Went through mud and battery light came on

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It look's like you went to Hollister, I go there as well, but I avoid the mud pit, although I enjoy witching others beading on the Rigs in the mud.
I like to keep my engine bay super clean on my 94 trail Reg, so I can see if theirs a issue or leak easily, I only use a garden hose with low pressure after I spray it down with simple Green. then I hand dry with a towel. I am also careful not to spray any electrical connections directly.
The is a reason for IH8MUD !!!
Yes it was hollister. Was cool to see the LC get through it but ROI on fun vs clean up afterward isn’t worth it. I’ll continue to go but will definitely skip the mud pits next time and just enjoy the trails. I have an appointment with the toyota dealer Monday. I went ahead and cleaned the engine bay as best as I could since I don’t want to get things all wet again after they install a new alternator and risk frying another new one.
I used a degreaser for my bicycle. Agitated with a brush and rinsed and rinsed again with a garden hose on a light spray setting.
It worked really well.
 
#8 on the official purple power FAQ


I have used it in the past and ended up with light crusty flakes on aluminum.

Either way.. I’m not sure why a degreaser would be needed for mud on a very new vehicle. There shouldn’t be any grease yet. It’s just dirt.. agitation with the right amount of direct spray will knock it
I will agree that on a brand new engine it probably didn’t need full power so that I will stand corrected.
In the end it will need some type of cleaning agent to lift the dirt and mud staining from the engine. Water alone might remove the big chunks of mud but will not remove the staining from the mud. You can test this by letting mud get in your engine or paint and letting it dry then attempt to remove it. You will get the “mud” off but not the mud stains it leaves so a degreaser or cleaning agent will be what’s needed.

With that said I stand by my original statement that mud is the devil and should be avoided by all means possible 🤣
 
With that said I stand by my original statement that mud is the devil and should be avoided by all means possible 🤣

This I totally agree with. Pretty sure our alternators are in the club as well.
 
Yes it was hollister. Was cool to see the LC get through it but ROI on fun vs clean up afterward isn’t worth it. I’ll continue to go but will definitely skip the mud pits next time and just enjoy the trails. I have an appointment with the toyota dealer Monday. I went ahead and cleaned the engine bay as best as I could since I don’t want to get things all wet again after they install a new alternator and risk frying another new one.
I used a degreaser for my bicycle. Agitated with a brush and rinsed and rinsed again with a garden hose on a light spray setting.
It worked really well.
Experience here seems to be that water, even deep and rising from the bottom vs splashed from top, doesn’t really do much damage to the alternator as long as it is relatively clear. I haven’t confirmed our 200s are the same but the alternator in my 80 had a rubber boot that pointed downward and basically trapped an air bubble around the brushes and rear bearing. Dirt in that area is what kills them, acting as an abrasive to quickly wear the brushes and grit to prevent them from sliding in their holders.

So to your point about future cleaning or fun.. avoid the deep mud if you can, but deep water (kept out of the airbox) and cleaning incidental mud splashes shouldn’t cause any problems. It’s the showers or submersion in mud that seem to ruin people’s electronics, and why the sealed water cooled alternators are on the market despite the high cost.
 
I wish I knew about how bad mud was prior to jumping in and making big mud splashes several times. Seemed like a normal thing to do. Are any other components in the engine bay, suspension or drive train affected by mud contamination? Should I go over any other areas of my car to make sure it’s cleaned properly?
 
I wish I knew about how bad mud was prior to jumping in and making big mud splashes several times. Seemed like a normal thing to do. Are any other components in the engine bay, suspension or drive train affected by mud contamination? Should I go over any other areas of my car to make sure it’s cleaned properly?
Throw a rainbow lawn sprinkler under it moving it a few feet every 10 minutes. That’ll get pretty much all of it out from the bottom.
 
150a or 200a sealed, brushless and water cooled alternators. We are almost finished with the 4.7 and 4.6/5.7 development

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Holy smokes, It's a brand new car, dose not need to be digressed. Likely just need a squirt with a garden hose done. LOL
Ya, it’s not rocket science. Spray a warm but not hot engine, soapy car wash mit if you want. Light rinse with a hose and don’t drown the electrical components. Start up right away and let it warm up.
 
Ill post on here asap
Hi @VooDoo2 , any update here? Looking to get my hands on one of the 5.7 units soon as I fried my OEM alternator over the weekend. Thanks buddy.
 
Hi @VooDoo2 , any update here? Looking to get my hands on one of the 5.7 units soon as I fried my OEM alternator over the weekend. Thanks buddy.
What conditions? Deep water? Splashed water? Mud?
 
I live in Georgia so mud is inevitable problem when offroading.
The key is to clean it immediately after you finish offroading.
I use garden oscillating sprinkler and simply place it directly under the engine bay and move it around every 20 mins.
The slow but constant fresh water spraying will wash out the mud gently without need of pressure washer.
It's especially useful on radiator where you should not use high powered pressure washer.
After about an hour, I simply remove the sprinkler and wash it from the top w/ a garden hose spray.
Wipe it down with towels where possible.
Don't "send it" to mud pit if possible... next time, drive it gently while not getting stuck.
 

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