Alternators / Starters

The alternator in a modern car is part of the power system; they are used in automobiles to charge the car battery and also to power the electrical system while the car is running. Alternators have many applications and variations outside of automobile alternators. Alternators, in the wider use of the term, are electromechanical devices that convert mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of an alternating current.

The alternator is an integral part of the power system in your car or truck; without a functioning alternator, your car battery could not recharge, which would quickly incapacitate the battery and prevent your car from starting. You’d also be unable to use the electronic devices installed in your car, such as power windows, the radio, windshield wipers, adjustable power mirrors, the sunroof, power locks, or power steering.

We specialize in foreign cars and service all makes and models imported from Europe or Asia. Our certified mechanics are well trained to work on car electrical systems, including the alternator. At our auto shop, an alternator replacement is an easy, affordable service!

The starter is a small, electric motor in your engine compartment that initiates the engine; after engine initiation, the engine runs under its own power. Before the implementation and widespread use of the starter motor, there were many techniques to getting a car engine started. To illustrate the role that the starter motor plays, just think of a gas powered lawn mower; the engine runs the lawn mower, but you must pull on a starter cord to get the engine running. This is what the starter motor does in your car or truck.

Before starter motors, people had to wind up springs, crank a handle, or pull on a cord just like a lawn mower. These techniques were necessary for their time, but dangerous to the people who had to work with them, as an engine could suddenly kickback and cause injury to the driver.

An electric starter motor is the most common type of starter motor. Most modern internal combustion engines start with the help of an electric starter motor. When you turn your key in the ignition, what is happening is that you manipulate a lever that makes a connection between the car battery and the electric starter motor. The battery sends an electric current to the starter, just enough to get the starter going. The motor then turns the engine on.

If your starter is broken, you’ll need a starter replacement. Without a starter motor, you will turn the key in the ignition and the battery will send an electric current, but the starter will not do anything and, as a natural result, your engine will not turn over.

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