Why do so many people think the alternator is responsible when a car wont start?

Question

just so everybody knows the alternator doesn't have anything to do with starters... it runs on electromagnetic current which the lines of flux are cut only when the rotor is spinning to induce a voltage. on a DC generator is the only situation when the starter and generator are even related... so why is it such a common misconception that when a car goes click when you crank it your starter is to blame? who ever told you that? the battery is the only thing that runs the starter...

Specifically more than half of the starting questions I've answered contained more than a single person stating that the alternator is responsible for a no start but crank situation... Ha thats Impossible unless the alternator has seized and that would cause a no crank situation which only happened on the lumina i believe...

rmrndrs... or however your name is spelled... There are to Direct current generators which were used on old model cars. the problem with a direct current generator is that its huge and creates very little power. do your research before denying technology

Oh and for several of you the alternator is not designed to recharge a battery more than a small amount of voltage. its not a charging system like a battery charger is and I'm speaking of a new battery or recharged battery but starter not working... i've counted 6 questions in the last 10 pages that have a new battery and cannot start and people blame the alternator

Ya now new found glory down at the bottom although not actually reading my question well has given me the smartest answer yet... Thanks glory you give me hope for humanity

Answer 1

the REAL question is whay does "funnymantwo" feel that he has to berate people that try to help him? 95% of people on here are just your average joe trying to help. the rest of us 5% are actual ase certified and know whats going on...
if you feel that you have to ask these goofball questions then i suggest that you hit up a real technical site and stop wasting all of your valuable time...

Answer 2

Funnyguy, or whatever the heII your name is, Are you asking a question? It seems as though you looked up automotive electrical systems on Wikipedia and started copying and pasting in to Yahoo Answers. Is that what you're doing?

It was only the Lumina LTZ with the 3.4 by the way.

The most common cause of no-crank, no-starts is driver error (leaving lights on, exterior or interior, door not closed all the way, etc.

The second most common cause is a short in the car's electrical system, draining the battery. This is most commonly in one of the battery cables or grounding wires.

Third is a modified electrical system drawing too much on the battery. This is common with cars that have stupid amounts of A/V equipment and/or idiotic car alarms installed.

Finally, and in this order, the next most likely answers:
4. Old and worn out battery that won't hold a charge.
5. Bad starter SOLENOID (that's the do-hickey that goes "clicky-clicky")
6. Bad starter (they usually out-last the rest of the car, so this is rare)
7. Bad alternator, causing the battery to run the car's electrical systems during operation. If it's a short trip, there may be no noticeable symptoms, until the next time you go to start it. (It DOES happen, but it is by far the rarest of occurances)

Yes, the alternator replacement is the MOST FREQUENT UNNECESSARY REPAIR that is done, by far. Why? It's easy to replace, very profitable, and after it has been replaced, and still doesn't fix the problem, the "bad alternator" can be blamed for having to replace the battery and/or starter solenoid. You'll hear something like "Yeah that bad alternator must have fried your battery too... you'll need a new one..."
I still don't know what the purpose of this question is, though. It seems like you're just trying to piss people off.

Answer 3

You are only partially right. The reason is that if the generator is not functioning, the electrical system will drain the battery, and when the battery finally dies, the car will fail to start. So you are right, the generator is not the direct cause of the problem, but it is the indirect cause of it. Also, there are many other reasons that a car won't start, (Starter, battery, ignition, etc etc). Also, for your information there are no DC generators. All generators are AC. Just like there are not AC batteries.

Answer 4

there are many reasons that could affect a car not starting, fuel problems, igition problems, air problems, etc. but when your car does not turn over it is the lack of a current to the starter that is the problem which is supplied by the battery. the alternator does have to recharge the battery, batteries do not last years on end without being recharged.

Answer 5

I am not a mechanic but I would say alternator can be blamed for non starting,not directly but indirectly, like wouldnt charge the battery properly or wont charge at all then u got a flat battery then car wont start next morning. when they ask "Why the car is not starting??" u would say flat battery, then they ask why.

Answer 6

If the alternator stops charging and the battery goes dead, I would say it would be the cause of the car not starting. Did you just get a new auto repair manuel or what?

Answer 7

Alternator wear out and fail with high mileage commonly.

Answer 8

well i think its either or. It could be the starter or the battery.

Answer 9

it didnt do its job and recharge the battery read the whole book

Answer 10

I think its only you that thinks this im sorry, ive never heard anyone say that