Will an alternator "shield" alter performance?

[axevon]

Well I recently acquired a 1992 Lexus sc400 and I absolutely love it. It is a great, smooth car that should be extremely reliable for the future but I have one problem with it:

The engine is designed to where the power steering pump is right above the alternator and quite often, gaskets in the pump or the reservoir leak fluid right onto the alternator and fry it.

Well as I don't want to drop $400+ on a h/o alternator to have it destroyed I have been pondering the idea of a "guard" of sorts.

I found a guy on ebay who makes some where it basically looks like a Clorox bottle with attachment bolts.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Alternator-Shield-Kit-UZ-1991-2000-Lexus-SC400-Soarer-/291130997486?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ASC400&hash=item43c8c27aee&vxp=mtr

Now, I would never pay for something as cheap looking as that (I would much rather make my own) but my main question is: is it plausible?

I assume alternators need some amount of openness to allow for proper cooling but would a DIY shield affect performance/shorten the lifespan of an alternator?

I am sure you can understand my concern for protection of such an expensive piece of equipment and as of now I am still in the research phase ...

So is the Shield a good idea?

Thanks

[hdorre]

A shield would decrease airflow, increase the temp of the alt, and decrease output a tad.. but its worth saving an alt IMO

[truthsayer]

I would just fix the power steering pump issue.

[axevon]

I would just fix the power steering pump issue.

Well the thing is in my mind there is no such thing as a permanent "fix". I could always replace it (I don't need to now as it's not leaking) but even the slightest chance of a leak will always bug the hell out of me. Maybe I am just overly cautious but I would rather take the overly safe route.

[axevon]

A shield would decrease airflow, increase the temp of the alt, and decrease output a tad.. but its worth saving an alt IMO

Totally agree, I would think the performance trade off would not overcome the value of protection. So do you think the shield would damage the alt, or would it simply decrease performance?

[hdorre]

Meh.. in my PERSONALLY opinion.. just hinder output. Thats is considering the alt isn't wrapped mainly in shielding.

The ebay link you posted would concern me.

[SnowDrifter]

Also of note: Higher heat will reduce the light of an alt

See if you can mitigate the problem by keeping fresh p/s fluid in there.

It's braindead easy to change. I do it every oil change

Take a turkey baster, suck out the old fluid in the reservoir, refill with new fluid. Boom done lol

[SnowDrifter]

Also: You sure it's the power steering pump and not the water pump? Pretty common for water pumps on those to go out. Power steering - not so much.

As for the water pump... Preventative maintenance: Coolant every 2 years(yes, 2 years. I don't care what the manual says. 2 years.). Gaskets are weak, old coolant gets acidic, eats the gasket, leaks. You'll find that a lot of "problems" in cars can often be eliminated with proper maintenance.

[dsmdan]

Also of note: Higher heat will reduce the light of an alt

See if you can mitigate the problem by keeping fresh p/s fluid in there.

It's braindead easy to change. I do it every oil change

Take a turkey baster, suck out the old fluid in the reservoir, refill with new fluid. Boom done lol

All this does is replaces the fluid in the reservoir there's still plenty of fluid in the pump, rack, and lines. I use a p/s flush machine that works while engine running to flush old fluid out.

[SnowDrifter]

That's why you do it more than once lol

I doubt OP has a flushing machine and TBH there's no reason to pay a shop to do it.