The responsibility of looking after your car begins as soon as you own it. Therefore, it’s best to understand the various things that can harm your car. One such part that you need to keep a check on is the car alternator. In this blog, we take you through the signs and dangers of a wet car alternator.
What Happens if a Car Alternator Gets Wet
The alternator is an essential part of your vehicle. The alternator takes in mechanical energy and turns it into available energy with the help of a spinning pully. The energy then gets stored in your car’s battery. The car alternator makes sure your car doesn’t run out of battery in the middle of the road. Additionally, a car alternator supplies electricity to all electrical components of the car. Therefore, it’s necessary for car alternators to be functioning properly at all times.
Though a car alternator is water-resistant to some extent (it can resist an occasional splash of water from a car wash) it is not waterproof. If your car submerges in excessive water such as going through a river or floodwater, you will need to get it checked. Let’s go through the signs and damage of a wet car alternator.
Problems That Take Place Due to a Wet Car Alternator
The car alternator is like its generator, and if it gets exposed to lots of water it will have a negative impact on your car’s well-being. Following are some common effects of water on a car alternator.
Bronze and Brass Brushes in the Alternator Get Damaged
When any part of your car alternator gets exposed to water it gets damaged. Car alternators usually have lubricated brass or bronze brushes to keep the wear and of your alternator, which keeps the wear and electrical arcing down. However, excessive water (still or flood water) wears off the lubrication from brass or bronze brushes, as a result, the actual brushes get damaged.
If the brushes are exposed to water frequently they will eventually rust and stop functioning properly resulting in incongruous slip rings. This leads to the corrosion of electrical connections, it also causes corrosion and premature wear of bearings, and there is a minor power reduction due to water viscosity.
Wet Car Alternators Attract Dust and Grime
When a car alternator is exposed to a lot of water it attracts tons of grime. Apart from a wet car alternator, car owners must make sure that the car alternator is free from dirt and dust, including grime. If your car was submerged in floodwater or still water for a prolonged time, dust, debris and sand automatically latch on to parts of your vehicle’s interior, including the car alternator. As a result, all this filth will stick on the alternator’s exposed brushes, and make them malfunction.
Again, a car alternator is capable of handling occasional rainfall and splashes of water but submerging your car in tons of flood or still water will destroy the alternator.
Pressure Washing Your Car can lead to a Wet Alternator Problem
Another car activity that makes up for a wet car alternator is pressure washing. Some car owners are of the view that pressure washing your car’s engine is helpful – it is not. If you want to maintain the car alternator you must not pressure wash the car. The force of the pressure washer will damage the car alternator more than any other part of your car. That said, you can wash the alternator with water to clean it but pressure washing the engine can damage the seals.
To wash your car alternator, all you need to do is disconnect the battery, mix a little bit of dish soap in warm water and gently spray the mixture onto the alternator terminals and brushes. Let the soap sit on the brushes for about five minutes. Then, gently scrub the dirty places with a wire brush. Finally, rinse with clean water and allow the alternator to dry out.
How to Dry Out a Wet Car Alternator
If your car alternator is wet you can try drying it out. All you have to do is use a petroleum distillate or alcohol-based precision cleaner. They act as a fast-drying formula. Just spray the distillate or cleaner in the alternator, let it sit for around a day and then check the condition of your alternator. Usually, this trick works!
A pro-trip for drying out a wet car alternator is to leave the car hood open for sufficient airflow, this makes the drying process quicker and effective.
Ways to Maintain Your Car Alternator
In addition to keeping your car alternator clean, here is how you can maintain it.
Choosing the Right Alternator Belt
Evident from its name, the alternator belt is attached to the car alternator. A series of pulleys operate to make sure your car alternator supplies an ample amount of power to the car battery. Since the alternator belt and the alternator itself work together, it is the car owner’s responsibility to keep a constant check on these belts. As a good practice or rule of thumb, car owners are advised to replace the alternator belts after every six months.
Clear Out All the Dirt
Like all other internal and external parts of your car, you need to keep the alternator clean. It has to be free from all kinds of filth including grime, dirt, dust and debris to work properly. Even though the alternator sits under the car’s hood, it is susceptible to dirt particles over time. Therefore, as a part of your car’s routine checkup keep an eye on your car alternator’s cleanliness.
Make Sure it is Aligned
Tough roads and terrains can jostle your car and its parts, alike. The car alternator is attached to the alternator belt and the crankshaft pulley, but a rough road can detach the alternator from all these parts. As a part of your car’s routine inspection always make sure that the car alternator, the belt, and crankshaft pulley are aligned. A failing car alternator is also responsible for your car making a squealing noise.
That is all about the reasons and damages of a wet car alternator. We also explained how you can dry out a wet alternator and how to maintain your car’s alternator. Nonetheless, if the car alternator has gone bad, it will impact the engine. That said, you can avoid massive engine expenses, by considering another car. Here is a list of used cars for sale in the UAE.
If you liked what you read, stay tuned to the UAE’s top cars blog for more on vehicle anatomy.
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