Concerns with the alternator mounting location?

[ch57]

I have see a few posts of people talking about alternator concerns and mud. Something about the alternator being mounted low to the ground. Doing a quick search for alternator stuff didn't net the info I was looking for.

So I'm curious what is the deal with the alternator? Has anyone had major issues with it while off road in wet, snowy, muddy, salt heavy areas? Has anyone had a critical failure leaving them stranded? I imagine more threads would pop up if it was a major issue but just noticed the topic today and wanted to investigate before placing an order in case it would be a dealbreaker.

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[Msfitoy]

Good question...I wonder the same thing about anyone having alternator failure during water crossings...

 

[9zero1790]

no problems yet but now im expecting them... i never really looked to see where the alternator was until i learned of the problems. before that, i was blasting through the shallow spots of the brazos and red river with mine. now im careful even in a rain puddle...idk if they could have found a lower place to mount it. maybe under the transmission and use long cables.

 

[ch57]

no problems yet but now im expecting them... i never really looked to see where the alternator was until i learned of the problems. before that, i was blasting through the shallow spots of the brazos and red river with mine. now im careful even in a rain puddle...idk if they could have found a lower place to mount it. maybe under the transmission and use long cables.

I'm assuming it's just mounted on the bottom of the engine? Shouldn't the FX4 skid protect it?

 

[9zero1790]

the fx4 and tremor skid plate protect it from getting bashed or scraped but not from mud sand or water.

 

[Msfitoy]

Alternators are cheap, and appear to be in a reasonably easy place to change.
You'll spent more money on a good set of tow straps . Buy a spare, keep it in the back seat.

But is it easy to replace?

 

[Danager]

Alternators are cheap, and appear to be in a reasonably easy place to change.
You'll spent more money on a good set of tow straps . Buy a spare, keep it in the back seat.

The problem is, if you need the spare alternator, you also need the tow straps.

 

[9zero1790]

it might be easy to swap out if we could get them lol. i tried every part store in town a few months ago and no one had them. i was going to put one in my off road kit just in case.

 

[ch57]

No one ever said it was cheap to play....

yeah but with it being mounted low it has me wondering how it will fair for the average person even in winter snow driving conditions. the underside of my current truck gets about a half inch thick film of ice on everything...

 

[viperwolf]

Alternators are cheap, and appear to be in a reasonably easy place to change.
You'll spent more money on a good set of tow straps . Buy a spare, keep it in the back seat.

True and only few will push it to that limit. However, I would not want to change an alternator on a wet, hot, muddy truck on a trail while crawling in the mud or dirt in any season. Ford could of mounted it higher like the global units, or sealed them and water cooled them like on some of the VW and Audi vehicles. But no matter how much we B&tch about it, its not going to change the situation at hand.

 

[KJRR]

yeah but with it being mounted low it has me wondering how it will fair for the average person even in winter snow driving conditions. the underside of my current truck gets about a half inch thick film of ice on everything...

No offense but research was so much easier in 2019 before everyone posted every little problem or concern they had.
3 yrs and no alternator issues with snow, slush and salt mix. I'm not offroad and probably not going through as much snow as you but unless you are driving through snowbanks or flying through water up to your door sills, I wouldn't worry about it too much. They do test these trucks in winter conditions.

 

[erty176]

Smack er with a hammer and keep going bout your day.

 

[9zero1790]

what I hear is that the main killer is mud and debris killing the alternator. not just water.

 

[Apples]

Hum. I thought the Ranger was a medium-sized pickup truck, not a mud buggy!

 

[Dr. Zaius]

yeah but with it being mounted low it has me wondering how it will fair for the average person even in winter snow driving conditions. the underside of my current truck gets about a half inch thick film of ice on everything...

This is probably not a concern.

The only failures I'm aware of are after deep mudhole crossings where the alternator was actually submerged.

That said, if I know I'm likely to do a mud crossing (VERY likely in North GA) I will take my Jeep instead. The alternator on it is mounted high in the front/center of the V8.

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