Alternator Replacement

For the most part, alternators are less expensive than say, a power steering pump or air
conditioner compressor. Nevertheless, you have alternatives to forking out a lot of cash for a
replacement alternator. Many automotive stores sell remanufactured or rebuilt alternators at a
discounted price. For instance, a Beck/Arnley alternator for a 2002 Honda Accord with a 3-
liter V6 engine can cost $229 new, versus $163 for the same part, only remanufactured
[source: PartsAmerica].

iStockphoto.com/Bill Noll
You may not have to replace your alternator entirely if you're handy in the garage.

While alternators are relatively inexpensive in comparison to some of the other components
on your engine, some can be expensive depending on the car make. If you owned a 2005
Porsche 911 Carrera GT for instance and wanted to replace the original Bosch alternator, you
could expect to pay well over $300, and that's for a remanufactured component [source:
Autoparts Warehouse].

Sometimes alternators are easily accessible and simple to replace for the amateur mechanic.
With a modest amount of automotive experience and the proper tools, replacing an alternator
in your garage can be done. But more and more cars don't have room under the hood, and the
alternators can be difficult to reach without first removing several other components. In this
case, it's best to take your car to an experienced technician who can do the job quickly.

If you happen to own an alternator that has a repair kit available for sale, you can really save
some money. Alternator repair kits run between $12 and $30, depending on which
components you need to fix. Again, you need the proper tools and a little know-how, but if
you're able to find the right kit and know what you're doing, you can rebuild an alternator for
a fraction of the cost of even a remanufactured unit.

One thing is certain: A bad alternator will ruin a good battery if you don't address it quickly.
Batteries can only be recharged so many times before they'll lose their ability to hold a
charge. For the most part, if the battery isn't relatively old, it should survive. But an older
battery that is constantly drained and charged, drained and charged will have a shorter life
span than a battery operated under normal conditions. The average life span of a battery is
usually around 48 months [source: Battery Stuff].

High-output alternators have become popular with custom car shops and in high-performance
cars. They produce higher voltage at idle and make more power for vehicles that draw an
excessive amount of electricity. For example, custom cars with lavish audio and video
systems draw more electricity than the stock alternators can handle. As a result, companies
such as HO Alternators make alternators for several makes and models. Some custom shops
are even installing dual-alternator systems to handle the additional electrical loads seen in
custom vehicles.

For more information on vehicle electrical systems and related HowStuffWorks articles,
please check out the lots more information section on the next page.

Car-alarm Transmitters
Most car alarm systems come with some sort of portable keychain transmitter. With this
device, you can send instructions to the brain to control the alarm system remotely. This
works in basically the same way as radio-controlled toys. It uses radio-wave pulse
modulation to send specific messages (to see how this works, check out How Radio
Controlled Toys Work).

Photo courtesy Directed Electronics

The primary purpose of the keychain transmitter is to give you a way to turn your alarm
system on and off. After you've stepped out of your car and closed the door, you can arm the
system with the touch of a button; when you return to the car, you can disarm it just as easily.
In most systems, the brain will flash the lights and tap the horn when you arm and disarm
your car. This lets you, and anyone in the area, know the alarm system is working.

This innovation has made car alarms a lot easier to use. Before remote transmitters, alarm
systems acted on a delay mechanism. As with a home security system, you activated the
alarm when you parked your car, and you had 30 seconds or so to get out and lock the doors.
When you unlocked your car, you had the same amount of time to shut off the alarm once
you got in. This system was highly problematic, as it gave thieves an opportunity to break
into the car and disable the alarm before any siren sounded.

Remote transmitters also let you open your power door locks, turn on your lights and set off
the alarm before you get into your car. Some systems give you even more control over the
system's brain. These devices have a central computer and a built-in pager system. When
an intruder disturbs your car, the central computer calls up your keychain pager and tells you
which sensors were triggered. In the most advanced systems, you can communicate with the
brain, signaling it to shut down the engine.

Since the transmitter controls your alarm system, the pattern of pulse modulation must act
like a key. For a particular line of transmitter devices, there might be millions of different
pulse codes. This makes the communication language for your alarm system unique, so other
people can't gain access to your car using another transmitter.

This system is fairly effective, but not foolproof. If a determined criminal really wants to
break into your car, he or she can use a code-grabber to make a copy of your "key." A code
grabber is a radio receiver that is sensitive to your transmitter's signal. It receives the code
and records it. If the thief intercepts your "disarm code," he or she can program another
transmitter to exactly mimic your unique signal. With this copied key, the thief can
completely bypass the alarm system the next time you leave your car unattended.

To address this problem, advanced alarm systems establish a new series of codes every time
you activate the alarm. Using rolling code algorithms, the receiver encrypts the new disarm
code and sends it to your transmitter. Since the transmitter only uses that disarm code once,
any information intercepted by a code snatcher is worthless.

Since the early 1990s, car alarm systems have evolved a great deal, and they've become a lot
more common. In the next 10 years, we are sure to see a new crop of technological advances
in car alarms. Onboard GPS receivers have opened up a wide range of security possibilities.
If the receiver were connected to the alarm-system brain, it could tell you and the police
where your car is at all times. This way, even if somebody does bypass your alarm system, he
or she won't have the car for long.

For more information on car alarms and related topics, check out the links on the next page.