Fording Alternators +

What can I do to protect my alternator when swimming? About the best idea I have is to pull it and the belts off and put them in an ammo box...

1122111417 by Joe with a jeep, on Flickr

Here's another day:
20210711_151111 by Joe with a jeep, on Flickr

 

I don't think you really hurt it too bad submerging it. Probably helps to run it after exiting the water to clean it/dry it out. I have a bigger problem with the fan hitting the water and bending. The military M- series trucks recommended loosening the belt, among other things. Actually I think MB/GPW's had a lever to loosen the belt. Probably also helps to power wash the gunk out of there afterwards also.

 

I don't know how much the water effects the alternator, I've seen plenty live short lives from oils contaminating them.

 

M-series generators were fully waterproofed, but 24 volt. Maybe something similar is available in 12 volt for extreme conditions.

I doubt water would hurt your alternator too much, but mud/grit/sediment might. If you are really serious, maybe look into whether it has, or could be fitted with, fully sealed bearings?

 

Keep the ideas coming. My end goal with this jeep is to do the "high water mark trail". This trail is a series of forest service roads with bunches of stream crossings and some deep ones. One can expect 36" of water plus any sort of bow wave.

 

This is the best way to cross water...not so fast that water is flying everywhere, but fast enough to create a bow wave.
Also, for really deep crossings, it's wise to pull the fan belt. The fan hitting water can pull it into the radiator with disastrous consequences DAMHIK

 

There's way too many crossings to say, I'll have to expect the worst due to the everchanging environment.

That's more like it, just with a chevy-jeep


Here:

 

I'll have to put a hinged sheet of plywood on top of the soft top... to put a Pup tent on the roof.

 

BMW and Mercedes from the early 2000's and up have been using sealed water cooled alternators on several cars. You would need the alternator itself and the cast bucket it goes into. The buckets typically get incoming water from the engine block and would need to be modified for an incoming hose spigot.

For example, here's a complete assembly from a BMW 02-05 745i: https://www.ebay.com/itm/233856771175?hash=item3672f32467

Sealed unit:


You could cut off all the back stuff, thread a spigot in the input, and plumb it into your heater hoses:

 

I'm running a TBI 4.3 so the coil will move inside the firewall. Pcm will be in a watertight enclosure above or adjacent to the glovebox.
All relays and fuses need to move.
The distributor has a vent on the bottom that needs tapped. Rear Axle and t90/d18 are already remotely vented.
I have a medium displacement York compressor with the oil mods already done and a 2gal tank so I can regulate that down to say 5psi for everything.

The actual plugs and wires will be swimming in dielectric grease. The distributor cap will be well sealed with o-ring and dielectric grease.
The throttle body will be boxed in and get a tube for remote filter and m38a1 inlet tube.
Battery should be high enough.
O2 senser.. I will carry a spare.

 

Bear in mind, even the military jeeps that were fully waterproofed and vented for fording and snorkeling, still specified that all lubricants were to be drained and changed after immersion.

 

I agree with the above about loosening the fan belt as your first priority, even if you think it will not be high enough to hit the fan. It only takes a split second for the tips of the fan to hit the water and screw right into the radiator. Goodby radiator.

Mike

 

Yup. M-series, all electrical gauges, switches, lights, and wire connectors were waterproofed. Master cylinder, clutch housing, carb, gas tank, crankcase, transfer case, all sealed and vented. Even the transmission shift lever. It's no small thing.

Everybody wants to go fording, until it's time to do fording stuff.

Even then, those jeeps were probably considered as "disposable" materiel, only needed for the duration of the conflict, or to be rebuilt at a depot before the next one.

 

As long as it makes it from Friday morning to Sunday night. I can change fluids once it gets home.

It's the whole rebuilding of an engine at my in-laws house I want to avoid.
In the video I linked there was a Toyota 4runner that got water in the fuel and had to be towed home.

 

On my 3B which sports CJ5 hood hinges, I made a mounting plate that bolts up to the underside of the cowl off those hinge bolts that mounts the ECM. Can't get much higher than that and still have it inside the Jeep. The ECM is supposed to be waterproof but I would like to avoid testing that theory.

 

My son had fun at college up in the mountains with his TJ. He said the deep mud holes were fun until he had to replace the alternator because the mud took out the bearings and he spent hours washing the mud out of the radiator to get it to stop overheating. He had to clean water out the distributor cap because it was skipping badly. He got off lucky. He said cleaning out the mud was not near as fun as running through it. Now he slows down now in the mud and water.

Dave