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so my jeep sunk in a pond now i need some help :(

8K views 38 replies 25 participants last post by  Redjeepmormon 
#1 ·
Hi guys

I just recently got my 97 TJ wrangler sport 5 speed manual and i was exploring some dirt roads when I came across a huge pond in the road i think the snow melted and created it in the middle of the road anyways i tried to do a three point turn to get out of there and I fell in and the jeep was in water up to the top of the fender flares and it has a 4 inch lift with 33's so it was pretty bad. the water was in to my knees and i tried as much as i could to get it out of the water but i couldnt.

8 hours later i got it winched out and towed back to my place. as far as i know no water got in the intake but it still wont start.
today i changed the oil and removed all the spark plugs and tried to crank it to see if i could get some of the water out but nothing happened. everything turns on but the engine is just quiet. when i tired to turn it on too the clutch was really really stiff and hard to push down.
idk because i live in north dakota and its below freezing outside so maybe the water is frozen inside the engine? im not sure but how should i go about reviving my jeep or am i screwed?
 
#4 ·
No photos???

I suggest you leave the Jeep alone for 3-5 days. Let it sit in a garage with one or two electric foot heaters warming up and completely drying out the engine block. This is a small investment in money and time before you hit the panic button.

You have to keep in mind all the sensitive electronics under the hood. It could be anything waterlogged so dont rush burning something out. Let it dry.

Case and point:
I was at the car wash spraying down my Corvette engine just to clean it. When I was done, damn thing wouldn't start. Yeah, all the lights came on, but no engine turn over. Winds up I sprayed too close to the throttle body, saturating a key electronic component. I simply unplugged the component and let it dry out. Over 3 hours later, the car finally started, but remained in Reduced Engine Power. Once I got it home, I disconnected the battery and used a blow dryer to dry it out even further, then let it sit to completely dry out. 2 days later, reconnected battery and prayed for a miracle. Started right up, no codes.

I only sprayed my engine down. You nearly drowned your baby, so take it slow.

Keep us posted
 
#5 ·
Hi guys

anyways i tried to do a three point turn to get out of there and I fell in and the jeep was in water up to the top of the fender flares and it has a 4 inch lift with 33's so it was pretty bad. the water was in to my knees and i tried as much as i could to get it out of the water but i couldnt.
Try as i might, i just don't see how you ended up in the water attempting the manuver you state. I can see maybe the ass end gettin wet but not that far in
Any way, sh*t happens, wish you luck and hope it's not too serious or costly.
 
#10 ·
If you do a search on Chadwick, you will see someone who had a similar problem. There was a lot of good advice there, along with a lot of ridicule. Hope you've got some thick skin, and good luck.

Also, Chadwick claimed it was a pond too... :)
 
#13 ·
This is how it happened, we were mudding at night went down some random dirt road that got narrow and eventually ended up turning into a body of water, gospel doesnt even have his liscense yet and I wasnt really paying attention and he shouldve just have thrown it into reverse down the road but instead he tried to turn around reversed into the water and the mud was soft and it got stuck. Not as bad as the chadwick situation, no dive team needed LOL. The water wasnt crazy high(jumped in the next day to the freezing cold water to hook up a tow chain and it was slightly below my waist) but it did start to flood around the floor up to the shifter eventually because the water was rocking back aand forth as we tried to get it out. I let the oil drain for a day was a milky brown color then flushed it with 2 quarts last night, put new oil in and pulled the plugs and he cranked the ignition, just made a short hiss a couple times and it was 28 degrees out at the time. its been sitting in the driveway for 2 1/2 days at below freezing temps. probably gonna get it in my garage today and throw some heaters on it. Also there is a greyish white milky substance leaking around the u joint towards the front of the driveshaft. Neither of us know much about vehicles so all the help is apprecated.
 
#14 ·
Reference Jeep Afogado Video.....

Hahahahahahahaha.

Surfs Up!!

To the OP: Disconnect battery, Pull the spark plug wires and plugs, add a few heaters, let it warm up and completely dry out. Change the oil and other fluids necessary. Once a few days have passed and all is bone dry, reinstall plugs and wires, change the oil and reconnect battery. Turn to the start position and look over the warning lights first. Then try and start it.

What can help us help you is, make sure you have a quality video camera pointing at the engine when you fire it up. If it does not start or even if it does and makes weird noises, posting the video can help experts narrow it down by the noises. Sometines, describing "its making this weird noise" dont help much. Trust me, I have done this before and posted on the ZO6VETTE forum and it was pegged spot on. I had a bad lifter.

Keep us posted.
 
#17 ·
between gospelsos, chadwick and Zildi, I don't know who to believe or whats going on. lol.

it goes without saying but I'm going to say it anyway, change all of the fluids in everything... maybe even do that twice. change the plugs. Could be the ignition coil pack but who knows. First thing though is to get it clean and dry and change the fluids.
 
#23 ·
STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Open the diffs, drain the bong water out. Put cover back on, fill with gear lube. Repeat. You will need to replace one or more axle seals, for crying out loud don't drive it any farther with water in the differentials! Repeat this sequence with the transmission, transfer case, pretty much everything that holds fluids except the cupholders. Don't even flat tow it to a garage. Heat, drain, fill. Repeat. It's leaking at the diff cover or the transfer case? If it's the side of the diffs that the drive shaft is attached to, then your pinion seals are suspect as well. Oy Vay!
 
#27 ·
So the immediate problem is it won't crank?
Suspect the starter got water in it and froze. Put the heater so it heats the starter to dry it out.

Once it's dry and if it still won't crank, try tapping on the starter solenoid while someone tries to crank it. Mud may have gotten in it.

And clean battery cables, make sure the battery is fully charged - something may have been left on while soaking.
 
#34 ·
so the jeep is still in the garage and its pretty chilly in there but idk if its below freezing. we got new spark plugs in it and new oil but it still wont start she just barely gets there. u can hear the video and the belt starts to turn but nothing happens.
is it just some more electronics that need to dry out or what?
we did try cranking it without spark plugs and no water shot out. if u look at the top picture no water got over the hood and im pretty sure none got into the intake but it was turned off so a bunch prob got into the exhaust im thinking.

what kinda fluid do u put in the transfer case also btw because i got mobil 1 atf+3 its a manual idk if thats what ur supposed to use or not.

is there any other way to drain any more water that might still be in there?
 
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