The lower radiator hose in my EB split today and water p****d out of it all over my alternator and everything in the general erea. replaced hose with a new one but ever since then my voltage gauge has been bouncing all over the place, battery warning lamp flicks on and off and the revs during idle are very sporadic. what the F**k have i done to my car?!?!

Check to see if the commutator has crap all over it.

Disconnect the battery (you MUST do this!)

Remove the regulator on the alternator, which is a small black part that is held in with two bolts. Its the part the 2 wire plug goes into.

If you slide that out, you'll see your two brushes on the reg, and look inside to see the commutator.

You will soon know if there is any corrosion causing the brushes to loose contact with the commy.

The reason you must disconnect the battery for this, is when you remove the regulator, the brushes come out sideways and short out. If you attempt this without disconnecting the battery, you WILL short out something.

electric motors dont like water...

anythin inside of them will short them out and make them hard down to earth...

u prob wont have to replace ur alt but maybe take it out replace the brushes clean the com by polishing with a very fine sandpaper so it is clean and shiney and put it back together... also somethin else u could do to make sure is to bake the outer field by placing it in ur oven for a couple of hours at about 100 degrees celcius

that should be enuff to get any mosture out of the windings and out from the armature!

or maybe just just changing the brushes maybe enuff... but if u want problem free bake the windings out and ur safe to ensure that it should be right to go...also while u have it apart get a new set of bearings for it and make sure the housings are not to loose...ie...if u can measure them make sure they are no more to .01 oversize overwise u could come into more trouble down the road!


ive just rebuilt mine after it was f**k plus i work on electric motors and alternators for coal mines and farmers and s**t.....i went all out and made sure that it was good as new b4 i put it on the shelf so its ready to go in my car when mine f**k up!