How Much P/s Fluid To Fry The Alternator?

[flanker271]

Folks,

My 92LS is going through 1 bottle of p/s fluid each month ever since I purchased the vehicle, for 7 months now. Just exactly how much p/s fluid does it take to ruin the alternator? Right now I feel like I'm driving a time bomb. The sooner it fails, the sooner I can replace it and get over with this time bomb feeling. I know it sounds awkward to say this, but "should it fail by now?"

[monarch]

The fluid does not always leak on the alternator, but if it is, then someday all these wierd lights will come on http://www.saber.net/~monarch/instruments.JPG and you'll soon be stranded.

Now would be a good time to make and install an alternator protector:

http://www.saber.net/~monarch/Alt2.jpg

[90LS400Lexus]

I once saw a 1991 LS400 on E-Bay that had an underhood fire in the alternator area. They stated that a power steering leak shorted out the wiring in the alternator and it caught fire. Was only minor damage, but still would probably be a high $$$$ repair.

[1UZ-FE]

I bought a 94 LS a few months back and got a pre-purchase inpection at the dealer. They told me that the PS pump was leaking and b/c i was a looking at this forum i knew that the PS pump leaked directly on to the alternator (design flaw i guess). I got that fixed by the dealer i bought the car from before purchase. A few weeks ago when i was stopped for a while at a red light or something, the radio would start to die, battery, trac, abs lights would come on. when i hit the gas everything would come back to life. i thought it was the alternator but turned out to be the battery. it had 2 bad cell. Moral of the story is that when i talked to a Lexus tech about my electronic problems, he said that if the PS fluid leaking on the alternator was the culprit, it isn't always going to be immediate. He said takes a while for the oil to work its way into the alternator and fry it. For example, the PS pumb could be leaking for a month, then fixed, and the altenator might not go bad for a year or more.

Hope this helps, just dont end up like the guy 90LS400Lexus described with the fire under the hood. That would SUCK!!!

P.S. check out my avatar. gotta love that exaust glowing red on my 1UZ-FE!!

[flanker271]

THanks guys.

Now I'm very worried! Guess I should do a major tuneup soon....it will cost me a fortune but it will be rewarding in the end. I'm planning to keep my LS until final failture just like everybody on this forum do, hopefully. Now, is it the oil itself that's causing the short circuit in the alternator or is it the heat from the oil that's burning up the alternator?

[90LS400Lexus]

THanks guys.

Now I'm very worried! Guess I should do a major tuneup soon....it will cost me a fortune but it will be rewarding in the end. I'm planning to keep my LS until final failture just like everybody on this forum do, hopefully. Now, is it the oil itself that's causing the short circuit in the alternator or is it the heat from the oil that's burning up the alternator?

Sorry... Did not mean to over-alarm you. That Lexus with the underhood fire from the alternator was the only one I have ever seen that has caught fire, but they may be more out there that we never see. I am not sure how often the fire can occur from PS fluid leaking onto the alternator. If yours is shorting out, I would however, have the PS leak fixed ASAP and get that alternator changed out.

Good luck.

[wwest]

Other than belt/pulley slippage the only way I can imagine the power steering fluid adversely affecting the alternator is by desolving the insulating vanish on the copper windings. Definitely a long term process.