Salvaging a drowned jeep

[Bob Keyes]

:snorkel:
First off I will admit that I can have frequent attacks of stupidity, that being said. I live in the Houston area where we have had a wee bit of rain, like over a foot in one day and over 20 inches in the last month. There have been over 1000 vehicles drowned as in submerged over the roof for 8 to 36 hours so there will probably be a "fire sale" on slightly wet cars I am sure at least some are wrangler unlimiteds. I have 3 questions:
1. Would you buy one to salvage? Me possibly yes.
2. How much would pay for said jeep? Me no more than $1000
3. what would you replace to get it back on the road? Me, all the fluids, the entire interior, starter, alternator, A/C heater blower, entire contents of the dash, all speakers. and the ECM. I think I could salvage the wiring harness by taking apart every connector and spraying it with WD-40 then contact cleaner.

What is everyones thoughts, a doable idea or get the men with the nets to pay me a call?

 

[conifers4]

I would imagine that even after being submerged for days they would be worth more then a grand. Not like it's salt water. On the other hand an industrious individual with the knowledge and tools to execute such a task could make out on the deal. When Superstorm Sandy hit here on the East Coast there were a ton of vehicles that were flooded but saltwater was involved and we know how that went.

 

[Ozrockrat]

I think the crazy part is thinking you will get an unlimited for $1000. Now the longer they are out of the water the worse the damage gets.

If you do get something make sure that you actually flush all the fluids. They could have contamination in every little nook and cranny even inside "sealed" components.

Also before you even start put a sprinkler over/under/in the vehicle and let it run for a few hours to try and flush some of the dirty water/debris out.

 

[Dan Grec]

starter, alternator, A/C heater blower, entire contents of the dash, all speakers. and the ECM. I think I could salvage the wiring harness by taking apart every connector and spraying it with WD-40 then contact cleaner.

I think that will work too - for a limited time.

The question is whether it will be good for 10 years or 2.

As others have said, they will go for a lot more than $1000. Even if you just strip it for everything "big" (glass, panels, wheels, etc.) it's worth more than that.

-Dan

 

[calicamper]

I think the crazy part is thinking you will get an unlimited for $1000. Now the longer they are out of the water the worse the damage gets.

If you do get something make sure that you actually flush all the fluids. They could have contamination in every little nook and cranny even inside "sealed" components.

Also before you even start put a sprinkler over/under/in the vehicle and let it run for a few hours to try and flush some of the dirty water/debris out.

Every relay will be dead and need replacing. Not counting all the other water logged stuff. I doubt modern cars are worth much other than the physical parts like body parts and mechanical parts. All the electrics will be junk and the air bags might give you a bit of a surprise if you get power back to them.

 

[shays4me]

They make a spray cleaner and oil that we use at work for cleaning plugs and pins in areas with extreme environmental conditions. It's called deoxit. I'd try getting some of that vs WD40. WD40 would work, but the deoxit cleaner actually works to remove all of the corrosion before you seal it with the oil protectant. Good luck and great idea!

 

[Mitch502]

It will cost more than a grand. I'd expect 50-75% of actual value.

 

[Somecallmetimm]

An important thing to remember, it's not like these jeeps were driven into a lake. Flood water is contaminated with all sorts of nasty stuff from industrial waste, vehicular fluids and raw sewage. Getting the moisture out is one thing, getting the crud out with it can be an entirely different task. It can be done, but will it be worth the time and effort?

Most of these vehicles will likely be sent off to auction. Newer vehicles will likely go for way more than $1000.

 

[dan0]

Echoing what others have said, they will go for more than $1000, it may work without replacing things but how long is the question, and it's a lot of work.

That being said if you picked one up for xxxx amount, even if you have to buy a used harness and other parts out of crashed vehicles, you could probably end up with a vehicle for a good chunk under a used one. $1000 for a vehicle and $500 in fluids isn't going to happen, but $5000 and $2500 respectively may happen.

It's a gamble.

When I was working service at a VW dealership a Passat had come in that had flooded up to the seat bottom. The owners had it towed to us first because they really liked the car and was hoping it could be saved. The techs spent some time, pulled carpet up exposed and dried the comfort module (signal from it needed to start the veh.), pulled plugs, turned over etc. Maybe five hours into it, they tried starting it. It fired up, pretty healthy but spitting water out the exhaust for a long time. So it was back to life , but ended up getting totaled out because any of that working then could change anytime.

 

[haven]

Even if the electrical connections are restored, the interior will always smell funky. (A friend submerged his Jeep in a puddle that was deeper than expected.) Count on replacing everything in the interior, or buying a case of those auto deodorizer packets they give away at the car wash.

 

[SDDiver5]

I'd say do it if it will be a dedicated wheeler and not a DD...

 

[psykokid]

I'd say do it if it will be a dedicated wheeler and not a DD...

Exactly.

It's not like the water will sit there and just chill outside the connector either. Any sort of gap and water will wick and migrate up the harness. A new jeep will have a ton more wiring harnesses than an older one will.

 

[conifers4]

Human waste killed it for me :ylsmoke:

 

[1stDeuce]

I looked at some flood damaged vehicles in CO after "the big flood" a few years ago. On the surface, it's no big deal to bring back a vehicle that got soaked. Where the problem comes is that they got soaked, but instead of getting cleaned and dried right away, they're going to sit and fester in the heat, likely with all the windows rolled up. For MONTHS.

So by the time you get to it, everything that's got water in it has had water in it for MONTHS, not a day or two. All the running gear will most likely be junk. The whole interior will smell like rotten garbage. Pretty much all electrical will be junk. Even wire harnesses might be junk because of water moving up the wires via capillary effect.



About the only way I'd consider what you're doing is if I had use for just the body and frame, or if you were buying a non-insurance car from a private party QUICKLY after the flood.

Good luck!!

 

[UK4X4]

This was up and running in 3-4 hours..

but then its a Nissan Patrol and not a jeep !---even the engel worked afterwards !