alternator quit after getting wet

[blan]

I recently flushed my cooling system on my 95 2.4L Tacoma 2wd because it was a nasty rust color when I bought it. I had to keep flushing for about an hour to totally clean it out. Unfortunately some water splashed onto the alternator while the truck was running. The next thing you know, the battery indicator light is on. I replaced the battery because I thought it was weak anyway, but the light remains on. I will test the alternator tomorrow, but I can almost guarantee that it will test bad. My question is, does this sound like a bad diode or brushes crapped out when it got wet? If so, how hard is it to rebuild? I prefer not to spend $130 on a new alternator.
Thanks for your input guys!

[Pb]

Spray the alternator real good with some electrical cleaner.

[chipsndukes]

X2 probably OK, let it dry out.

Possibly the contact rings on the rotor got wet (where the brushes contact) or maybe the regulator got a little wet.
Usually the only wetness that will kill an alternator has to do with the brushes/copper rings or the bearings (rust, but that's not electric, what you describe).

Good luck, don't buy an alternator until this one dries out and you followed the advice above.

Chipsndukes

[blan]

I checked it out further today and found that it is definitely not charging. I took it apart and everything looks decent, even the brushes. I connected my meter to the wire winding leads and spun the alternator and I get voltage through all four of them. I checked the continuity through everything and it all checks out good.

The only thing I can see that might be the problem is the small electrical module where the wire connector plugs in. I'm not sure what is in that little doohickey (maybe regulator) but I imagine that is the source of my problem.

What do they call it though? I looked for "doohickey thingy" but couldn't find it anywhere. Lol
Your help is appreciated
thanks

[chipsndukes]

That's the regulator, the regulator applies voltage to the rotor (via brushes and copper rings) and that determines the amount of current that charges.
Maybe the regulator got some water inside, some regulators are more tolerant than others to a little water, you may try leaving it in a warm place to dry.
These alternators are relatively easy to rebuild, in your case if the bearings are OK, you could probably get away with a used regulator and new brushes, would last for a while longer.

Chipsndukes