Alternator+Mud=?

[Hopkins]

I have my lift and tires installed along with recovery points on both ends of the jeep. I have recovery gear: static strap, yank strap, tree strap, and 4 ton come along. Just waiting on Ironman Andy's shackle relocation brackets for a little more clearance in the rear so that I don't tear the rear fenders up when I get off the pavement. So all in all the XJ is just about ready to get her feet dirty.:xj-blue:

One of my concerns is the alternator and its low location. Once I get my jeep in the mud and water is this thing just going to self destruct? Should I be concerned about this?

How does the alternator hold up to wheeling in mud and water?

[Brasscatz]

It depends. Yes, mud and water can and will eventually harm your alternator. I've been lucky so far that with all the mud and water I've been through, I still haven't had an issue. A lot of guys have had issues though. There are some write ups out there on making a home brew alternator splash shield though, and from what I've seen, they've been very successful.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 because my microwave couldn't do it

[4.3LXJ]

Yes, a splash shield will help a lot

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[NW99XJ]

It's submersion that will kill an alternator.
Some splashes of mud and water wont harm it too bad... obviously it's not the ideal environment, but automotive alternators are built to withstand the rigors of the environment. (rain, snow, sleet, dead of night, zombies, ninjas, road spray, grime, etc...)
The stock cherokees usually came with a thick rubberish splash guard under the engine bay, these usually dont make it mush past 100k miles.
So like Brasscatz says, a home brew alternator splash shield may be in order for you if you're concerned.
Here's one that is one of the nicer ones I've seen.
(pics courtesy of cherokeeforum)
http://www.cherokeeforum.com/attachments/f2/21654d1278131346t-alternator-splash-shield-alternator.jpg

Often times, just a chunk of whatever sheet metal is laying around will do just fine:
http://www.cherokeeforum.com/attachments/f58/212200d1379056182t-splash-guard-my-alternator-image-1787234479.jpg

[cantab27]

the alt be fine playing in water mud......give a hit of water after playing in mud ...haven't killed one yet and I play in the odd puddle of mud .....ac pump not so flash on my old 95 ,,,ate a few of them ....

[bigjim350]

I probably wheel in deep mud and water more than most, except for wayne of course. And I have had no problems with my alt in 4yrs of wheeling it. And i dont have any splash sheilds or even a front skid plate. Im sure its only a matter of time though. Killed a few starters though.

[Brasscatz]

Yep, killed a starter myself

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 because my microwave couldn't do it

[bulrid8]

Starters are very easy to pull apart and clean out. Should do it once a year either way.

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[bluedragon436]

I ran mine through quite a bit of mud and didn't have an issue with my alt. It ran just fine for over 4 years with no real issues... Think the best thing though is if you can try and run some water to flush the mud out and let it dry thoroughly or at least run it a bit, before you shut it off...

[bigjim350]

Starters are very easy to pull apart and clean out. Should do it once a year either way.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

No need to do that. I have one with a lifetime warranty. Much easier to just R&R it.