Waterproofing your vehicle

[riverguide]

Pangaea or others, I've often wondered what I do if I got into deep without a snorkel and i got some water into the engine but didnt hydrolock it. I've heard of ppl in Rovers taking out the switch board or computer and letting it dry out...I've heard others that take out the plugs and whatnot but I'm not sure exactly what I'd do if I went through some deep water, lets say top of my arb...not the tube part but the actual flat part..that is 34 inches...right behind my left headlight is my intake so lets say I get really close to the intake...water gets on the engine and my engine dies(not sure if this is possible without sucking water in). If I couldnt start my truck after going through deep water, what would be the first things to look at and maybe examples of what I would find and do in different situations? I am pretty sure I have no way of getting my truck to start if I got into water deeper than expected. Make sense? Suggestions you wizards! :ylsmoke:

 

[MaddBaggins]

tea toto, thats some deep water, prepared or not. I'm not really afraid of deep water if I'm ready for it but more scared of Moving water.

I love this picture...every since 1994 off road mag featured it:

woohoo!

Holy Poop!! That is nuts!

 

[ShottsCruisers]

I'm a p%$$ about running thru deep water. If it's more than 3' deep I'm looking for a better route. If its more than 4' I would prolly turn around.
3' is a little over my tires and at 4' it's just below the hood. All my breathers and stuff are good for a 3' crossing but more than that...???

OK Alvin. Now I KNOW I have to get you to Chiva Falls some weekend after it snows. Our Cruisers (80 and 100) luv being in there. On that last trip with Brian we went back to the Pools. We must have been in DEEP for several minutes. In REAL DEEP for a few minutes.

Come on down. I'll getcha in there and you'll luv it!

 

[91xlt]

ther is also a boot that covers the distributer, used to be on mustangs, i have one on my distributer, i like this as opposed to silicone. if you watch e bay you can find them once in awhile or any ford dealer can get you one. heat shrink is a MUST! the raised vent lines and repacking of bearings also. there is also a marine grade crc spray it is excellent, a little pricey but excellent. i will try to find the brands name, i can not remember right of hand. and in a pinch along with the WD40 and papertowels, Vaseline helps alot, if you get caught "with your pants down" Vaseline will deter water, its just not a permanent solution.

Pangea you run a great site!!, i often find myself surfing your site, i would really like to see more info for that rock crawler! but i did want to compliment you on a job WELL done!

 

[Seeker]

I keep seeing WD40 and Paper Towels mentioned, but what all are you guys hitting with this? I'm a bit ignorant in this area so I'm very curious.

 

[91xlt]

I keep seeing WD40 and Paper Towels mentioned, but what all are you guys hitting with this? I'm a bit ignorant in this area so I'm very curious.

distributer , cap , rotor, and wires...wd40 was orig mfg for gov. it stands for Water Displacement and 40 was a ref or chem # but wd40 removes moisture and wettness VERY WELL. hope this may help you.

 

[elcoyote]

It's possible to waterproof ignition systems and keep the engine breathing and running but if you get stuck in water (it can happen!), it's almost impossible to keep water from getting in somewhere. After getting high centered on a submerged log in a swamp in Ocala, FL, I learned that having a good drain plug at the lowest part of the cab is a really good idea. Once I got my soggy bottom out of there, the MJ was filled to the arm rests, opening the door was rather comical but a puddle of water remained just below the door jamb until I discovered the factory drain plug that is used when they dip gavanized the body. I banged it out with a hammer, let it drain, put on some dry socks and kept on wheeling!

 

[locrwln]

Also just another side note, toilet paper is super absorbant. Sometimes works a little better than paper towels. Works great on distributor caps.

 

[BajaRunneRs]

So... If a have some 1st. Gen. 4 runners i want to waterproof, anybody have knowledge of whats what i have to do first??? Already got the snorkels.....

 

[Ruined Adventures]

So... If a have some 1st. Gen. 4 runners i want to waterproof, anybody have knowledge of whats what i have to do first??? Already got the snorkels.....

wow this is an old thread, BajaRunner you should start by checking out 4Crawler's website...you'll find tons of other info you realize you needed.

As an alternative to relocating the ECU to the glovebox, you may be able to mount the ECU under your dash pad

 

[ReconH3]

Waterproofing with a rubber glove or bag is not a good idea because it depletes the air and ionizes. You'll get misfires for a different reason. I used to waterproof my distributor and other components by pressurizing them. We used a small 100% duty cycle compressor. The compressor had it's own snorkel so it could run underwater. We ran a hose to the top of the distributor. At the bottom some have a small drain hole. If it doesn't, make sure you make a very small one. Once you turn on the compressor, the pressure inside the distributor is greater than the water outside, so water will never get in. You also have a good source of air to guarantee a good spark. We did the same with the winch motor, which at the same time cools it.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[overlander]

Other things that must be considered but not yet mentioned that I've done on mine (or planned to do).

• have good axle seals to keep water UNDER PRESSURE from slipping into your drive train
• transfer cases have breathers sometimes too
• have a good sealing gas cap to prevent water ingress
• some fuel tanks have vent lines. if your gas cap is a rigid and not venting, you likely have a vent lines somewhere so that fuel tank doesn't vaccum lock when fuel is drawn out.
• Timing cases tend to have vent holes. On the land rover diesels, there is a wading hole that must be plugged with a threaded plug.
• For TDI's, your boost diaphragm has a vent. you'll get water in there if you go deep enough.
• diesel or petrol coolant heaters have an exhaust, and intakes that need to be sealed prior to wading.
• how about your onboard air compressor? bet that doesn't have a wading tube for the intake. are the electronic sealed for short submersions? most aren't
• bell housings have a drain hole to allow water/oil to drain out, but that's an entry point for mud into your clutch
• you want to make sure that the air intake routes you have are all sealed and in good condition. for example, does the air filter box you use have good sealing? are all the clamps holding it together in good shape or is it being held on by less than all. would you trust that water UNDER PRESSURE would not come into your intake path anywhere other than the end of your intake?
• For those of you who decided to not replace that fan clutch and bolted your fan straight to crankshaft, when that fan hits the water there's no give. That means when you enter revving for that cool picture, you are likely to bend your fan blade. Even with a fan clutch, a floating object like a stick can enter into your engine compartment while wading and when your fan hits it, blades will likely bend out of balance or worse. I had a fan blad bend on my old CJ forward and shred the radiator back in AZ during a wading. I keep the CORRECT long wrenches on board my 110, and it takes about 2 minutes to remove my fan for a wade. this is one of the things you can do prior to a deep fording while you are ALLOWING YOUR BLOCK TO COOL so it doesn't thermal crack when it hits the water after running hot. You also have time while someone is doing a recce of the crossing point. you're going to do that right? never drive through blind unless someone else has done it.
• Last but not least, underbody armor. particularly the armor for diffs and steering drag links. Can't see much under water, and doesn't take much to do damage by anything in the water that doesn't move under water.

 

[ReconH3]

I think Overlander pretty much covers it. Nice writeup.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone

 

[titleguy]

The point about using a compressor to pressurize the distributor was well made. I think several military vehicles over the years have had fording kits that, once turned on, provided a slight positive pressure to the diffs, transfer case, transmission, and crankcase. Obviously, if not well designed this could be hell on seals, but the concept has great potential to successfully prevent water intrusion.

 

[ReconH3]

The point about using a compressor to pressurize the distributor was well made. I think several military vehicles over the years have had fording kits that, once turned on, provided a slight positive pressure to the diffs, transfer case, transmission, and crankcase. Obviously, if not well designed this could be hell on seals, but the concept has great potential to successfully prevent water intrusion.

Where do you think I got my idea from?


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

Sent from my iPhone