coolant leak on alternator for 83' 245 GL

Hello,

today I noticed a leak in the cooling system from the hose that goes from
the radiator to the lower part of the engine. The leak got bigger on my
drive home ~5min and soaked completely the oil sender wiring+ alternator +
engine wiring harness.
All the lights on the dashboard came on couple of
times indicating a short, but only sporadically. I made it home without
overheating the engine, but now the battery is dead. I will replace the
hose tomorrow.
1. Is it possible that I fried the alternator?
If this is the case how complicated is the repair?

2. Is this why the battery is dead or the battery leaked to
ground through a shorted wire during the short?

3. How can I diagnose the electrical problem without causing any further
damage? I have access to a multimeter.

Anybody has any experience with this?

Also it seems strange that the engineers put a water hose (that should not
leak, but it might) right on the top of such an important electric
component without any shield to protect the latter.


Thanks,

Marco.

 

ONLY ON FRIDAYS AND MONDAYS THEY PLACE THE HOSES OVER THE ALTERNATOR OTHER
DAYS THEY THINK CLEARLY !

 

Of course you have replaced everything according to the maintenance
schedule? If so, you have a valid point; if not, on an '83, you don't.