Alternator problems?

[PBR]

Hey Joe Black any word on what caused all those alternators to fail at our meet this weekend? Got to be a real achilles heal for the vx.

[Heraclid]

Mine hasn't been to the dealer yet - didn't get to really get it all cleaned up right until after work today. Probably can't drop it off tomorrow, so looking at Thursday maybe. As far as I know there has been no word on Frank's or Scott's yet.

[Joe_Black]

Nothing yet from the other guys. VX1 dropped his at the dealer Sunday evening and Frank was dropping his off Monday. Frank left a message last night but I haven't got in touch with him yet. I'll post his info as soon as I get it and hopefully VX1 will post soon too. Keep your fingers crossed it's something simple!

[Moncha]

Did you guys go through deep water or mud?

[Heraclid]

Um... er... we would like to plead the Fifth on that one... :-)

[Joe_Black]

You obviously haven't looked at the photos! :rollg:

[Moncha]

Shhhh! Hide the evidence!

[chumone]

My alternator died two Saturdays ago and I had to have my VX towed to the nearest dealer. Took them 4 days to get the part and swap it out. Meanwhile, I had to drive a crappy rental.

The thing is that I had a feeling the alternator was going out a few weeks prior, but figured that I'm almost due for my 30K checkup and was gonna have the mechanic look at it at the same. Alternator didn't make it to the 30K checkup.

It was swapped out and replaced under warranty.

[AnalogVX]

HOLY HEADLIGHTS!

[VX1]

I'll post this here for the future benefit of anyone doing a search on alternator problems:

In a recent offroading event, three of the seven VXs lost alternator function after running through several areas of water & mud. In all cases, the A/C blower fan also quit, but only because it is powered directly from the alternator. This seems to be a design, dare I say, flaw. In any car I've owned, I seem to remember the alternator being located near the top of the belt-driven system, but the alternator on the VX is at the very bottom; this places it up only 18 inches from the ground. Just something to think about before going through water that deep. Also, it is very possible that this water only really hurts the voltage regulator, but because the VX alternator uses an internal voltage regulator, the entire alternator must be replaced, instead of what would be a relatively cheap V. Reg. (You'll also need a new battery, if your alternator has been out for any extended length of time.)

[paultvx]

It's probably been said a few times before... "gotta pay to play".

Come to think of it, I haven't done any searches on this particular topic before but I've come acorss countless posts and warnings about our alternators (and the ones in the Trooper) over the last year. I'm a bit surprised that with the amount of info on this board and on vmag that this matter still comes as a shock to some. Some of the off-road vets on both boards have been very vocal about the alternator/water warning.

[driver3]

Is there anything we can do to keep this from happening? I've heard of people relocating the alternater... Maybe we can fabricate a splash guard for it? I know the splash guard wouldn't help submersion but it would keep most water away. I've been in a bunch of water and never had a problem, and I don't want one either.

[AREA 51]

How about an alternator "field and/ or output wire disconnect"?
If the alt. doesn't sense a need to charge the bat or cannot output a voltage, maybe the water wouldn't affect it . The truck could run on battery power until the alt is sufficiently dried out , at which time the disconnect could be reversed.

[Joe_Black]

The problem doesn't lie in the position of the alternator or the fact it's getting wet or submerged. The issue is that the VREG, which is unfortunately of an internal design, is not properly sealed on some of the alternators. When moisture gets into the casing the VREG fails. On the recent Florida meet at the beginning of this post three of the seven VX's had this problem. My 2001 led the charge through the mud and had zero problems. I think two of the three were '99s and one was a 2000.

In any case, a replacement alternator would be the best solution. A model known for durability amond the off-road crowd and a well-sealed external ( read serviceable ) VREG would be ideal, possibly with a bit higher output for those with lights, winches etc.

Just my $.02