hjki

[BIGBOYFOY]

kl;kl;

Sponsored

 

[Will]

Good news is, from the picture, you are not dangerously deep. Your engine intake and transmission breather tube are at the same height in the engine bay so I wouldn’t worry about those two, which would be your biggest concerns. However, you are in above the axle tubes and close enough to the height of the axle and transfer case breather tubes so it would benefit you to check those three cases and make sure the fluid is not milky. That would indicate that you got some water in there.

Did you leave it running the whole time? I hope so. Unless your hood is underwater and there’s a possibility of sucking water into the engine air intake, I would always leave the Jeep running in these situations. I did have to make a decision once when I took a submarine dive in my TJ and I would have absolutely lost the motor if I left it running. I ended up getting water in the automatic transmission and even after flushing $200 of ATF immediately after, it was not enough to save it.

That being said, keep an eye out for a check engine light. If one comes on, get the code read ASAP and don’t drive it until you are sure of the issue. Auto transmission do not like water. The JL 8-spd tranny does not have a dipstick so there’s no easy way to check that.

As far as the interior, I would pull the carpet for two reasons:
1.) Get it out and hang it up so that you can hose it down (scrubbing with dish soap will help make sure you don’t have any lingering odors) and let it dry before you put it back in.
2.) It will give you access to the metal tub underneath so that you can wipe that down and remove any sediment that may have deposited between the tub and the carpet.

After that, put your now dried out carpet back in and roll out.
I did the above probably a dozen times in my old TJ.

When it comes to Jeeps I always say, “Play hard, clean hard” and you’ll get a hundred smiles per gallon.

Hope this helps. Have a good one!

 

[CJ-ING-RJ]

All good advice on the above comment. I'll add two things
1st recovery equipment would not have saved your interior. Yes you need it!! BUT don't drive into stuff like that without your buddy right there.
2nd. Don't forget to take some time hose out the entire underbody. Will save you some effort later when you're underneath trying to work on something.

 

[WXman]

I did that once in a Ford Ranger FX4. Oops. I'm very anal and my OCD kicked in and when I got home I cleaned EVERYTHING out with a garden hose. I even removed the door panels and cleaned out the interior of the doors so the power window guides wouldn't be affected. Changed all the fluids. Pressure washed the undercarriage and all joints, U-joints, mounting points, etc. Tried to hit every square inch I could with fresh water. In the end, the only damage was that my starter motor failed about a month later and I had to get that replaced.

Mud has sand in it, and over time that stuff will create a lot of wear and tear. It's a blast to play in, but it's not as fun to clean up when it's done!

 

[Gemball2018]

Good news is, from the picture, you are not dangerously deep. Your engine intake and transmission breather tube are at the same height in the engine bay so I wouldn’t worry about those two, which would be your biggest concerns. However, you are in above the axle tubes and close enough to the height of the axle and transfer case breather tubes so it would benefit you to check those three cases and make sure the fluid is not milky. That would indicate that you got some water in there.

Did you leave it running the whole time? I hope so. Unless your hood is underwater and there’s a possibility of sucking water into the engine air intake, I would always leave the Jeep running in these situations. I did have to make a decision once when I took a submarine dive in my TJ and I would have absolutely lost the motor if I left it running. I ended up getting water in the automatic transmission and even after flushing $200 of ATF immediately after, it was not enough to save it.

That being said, keep an eye out for a check engine light. If one comes on, get the code read ASAP and don’t drive it until you are sure of the issue. Auto transmission do not like water. The JL 8-spd tranny does not have a dipstick so there’s no easy way to check that.

As far as the interior, I would pull the carpet for two reasons:
1.) Get it out and hang it up so that you can hose it down (scrubbing with dish soap will help make sure you don’t have any lingering odors) and let it dry before you put it back in.
2.) It will give you access to the metal tub underneath so that you can wipe that down and remove any sediment that may have deposited between the tub and the carpet.

After that, put your now dried out carpet back in and roll out.
I did the above probably a dozen times in my old TJ.

When it comes to Jeeps I always say, “Play hard, clean hard” and you’ll get a hundred smiles per gallon.

Hope this helps. Have a good one!

All great advice, Can you explain why you would keep the engine going if possible?, is it to help in recovery?
Thanks

 

[WXman]

All great advice, Can you explain why you would keep the engine going if possible?, is it to help in recovery?
Thanks

If your tail pipe is submerged, leaving the engine running can help to prevent muddy water from filling your exhaust and damaging your engine.

However, if your air intake is submerged you need to shut the engine off immediately to try and prevent instant water damage.

So it depends on the situation. In your situation I'd have kept it running probably.

 

[Gemball2018]

If your tail pipe is submerged, leaving the engine running can help to prevent muddy water from filling your exhaust and damaging your engine.

However, if your air intake is submerged you need to shut the engine off immediately to try and prevent instant water damage.

So it depends on the situation. In your situation I'd have kept it running probably.

Thank you very mich for the info

 

[Will]

Thank you very mich for the info

Also, your fluid-containing drivetrain components (besides your engine oil) include your front and rear axle differentials, transmission, and transfer case. These 4 components have breather/vent tubes that allow air to escape and “burp” when there is a change in pressure from the air inside the unit to the ambient air outside. Basically these units all get very hot and need to let that pressure/energy escape. These breathers on our Jeeps also have a plug at the top that can slide up and down.

When the Jeep is running at normal operating temperatures these assemblies are all very warm. When they are rapidly cooled (for instance crossing a creek or dumping the Jeep in a deep mud hole) the end of the breather tube is designed to close so that water does not enter the unit through the tube. This is accomplished because the rapid cooling of the differential, T-case, or transmission will cause a vacuum, pulling air into the assembly through the breather tube. But we don’t want water coming into the assembly so the tip of the breather tube has a cap that is pulled down my this vacuum action to seal the tube. This is a very simple design and is not going to be 100% effective every time, especially if submerged for a long time. However, it is very effective for short water crossings.

Why I would keep the engine running is mainly for the tail pipe reason stated, but also for the transmission. If the transmission breather tube were under water I would not want to cut the engine off and risk the tranny cooling down so much the breather tube opens up and water enters the tranny through it.

That’s what happened on my TJ (could have also been the dipstick funnel but since the JL doesnt have a dipstick, you don’t have to worry a ihr that.The entire Jeep was completely submerged and I was STUCK! With nothing but the upper half of the softop above the water line I knew my engine would suck water into the intake and hydrolock so i cut it off.

At the time it was a very stressful situation as I’m sure it would have been for most of us. Wish I had taken time to get pics because It’s a good story now. I had water up to the steering wheel inside with water bottles and CD cases floating up to my chest. Water was coming in windows on full height doors. My passenger had just gotten the first iPhone so that was all that he was concerned with, sticking it out the window to save it from a similar doom.

All in all I made it out ok for the predicament that I put myself in. I pulled it directly out of the river and left it right there. Put the softtop down, opened the doors, and let it sit overnight. I came back the next morning and she turned right over with no problems that I could find. The engine oil looked fine and I let it run up to temp. I drove it for about 2 miles and the check engine light came on. Code read “transmission” and that was it (‘04 TJ).
I changed the diff fluids, t-case fluid, and flushed the transmission with new RTF for over an hour until it finally turned from a pink strawberry milkshake to the red cough syrup that it is supposed to resemble. It ran fine for about 3 days then the pump went out and the gears started to go. A mechanic at the time told me that a very small amount of water can cause the adhesive on the friction pads to break down very quickly. Jeep dealership quoted me $3,500 for a used tranny and a transmission shop quoted me $2,800 for the same.

I ended up paying $500 for a used tranny from a salvage yard Jeep that was totaled and it was smooth sailing after that.

You won’t find a used 8-spd tranny for that price so take care of the one you got.

 

[RubenZ]

You're alright. I think your within the water forging limits as shown on the Tailgate side panel. Its just a mater of cleaning it out. remove the Rugs like others have read and clean it out with fresh water and laundry detergent etc. Let it dry and put it back in..

 

[GRAK]

It doesn’t even look that submerged, how did all that water pour in? Now I’m reconsidering the Mojave Road bath, that is up to the hood of most vehicles on YouTube

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

I want to know what happened afterward with the girlfriend. She looks PI$$ED!

 

[wolfdog]

Unless you hafta go thru it, stay outta the friken mud!!

Muddin' is plain crazy unless you have a purpose vehicle, it's totally nuts! Proves nothing except you can get stuck and flooded and you like cleaning up stuff and spending $$! Easier and cheaper to have your Jeep painted like it's a mudder then you can drive around and everyone will think your cool but you'll suffer less damage!! lol

Couldn't resist, sorry...not!

Go Jeep!!!

 

[LeoTheDragon]

The look on your girlfriends face.. It's just... Gold.

 

[GRAK]

Also, your fluid-containing drivetrain components (besides your engine oil) include your front and rear axle differentials, transmission, and transfer case. These 4 components have breather/vent tubes that allow air to escape and “burp” when there is a change in pressure from the air inside the unit to the ambient air outside. Basically these units all get very hot and need to let that pressure/energy escape. These breathers on our Jeeps also have a plug at the top that can slide up and down.

When the Jeep is running at normal operating temperatures these assemblies are all very warm. When they are rapidly cooled (for instance crossing a creek or dumping the Jeep in a deep mud hole) the end of the breather tube is designed to close so that water does not enter the unit through the tube. This is accomplished because the rapid cooling of the differential, T-case, or transmission will cause a vacuum, pulling air into the assembly through the breather tube. But we don’t want water coming into the assembly so the tip of the breather tube has a cap that is pulled down my this vacuum action to seal the tube. This is a very simple design and is not going to be 100% effective every time, especially if submerged for a long time. However, it is very effective for short water crossings.

Why I would keep the engine running is mainly for the tail pipe reason stated, but also for the transmission. If the transmission breather tube were under water I would not want to cut the engine off and risk the tranny cooling down so much the breather tube opens up and water enters the tranny through it.

That’s what happened on my TJ (could have also been the dipstick funnel but since the JL doesnt have a dipstick, you don’t have to worry a ihr that.The entire Jeep was completely submerged and I was STUCK! With nothing but the upper half of the softop above the water line I knew my engine would suck water into the intake and hydrolock so i cut it off.

At the time it was a very stressful situation as I’m sure it would have been for most of us. Wish I had taken time to get pics because It’s a good story now. I had water up to the steering wheel inside with water bottles and CD cases floating up to my chest. Water was coming in windows on full height doors. My passenger had just gotten the first iPhone so that was all that he was concerned with, sticking it out the window to save it from a similar doom.

All in all I made it out ok for the predicament that I put myself in. I pulled it directly out of the river and left it right there. Put the softtop down, opened the doors, and let it sit overnight. I came back the next morning and she turned right over with no problems that I could find. The engine oil looked fine and I let it run up to temp. I drove it for about 2 miles and the check engine light came on. Code read “transmission” and that was it (‘04 TJ).
I changed the diff fluids, t-case fluid, and flushed the transmission with new RTF for over an hour until it finally turned from a pink strawberry milkshake to the red cough syrup that it is supposed to resemble. It ran fine for about 3 days then the pump went out and the gears started to go. A mechanic at the time told me that a very small amount of water can cause the adhesive on the friction pads to break down very quickly. Jeep dealership quoted me $3,500 for a used tranny and a transmission shop quoted me $2,800 for the same.

I ended up paying $500 for a used tranny from a salvage yard Jeep that was totaled and it was smooth sailing after that.

You won’t find a used 8-spd tranny for that price so take care of the one you got.

Great post, thanks for enlightening noobs like me. So have you ever extended those breather tubes up higher, like gather them into an intake snorkel or anything?

 

[Will]

Great post, thanks for enlightening noobs like me. So have you ever extended those breather tubes up higher, like gather them into an intake snorkel or anything?

In that TJ Wrangler that I mentioned I extended all the breather tubes up the height of the air intake which was essentially the hood line.
I’ve never had a snorkel on any of my vehicles and don’t plan to put one on the JL, but if I needed to use one, I would like to know that my transmission had the same protection. Again, your engine air intake is more critical than the tranny. The transmission breather can be submerge for a short time without pulling in water but if you dunk for the air intake for more than a split second, you are getting water past the air filter and it’s gonna be a long day.
When I extended my breather tubes I just went to the hardware store and bought the same diameter tubing and the fittings needed. I ran the rear diff up the rear of the body tub behind the taillight and the the front diff, tranny, and t-case I run up to the top of the engine bay.
On the JL the transmission breather is up in the engine bay already and the others are high enough for me. I don’t plan on doing more than 30 inches of water in this rig anytime soon.

Sponsored