103
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
It has been posted elsewhere, but I recently had an alternator failure most likely due to dirty water and/or mud getting into the alternator. This is not a complaint thread--this is an attempt to troubleshoot.
I have done a few overlanding trips to the Ozarks in the last few months. In August I did one with friends in Southern Missouri near Eminence. We had a fair amount of water crossings, but we had very little rain, so the water was pretty clear.
Then over new years, we did the High Water Mark Trail in Arkansas. That trip was full of rain and a tiny bit of snow. All the water crossings were high and we bypassed a lot of them for safety reasons. We stuck to marked "roads" and motor vehicle trails. We did a few water crossings, but nothing I was all that concerned with--I knew the alternator would be exposed to water but only briefly. However, with all the rain, the water was full of sediment. Plus some of the trails were obviously a little bit muddy. We did everything we could to avoid anything like a mud pit. Regardless, enough accumulated to kill my alternator on day 3.
(Note: after this I am going to have a spare alternator regardless because finding a replacement was an absolute nightmare.)
Does anyone know if there is a list anywhere of people who have experienced alternator failure after going through water or mud? I would be interested to see the breakdown between FX4 and non-FX4 (maybe the slightly greater coverage of the FX4 plate preventing spray onto the alternator?
Has anyone come up with a workable solution to the problem? Once I get my truck back, I am going to pull the plate and see if there is guard I can fab up.
My specs are as follows:
Sport 4x4 with 2.5 inch spacers in the front to level. 265/55R17 Toyo A/T tires. All else that could possibly matter is stock.
I have done a few overlanding trips to the Ozarks in the last few months. In August I did one with friends in Southern Missouri near Eminence. We had a fair amount of water crossings, but we had very little rain, so the water was pretty clear.
Then over new years, we did the High Water Mark Trail in Arkansas. That trip was full of rain and a tiny bit of snow. All the water crossings were high and we bypassed a lot of them for safety reasons. We stuck to marked "roads" and motor vehicle trails. We did a few water crossings, but nothing I was all that concerned with--I knew the alternator would be exposed to water but only briefly. However, with all the rain, the water was full of sediment. Plus some of the trails were obviously a little bit muddy. We did everything we could to avoid anything like a mud pit. Regardless, enough accumulated to kill my alternator on day 3.
(Note: after this I am going to have a spare alternator regardless because finding a replacement was an absolute nightmare.)
Does anyone know if there is a list anywhere of people who have experienced alternator failure after going through water or mud? I would be interested to see the breakdown between FX4 and non-FX4 (maybe the slightly greater coverage of the FX4 plate preventing spray onto the alternator?
Has anyone come up with a workable solution to the problem? Once I get my truck back, I am going to pull the plate and see if there is guard I can fab up.
My specs are as follows:
Sport 4x4 with 2.5 inch spacers in the front to level. 265/55R17 Toyo A/T tires. All else that could possibly matter is stock.
Sponsored