Voltage Spike Danger!

Voltage spikes generally occur when switching on and off motorized components like window motors,wiper motors and even the starter.  They are created when the magnetic field collapses in the motor when turning it off.  These voltage spikes can cause damage to sensitive computer components, found in later vehicles, causing the vehicle to run poorly and/or inefficiently.

A weak or bad battery and loose or corroded connections can aid in the destructive forces of voltage spikes.  A good battery acts as a large capacitor to absorb these spikes, so it is important to maintain the battery in good condition and keep the connections clean and tight to help prevent this kind of damage.

Proper and clean grounding of components is very important also.  When a voltage spike is forced across a path of least resistance it can literally fry other lessor components and maybe start a fire in the vehicle.  Though rare, it sometimes has happened.  Have you ever seen a car on the freeway on fire?

Alternators have some built in spike absorbing parts.  Many of the older units had capacitors (also referred to as condensers) either inside or mounted on the back of the units.  In later vehicles, they used avalanche diodes to do the trick by allowing excess voltage to leak past the diode in reverse, sort of like a pressure relief valve.

Bottom line and I'll repeat, always maintain a good battery in the vehicle and make sure to keep the connections clean.  Don't keep charging a weak battery to get by, until it quits all together.  By then the damage may have already occured.  Proper maintanence can give you more years of trouble free service!