Alternator questions

Okay so me and some friends went wheeling today and my friend and i killed our alternators. It doesn't really suprise me since we were driving through thick deep mud and water. While i was driving later this evening i saw my volts drop to around 12 and then drop to 0. What exactly goes bad in the alternator? Can i spray it with water to sorta clean it and maybe get it working again? If thats not the case what do most people do about their alternators who play in deep mud or water? Is there ways of sealing it? Thanks in advance...

It's often mud stuck between the brushes and the slip rings. The Back of the alternator is pretty easy to take off. On the end of the shaft there is a washer/spacer that can get lost pretty easy. I wash mine out with really hot water. I spray it all out and it often works fine after a good cleaning.
It's also possible to short out the insides of the alternator and cause the regulator (in the early Renix XJ's) and/or the diode pack to fail. But that rarely happens, because of mud.
If you run the alternaro very long with it full of mud, the fine sand in the mud acts as an abrasive and can wear your brushes down to nubs in a hurry. I wash mine out, most everytime it gets covered in mud.
The Carden joint, the driveshaft front and rear yoke seals, the rear brake drums and other places that collect mud and rotate also need a good cleaning. Sand and mud wear them out pretty quick. Then grease everything and take it out and get it dirty again. :laugh3:
The connectors have a tendancy to leak and fill with moisture. And when left wet for very long start to corrode.

Clean the brushes. It is, as mentioned fairly easy to take the back off - but have either a toothpick or a kebab skewer to put the thing back together. You'll want to take the brushes loose to clean them anyhow (use contact cleaner in everything - less drying time needed, and it does a better job,) and then use the toothpick, skewer, or a paperclip to hold the brushes in the holder while you put the back casing back on. Once you've done that, you can pull the retainer out - there should be a hole you can work through for just that purpose...

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