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Alternator relocation

307 Views 16 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Bklyn.X, 
Jon country boy
I’m thinking of moving alternator what’s best location and is it worth deleting the ac or is it hard at all to do
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B
What’s the purpose of this?
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Jon country boy
Blackberry said:
What’s the purpose of this?
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So I can go off roading and not submerge the alternator into water I do plan to put snorkel kit on as well
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04SM-X
I have submerged a many of alternators in Alabama mud and simply cleaned them up (usually by driving in a deep creek) and they seemed to always work. This may be a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist?
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B
Your mechanical fan will cause problems in water crossings well before the air conditioning does.
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M-U-R-P-H
But while we are this subject, what is a list of all the breathers that should be extended to prevent seepage.

Rear diff of course.

But like the transmission?
Tranfer case?
The front diff's breather goes a good ways up.

I'm sure it would help to die electric grease all electric connections.
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Satito
As Blackberry mentioned. If you plan to do anything deep water you're going to need to replace the crank driven fan with an electric set up that has a switch to shut it off during submersion. The resistance provided by the water will cause the mechanical fan to bend into your radiator and ruin your day.

Alternators get wet all the time just by driving in the rain. Granted, they don't get submerged, but I'd also worry more about relocating the ECU. You don't list which year your X is, but on the gen1, the ECU is located on the hump under the radio console. That's about 4"-6" higher than the transmission. If you are going in water that's deep enough to flood your engine bay, then you're going in water that's deep enough to flood the ECU.
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Jon country boy
Satito said:
As Blackberry mentioned. If you plan to do anything deep water you're going to need to replace the crank driven fan with an electric set up that has a switch to shut it off during submersion. The resistance provided by the water will cause the mechanical fan to bend into your radiator and ruin your day.

Alternators get wet all the time just by driving in the rain. Granted, they don't get submerged, but I'd also worry more about relocating the ECU. You don't list which year your X is, but on the gen1, the ECU is located on the hump under the radio console. That's about 4"-6" higher than the transmission. If you are going in water that's deep enough to flood your engine bay, then you're going in water that's deep enough to flood the ECU.
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I’ve got a 02 xe v6 auto 4x4
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Satito
Yeah, I'd consider relocating the ECU if you think you'll be getting into deep water. There's always the possibility of water intrusion while moving, but if you get stuck it becomes a sure thing. If the ECU gets wet, you won't be going anywhere.
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RacerXXL
I’ve killed two alternators from packing them full of mud but the relocation is so difficult for me it’s just not worth it. The water doesn’t kill them it’s the mud and grit that does.

As others have pointed out there other things to worry about and correct before the alternator if you are planning on lots of deep water crossings.

ECU is a huge problem as the moment the water gets over the bottom of the door it starts coming in, especially around 20 year old door seals. Wet ECU is not gonna be fun and will turn your truck into a paperweight.

Front and rear diff breathers need to be extended higher up to stop water intrusions through those points. Also the trans breather although the front diff and trans are fairly high up on the back of the engine stock.
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Satito
When I found my trans vent dangling below the trans I extended it up to the top of the firewall and put on one of these guys for good measure:


It may seem like overkill, but it's really dusty here and we have so many insects that I figure the 10 or so dollars is worth it to prevent contamination. You can find them cheaper on ebay.

And don't forget to go over every wire harness connection and pack it with dielectric grease to repel water. Also make sure the little rubber seals on the connectors are in there. Likewise use dielectric grease in your spark plug boots and ESPECIALLY on the terminal for the fuel pump sending unit. The sending units are known for trapping water at the connector and corroding. It will leave you stranded at some point if it's ignored.

Pay attention to the distributor. The bearings are known to go bad and cause all kinds of running problems. An inconvenience at the side of the road, but a major headache if you're out in the middle of nowhere.
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04SM-X
Satito said:
As Blackberry mentioned. If you plan to do anything deep water you're going to need to replace the crank driven fan with an electric set up that has a switch to shut it off during submersion. The resistance provided by the water will cause the mechanical fan to bend into your radiator and ruin your day.

Alternators get wet all the time just by driving in the rain. Granted, they don't get submerged, but I'd also worry more about relocating the ECU. You don't list which year your X is, but on the gen1, the ECU is located on the hump under the radio console. That's about 4"-6" higher than the transmission. If you are going in water that's deep enough to flood your engine bay, then you're going in water that's deep enough to flood the ECU.
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This is why snorkels are stupid
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Satito
I disagree. Snorkels do provide a higher intake site,vs the stock system that sucks air in from under the front fender. While the water may not be sucked up the stock intake (or may), it will block air flow, which could result in a stalled engine. Likewise, installing a CAI up at the same level of the engine could still result in splashed water getting into the intake.

Granted, they aren't something needed by most owners, as most will probably never go through deep enough water to cause these issues, but there is a time and a place for them. It all comes down to what you're actually doing with the vehicle. And besides, aesthetically, beauty is in the eye of the owner.
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M-U-R-P-H
I "used" mine once,(I have no proof as we were terrified at the moment) the air box was fully submerged for at least 3 seconds, however the water stayed above the door seals much longer with no intrusion.

Afterwards I shut it off and checked the air box, there was just a tad in there, not sure if it came from when I opened it or if I have a leak( I need to find a way to seal the factory air box or a different one).

However it does give me some confidence when going through water crossings.
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M-U-R-P-H
Oh and I heard the fan hit the water for a second and that's all, wonder if the clutch just spins?
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04SM-X
Satito said:
I disagree. Snorkels do provide a higher intake site,vs the stock system that sucks air in from under the front fender. While the water may not be sucked up the stock intake (or may), it will block air flow, which could result in a stalled engine. Likewise, installing a CAI up at the same level of the engine could still result in splashed water getting into the intake.

Granted, they aren't something needed by most owners, as most will probably never go through deep enough water to cause these issues, but there is a time and a place for them. It all comes down to what you're actually doing with the vehicle. And besides, aesthetically, beauty is in the eye of the owner.
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That was my point. 98.6% of people would never need a snorkel. I know I don’t because I hat water in my floor.
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Bklyn.X
I've never seen an alternator relocated. I think the difficulty/benefit trade off of such a mod on our trucks would not be worth the time/expense.

I've changed out a few alternators and mud was always the culprit.
I normally spray WD40 in my alternator before a trip and if it gets dipped in mud or water I try to clean it out with the same right away.
At multiple day events and ones far from home I carry a spare. I now try to avoid these types of obstacle, so haven't had to replace one in a while.


I've seen two hydro locked 1st gen during my silliness and believed a Snorkel might have saved them during the short time they were in the water so installed one on my egg crate.
I also try to avoid mud and water at this point. ^

I did a water crossing with my truck back in the day where the water came over the hood. It was on OFR in MA, a now closed, very hard trail with no by-passes and a deep water crossing at the end. Very scary made worse by not getting to it until after dark. I just locked it up, said a prayer and drove through at a steady pace, NO STOPPING. Make a wake and the water doesn't hit the fan. I believe the snorkel made a difference. If you get stuck, shut the thing down and string a line cause you're done and want to minimize any damage.

What a ridiculous game we play. :rolleyes:

If looking for "cool" or getting attention is your goal, no modification I've done to my truck has garnered more comments and praise from the uneducated non-offroading public here on the New York City streets than the snorkel.

So there's that... I agree, most folks don't need one.
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