Mud in alternators, is there a cure?????

[timpaton]

I have just helped a friend remove his Vitara alternator, which after a mud bath the other day has died, and is off to a shop for repair.

Question - this must happen to loads of people, and i think the problem is exacerbated by the electric fan, so is there a mod to stop water and mud getting in, a mesh, or a protector?

Cheers, Tim

[Darrell]

Mud in alternators, is there a cure?????

Yes , don't drive though mud

Sorry, not very helpfull but I've not known anybody to manage to keep the muck out if playing in deep mud/water.
Just give it a good hose afterwards. When the mud dries it can make the brushes stick and therefore stop working.
I suppose a good spray with WD40 beforehand may help stop the crap from sticking.

[ScottieJ]

Deep mud is the main problem, deep water not so much. I've never had a huge problem killing alternators. I've been through 1or2 but then again I rarely go in stupidly deep mud.

[twiss]

Try to get an alternator with an internal fan instead of an external fan.
On the external one they seem to have shaped the fan blades specifically to chuck mud into the alternator!

I killed 3+ alternators with the external fan blades in 4 years...

Put the internal fan alternator on with my 1.6 8v engine and it's been fine for the last 4 years!