i had a power steering leak which has been fixed, but now my alternator is covered in grease. is there a safe way to clean all that **** off?

 

That alternator could still fail from that **** getting all inside it.

I would get a can of Sea Foam Deep Creep and drench the **** out of it. Or CRC or WD-40 type stuff. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then spray it off with a hose.
Do underneath it to, all around the coils.

 

well you think doing that would improve my odds of saving this alternator?

 

deep creep or any other oil/petroleum based product you should not use- if you get oil on the brushes or the copper of the commutator then the alternator won't work and the oil will degrade the carbon brushes and cause arcing on the copper.

disconnect the battery before you do anything!
if you can remove the alternator so it's easier to clean.
Use car wash soap, engine degreaser, whatever cuts the oil and wash the thing down, rinse out real well then blow dry with compressed air if possible. You won't hurt anything inside the alternator with water or any mild cleaner, stay away from oils though. Ideally you would want to open the alternator up and clean off the armature and brushes with an electronic cleaner, or alcohol. I haven't messed with a alternator used on an ls1, i've done a few traditional delco 10si, i would bet they are all the same, hardest part is getting a paper clip or something to hold the brushes back while you reinstall the armature. it's fairly simple if you have a clean bench to work on, hardest thing might actually be getting the alternator off the engine,
http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/91.cfm

if the alternator was working prior to the power steering fix, there's no reason it should not work now if you clean it properly, there's nothing magical or complex about it. Just make sure the carbon brushes and the copper they ride against get cleaned well with alcohol. Everything else is solid state, and as long as you don't nick the wire windings to cause a short it'll work.

 

Personally, I have never done this. But I know quite a few people who have had leaking power steering reservoirs and it literally gunked up the alternators where they were black. They did what I mentioned....then rinsed it good with water and they all kept on working after that.

As mentioned, you could disconnect the battery, but as long as you don't start it up or have the key in it, it makes no difference at all.

Just make sure you rinse it real good with the hose, all that will remqain is 100% water. Alternators are fine with water.

 

There are products specificaly for cleaning electrical parts. The one I used to use was commonly called electramotive or something, CRC I think. The right cleaner will get rid of the grease and not leave a residue. Use only a cleaner for electrical parts. You can spray the **** out of it, all the oil drips out and it dries fast. Power OFF, of course.

 

The CRC product is carried at Autozone for $5/can. Leaves no residue, but is really smelly (contains 50% or so methanol). Use in a well ventilated area only. It's all I use on electrical products. For general cleaning I use Walmart's brake cleaner, also high in methanol and leaves no residue, it's $2/can.