Bad Alternator due to vented carbon fiber hood?

Well 76/2000 is now my daily driver and is making 140 mile daily round trips. I recently got an ebay vented carbon fiber hood and everytime it rains something goes wrong. The first time, I lost my A/C functionality for a day.
Now at the end of my commute, I can hear my rewired walbro fuel pump whining away wildly.

My parking brake light is now flickering when I have the brake up as do all exterior lights. I checked the voltage across the battery terminals and it is varies wildly between 14.6-14.8 VDC at idle. I checked another one of my vehicles and the voltage is rock solid.

I am guessing that the alternator is toast. I can't afford to keep replacing components because water is getting in the engine bay. Every thread that I have read about vented CF hoods describe the worst thing that happens due to water is a squeaking belt and if that then just for a second.

My exhaust manifold heat shield is getting surface rust already so to me it is a sure sign that there is definitely a fair amount of water getting in.

Please no pms about trying to sell me an alternator a hood or any other parts.

I can't afford to replace my alternator every week. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[turbowop]

Put a stock hood back on?

 

Oh boy! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I don't have the money to buy a stock hood. The reason I bought this one was because I was not able to repaint the badly faded stock hood succesfully. Wasted over $300 in rattle cans.

Does it sound like the alternator is bad?

 

Make something that lets the rainwater drain somewhere safe. I am careful when even washing my car with the vented hood but definitely don't let it see rain.

 

I know what you mean. I'll prolly go to the local junkyard and pull another alternator then take it from there.
It sucks not being able to use a vehicle that is this good in the rain in the rain. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

It really isn't my DD yet but when my DD breaks I use the GVR4 to get to work.

Thanks for the idea. Hopefully it is the alternator. Kind of a pain, but at least straightforward if it is the case.

 

[kartorium]

Just attach a freaking rain catch with some drain hoses or something.

IMO I doubt your vented hood is causing any of those problems besides the added rust.

 

[beaner]

300 bucks on spray cans?

 

Yep 25 bucks a can of premix. 12 cans later it looked like crap.

 

[H05TYL]

I've got a vented 'hood' - has a pair of 8" x 5" holes above the manifold, just mesh, no plastic covers or anything.

Only prob I've had in the rain is people pointing at the steam coming off the heat shield when sat at traffic lights. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My car lives outside, so when I park it I have a sheet of corrugated plastic I put under the vents to keep the water out.


Alternator probs could possibly be caused by water getting in there, but most likely are caused by heat - is your car missing the heat shield from the down pipe?

 

LOL...well actually the car is running a 40mm Tial External Wastegate with an exhaust dump. The External Wastegate (not the dump itself) is probably only about an inch away from the alternator.

Hmmmmmm

 

[nickbuilt]

Well I run a oem jdm vented hood and no water at all gets in because stock ones come with covers under the vents that are removable and a heatsheild underneath maybe you should try and buy the stock covers and heatsheild every once and a while a set pop up off eBay once you have that no water should get into your engine bay just like stock,hhoe this helps!

-Nick

 

Quoting blkchr91:
LOL...well actually the car is running a 40mm Tial External Wastegate with an exhaust dump. The External Wastegate (not the dump itself) is probably only about an inch away from the alternator.

Hmmmmmm




/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

Quoting blkchr91:
LOL...well actually the car is running a 40mm Tial External Wastegate with an exhaust dump. The External Wastegate (not the dump itself) is probably only about an inch away from the alternator.

Hmmmmmm




wow


water generally doesnt cause problems like this, as cars are made to drive through mud puddles and get this... you can even drive your car if its raining out!! it's crazy, but water gets thrown all over the engine bay.

melted wires on the other hand... yeah, those do crazy stuff...

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

and 300 in rattle cans?? Plus whatever for the CF hood?? locals here charge less than 250 for a professional job on a hood.

 

You are probably right.

 

Wish I was local. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Things are more expensive in the DC area. Yeah it sure hurt!

 

[nickbuilt]

Quoting Alpha Male:
Quoting blkchr91:
LOL...well actually the car is running a 40mm Tial External Wastegate with an exhaust dump. The External Wastegate (not the dump itself) is probably only about an inch away from the alternator.

Hmmmmmm




wow


water generally doesnt cause problems like this, as cars are made to drive through mud puddles and get this... you can even drive your car if its raining out!! it's crazy, but water gets thrown all over the engine bay.

melted wires on the other hand... yeah, those do crazy stuff...



i dont think he said anything about melted wires in his description of the problem but the heat near the alternator sure could mess things up!

-NICK

 

[iLLeffeKt vr-4]

The wastegate and external dump is what's killing your alternators and not the vented hood.
Wrap/coat everything up and/or put on some heat shields on there.

 

[curtis]

Take a long piece of aluminum and fold the edges into a step of about an inch by and inch then attach to the bottom of the hood inter supports so if it does rain the water channels to between the turbo and the radiator. Crap I should have written cm x cm John likes it when i talk metric makes him hot. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

thanks all!