How To Tell If An Alternator Is Bad. Testing your battery and alternator tells you which one is the problem. Dim headlights indicate that the alternator cant keep up with the energy request for the lights.
If you have a newer battery but your car wont start you may have a bad alternator. A whining or grinding sound coming from your alternator while your car is in operation is a bad sign. If the car immediately stops running your alternator has malfunctioned because it should depend on the alternator and not the battery after starting.
The noise usually indicates bad bearings inside the alternator.
Dimming headlights are one of the most common signs of a bad alternator in the Toyota Camry. Dim or overly bright headlights. Shop from Thousands of Hard-To-Find Parts. In some cases both parts may be faulty as a bad battery can reduce an alternators life expectancy and vice versa.
