights and many other appliances because you have to.

You’ll quickly drain the battery and you’ll be left stranded.

So, regarding night driving: you can’t drive with a bad alternator. Period. Otherwise, if you press your luck, you will be left stranded.

3. TRY TO KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING

If the situation allows you, try to keep the engine running as long as possible.

Every engine stop and additional crank produces a massive battery drain and severely reduces the leftover range.

Also, the longer you drive like this the less chance you’ll have to start the car again because of the depleted battery.

4. INSPECT THE SERPENTINE BELT

These next few tips apply not so much to driving but rather to solving the problem.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough, these tips could help you get out of trouble and continue driving without problems.

So, raise the hood and first take a look around the serpentine belt.

Sometimes it may fall off or get torn due to various reasons like poor maintenance for instance.

If this is the only reason the alternator doesn’t work then putting on a new belt may well solve the problem and you may be on your way.

This is just a suggestion and you can do this provided you know how to do this, you have a new belt at hand, you can reach the serpentine belt, you have the tools and else.

In older times, replacing a serpentine belt on the road was common practice and considered an easy job, but on today’s cars not so much.

Whatever the case, have this option in mind.

For more information on the serpentine belt problem click here.

5. CHECK THE ALTERNATOR CONNECTIONS

If the serpentine belt is OK, take a look at the alternator connections.

Those would be the cables and connectors on the back of the alternator.

Make a visual check that all of them are connected, are not damaged, and that anything isn’t hanging loose.

Sometimes a broken cable or a loose connection is the cause of the problem. Especially pay attention to this if you drive an older or high-mileage car.

If this is the case, a simple reconnecting, re-plugging, or tightening may solve the problem.

Again, only do this if possible and if it’s safe. If so, take off the minus battery clamp just in case.