| Starting Basics |
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Your car depends on an electric storage battery to power the starter motor and dozens of other gadgets. Automotive batteries last a few years without replacement. As you will learn, easy maintenance can make them last longer. Some of the engine’s power is harnessed to recharge the battery. A contraption called an alternator (pictured) is indirectly connected to the engine’s crankshaft using a belt. The crankshaft rotates, turning the belt that turns a wheel on the alternator. The alternator makes electricity that is stored in the battery. You’ve probably guessed that checking the alternator and belt every once in awhile will be part of your maintenance job. Car Words An alternator converts the engine’s mechanical energy into electrical power as alternating current (AC). A rectifier then changes AC into direct current (DC) for storage in the battery. A generator, used in older cars, does the same thing in a slightly different way.
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As introduced a moment ago, the starter motor is an important part of your car. It is an electric motor that turns the flywheel that turns the crankshaft that moves the pistons up and down when the car starts. Once the engine is running on its own power, the starter motor must get out of the way and quit trying to turn the flywheel. Otherwise the fast-rotating engine will burn up the smaller starter motor. Not nice. So an attached electric solenoid engages and disengages the starter as directed by the ignition system and powered by the battery.
