If the generator is not able to provide charging, you need to find the source of the breakdown. Otherwise, the car will be left without power and the battery will stop functioning.
If the equipment is fully functional, then charging the battery from the devices will not be necessary for a long time. It will retain 16 percent or more of the entire charge. The battery replenishes part of its charge from the installed generator.
What is installed on the VAZ 2110-2112
On VAZ 2110, 2111 and 2112 models, 2 types of generators are installed. Their models will depend directly on the installed engine.
- On carburetor engines there are products of the 9402.3701 model series.
- If the engine is injection, then models 3202-3771 will be installed.
It doesn’t matter what model is installed on the car, the problems and their solutions will be the same.
Messages 17
1 Topic by alex-rzvk 2017-02-07 21:48:49
- alex-rzvk
- New member
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- Registration: 2017-02-07
- Messages: 7 Thanks : 4
- Car: VAZ 2110
Topic: Resolved: Battery is not charging, voltage is 12.5 instead of 14 V
Good evening! Arriving at my relatives in the village and having skidded quite a bit in the snow, I sat down the battery. because I didn’t have a charger on hand, so after letting it sit for 2 hours in a warm place, the car started up. Halfway down the road, with the heater, low beam, fog lights and music on, suddenly the instrument lighting went out and the music stopped. Having turned off everything except the stove, I reached the house and took the battery to charge. Within a day the charge was zero. Deciding that the battery was completely dead, I bought a new one, and in addition bought a multimeter. I installed it, started the car, measured the voltage - 12.5, when normal, I subtracted 14-14.5. Well, I think the generator has failed, I removed the terminal from the battery, it works, although the speed itself raised to 2 thousand, the ominous “check” lamp came on on the tidy. I threw off the stamps, called back a couple of times, the “check” still didn’t disappear. Tell me, has anyone encountered this problem? p/s The battery charge indicator lamp lights up when you turn the key, but goes out after the start.
Fault options
There are several possible faults – let’s look at the most common ones.
| Cause of malfunction | Nuances |
| Device is overloaded | This malfunction is typical for those who like to install various equipment using the generator. For example, video devices or speakers. A conventional generator is not designed for such overloads, and therefore cannot cope with the load. |
| The battery does not match the characteristics of the generator | With a conventional generator, some decide to install a more powerful battery. As a result, the generator cannot cope with the more powerful battery. He does not have the necessary resources for this. |
Generator maintenance for preventive purposes
VAZ 2112 malfunction in the generator
First, let's look at how the generator is serviced:
- First of all, this means cleaning the external surfaces.
- Generator maintenance also involves checking the attachment of the device to the engine.
- In a thorough check of the reliability of attachments with a generator and voltage regulator.
- It is also necessary to check the generator drive belt, because if the tension is weak, the device will not function normally. It is recommended to carry out this same check every 10 thousand kilometers.
- It is also necessary to check the condition of the generator belt, which should not have any cracks or delaminations.
VAZ 2112 generator malfunction
- The condition of the bearings is checked (see Replacing generator bearings on a VAZ 2112 on your own) of this device. This check involves removing the belt and rotating the rotor by hand. If jamming or play is detected during the process, as well as clicks or noise, the bearings will have to be replaced.
What can cause malfunctions
There is a whole list of reasons why there may be no charging. These include:
- Poor contact.
- Broken winding.
- Lack of contact on the rotor housing.
- Interturn lack of contact.
- Mechanical failures.
- Lack of contact in the stator/phase winding.
The first thing you need to try to fix the problem is to turn off the equipment that was purchased additionally and is not included in the factory package. This may include a DVR, navigator, audio system and other additional equipment.
Next you should do the following:
- Measure the current output. If it's not there, then that's good. However, this is quite rare. Most often there is a small kickback that occurs due to short circuit or insufficient contact. It’s bad if the recoil is strong - then the battery is discharged in just one night of standing in a garage or parking lot.
To monitor the operation of the generator, you will need a multimeter, which has a special probe for measuring current. It usually comes with the main device and looks like a clamp that wraps around a wire. To perform the test, the clamp is placed on the wire that goes to the “B+” contact of the generator. Next, the engine starts and the speed is set to high. Then, one by one, additional equipment is turned on - radio, navigator, steering wheel heating, and so on. When each individual piece of equipment is turned on, readings from the device are recorded. And then the current output is recorded when all additional devices are turned on at the same time.
- If there are no serious leaks, you can return the additional equipment to its place.
- Check the recoil again. If there is still a leak, the problem is not with the alternator or battery. Most likely the reason is an additional installed device. Remove it and the battery will stop draining.
- If recoil still occurs, you should pay attention to the generator.
Here are a few reasons why a generator may fail:
- Insufficient contact observed between the rotor and brushes.
- A break that may occur in the field winding.
- Short circuit on the field winding coil. Characteristic signs are humming and strong heating of the generator.
- The stator outputs a short circuit to the housing.
- A break that occurs in the stator winding.
- The diodes located in the diode bridge have broken through.
- There is a positive short circuit on the body.
- There are mechanical failures.
- Failure of the voltage regulator relay.
- Worn rotor shaft bearings.
- Broken wires at output terminals.
- Faulty rectifier unit.
Some reasons can also be found in the video below.
VAZ 2112: generator malfunctions and their identification
As is known, on the VAZ 2112 the generator is a fairly reliable device that can withstand engine vibrations, high temperatures, exposure to the external environment, etc. In the VAZ 2112, generator malfunctions are caused by prolonged operation of this device, a short circuit or other reasons. In the VAZ 2112, malfunctions on the generator can make themselves felt at the most inopportune moment.
How many amperes does a car alternator produce per battery?
The current strength required by the electrical system of each car is individual and depends on the number of electricity consumers and their values. And also the charge current must be sufficient to charge the power source.
It is worth noting that ampere readings appear only when there is a load in the vehicle’s electrical system and, accordingly, the battery is discharged. After starting the car engine, the charging current is about 6-10 amperes and drops over time, because the battery is charging, taking on the main energy consumption. If you turn on additional equipment - headlights, radio or heated mirrors, you can see an increase in the charging current values.
When purchasing a generator, pay attention to its technical characteristics, which the manufacturer indicates on the case - that’s where you will find information about the maximum current that will flow to the battery.
In the table below you can see the approximate current values that the generator shows at different loads.
Table 1. How many amperes the generator produces under load.
Charging the battery from the generator
While the vehicle is moving, the electricity generation installation generates charging voltage, which is the main resource for recharging the storage unit. The process of charging the battery from the engine is carried out in a gentle mode, completely eliminating the possibility of boiling the electrolyte in the banks.
What kind of charging should go from the generator to the battery?
How much should the battery be charged from the generator to ensure its full operation? It is generally accepted that to fully replenish the energy costs of a battery, a generating device with a charging current volume of at least 10% of the capacity of the storage device will be sufficient. In other words, for a 70 ampere/hour battery, the generation system must provide at least 7 amperes of charging current, which will be normal charging of the battery from the generator. The power of the storage source must comply with the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer.
If a more powerful storage unit is used, the current value generated during operation of the car engine may not be enough to fully restore energy consumption. This can further lead to battery discharge and problems starting the engine. In addition, you should remember about the load from all electrical appliances that the machine is equipped with - the generating source must also cope with it.
How can an ordinary car enthusiast check whether the battery is charging from the generator?
How to independently check whether the generator is charging the battery?
Motor vehicles of the 21st century are equipped with on-board electronic systems that control the operation of all mechanisms, and also allow checking the battery charging from the generator. If the battery loses charge, its icon on the instrument panel will light up red. In addition, with the help of modern electronic devices you can monitor the voltage value in the network.
But what about those who have an old-style car, without bells and whistles? There are so-called “driver’s” methods that allow you to check whether the generator is charging the battery:
- Removing the terminal from the battery - if the generator malfunctions, the engine will immediately stall (only suitable for systems with mechanical ignition).
- Short circuit of the positive terminal to ground for a short time - check for a spark.
The above methods cannot be used when diagnosing modern cars - the control unit, fuses or diode bridge will instantly fail.
How to check the charging of the generator with a multimeter?
The operation of the generator set should be monitored and diagnostics of current, voltage and resistance values should be carried out at least twice during the year.
How to check if the battery is charging? Diagnostics of potential difference can be carried out using two methods:
- Directly on the generator winding.
- Through the battery pack, with which the energy generation source is inextricably connected directly with a large cross-section wire.
Let's connect the wires of the device in any order to the battery terminals and determine the mains voltage, the value of which should not be lower than 12 V. When the engine is idling with the load completely disconnected, the permissible voltage is determined by the range from 13.5 to 14 V. In this case, deviations of no more than 0.2 V down or up.
We are looking for problems - the main culprits of the voltage drop
The problem is that your car may have a number of individual problems that lead to a drop in voltage. Therefore, only a specialist can tell the reason one hundred percent after examining the entire electrical circuit and performing high-quality diagnostics. Without inspecting the car, you can only guess the real problems and speak in general terms. However, there is a certain set of blocks and equipment that is responsible for voltage. This is what you should check first:
- battery - if this device is completely discharged, the computer tries to replenish its resources and sends the lion's share of the generated energy to charge and restore it;
- generator - a broken diode bridge can cause a significant drop in network performance, and this will cause problems with the battery in the future;
- voltage regulator (tablet) - installed on the generator and distributes voltage flows from this device; if it breaks, it can put an excessive load on the engine;
- too powerful equipment - for example, you could install a sound amplifier and subwoofer that the on-board electrical system of your car simply did not support;
- a failed consumer of electrical energy - this could be a burnt-out fan, a broken fuel pump, failed headlights, an air conditioner and other components.
Of course, this is not a complete list of possible causes of problems. It is worth remembering the importance of proper operation of the electrical network. In case of malfunctions and constantly low voltage, a variety of troubles are possible, including burning of important parts and simply low reliability of the vehicle as a whole. So it’s not worth driving with such a problem for a long time. You should immediately send the car to a service station or perform independent diagnostics.
How to check the alternator voltage on the battery
The potential difference can be diagnosed in two ways - directly at the generating equipment and through the battery. The generator is directly connected to the power source with a thick wire, therefore, to check the level of potential difference, you can measure the voltage at the power source. To do this, you will need special devices - a voltmeter, multimeter or load plug.
The wires of the first measuring instruments are connected to the battery in any sequence. The plug must be connected to the battery terminals with strict observance of polarity. It is generally accepted that the normal voltage in the network should not be lower than 12 volts. At idle speed without turning on all the electrical appliances of the car, this indicator should be at the level of 13.5-14V. A drop in voltage values to 13.3-13.8 volts is considered acceptable.
At the same time, using conventional testing equipment, you can check the resistance of the generator elements - rotor, stator and diode bridge. Diagnostics of rotary equipment is carried out by its winding. It is necessary to connect the probes of the device with slip rings. If the multimeter gives readings from 2, 3 to 5.1 ohms, then this element is working. The current consumption of the winding should be within 3-4.5 amperes.
For some reason, the car battery is not charging from the generator: what should I do?
The battery is the main source of energy in a car. A serviceable, constantly charged battery will ensure trouble-free starting of your car at any time of the year. It is worth noting that for the newest “iron horses” this is the only way to start the engine yourself without outside help. But where does the battery itself get its charge or, in other words, what charges the battery in the car?
