Driving through water

[IdeaMan]

What special precautions need to be taken in order to drive the Cherokee through water. Do I need to extend my breather tubes on each axle and the transmission? Also, what's best... fast, slow? What if the engine stalls while you're in the water? Does it need to be towed out? Just trying to figure this stuff out before I do any damage. There's a trail I want to run that has some water crossings and I want to be carefull. Any tips would be appreciated.

[XJ4Roks]

how deep are we talkin?

[IdeaMan]

Maybe 1.5 to 3.5 feet deep. Also, would I automatically want to change differential and tranny fluids afterwards?

[jeeppowermj]

vehicle specs?

[IdeaMan]

Basically stock 97 4-door 4x4, 4.0I6, AW4. No lift, just safety type stuff... skids, tow points.

[jeepguy97]

Basically stock 97 4-door 4x4, 4.0I6, AW4. No lift, just safety type stuff... skids, tow points.

Your joking right. 3.5 feet of water in a stock cherokee, my bumper with a 3" lift only sits 26" off the ground and thats only slightly more than 2 feet. If you must , yes extend the breathers and if it stalls cut it immediatly!!! I would drain the axles if you are in it for an extended period. I don't condone this by the way.

[jeeppowermj]

Maybe 1.5 to 3.5 feet deep. Also, would I automatically want to change differential and tranny fluids afterwards?

if your gonna do 3.5 ft w/ a stock jeep u may want to do carpet, seats, tranny fluid, dif fluid, etc.......

[jeepguy97]

if your gonna do 3.5 ft w/ a stock jeep u may want to do carpet, seats, tranny fluid, dif fluid, etc.......

dashboard, CPU..........

[IdeaMan]

Hey, that's why I'm asking. So let me pose this question: How much water depth can a stock height Cherokee handle? 1 foot, 2 feet?

[jeepguy97]

Hey, that's why I'm asking. So let me pose this question: How much water depth can a stock height Cherokee handle? 1 foot, 2 feet?

Well iI'm gonna clarify.....driving through water makes me nervous. If it was waterproffed and snorkled it would make me nervous. You just never know. I owuld say a stock cherokee can handle about a foot (carefully). Drive slowly if it starts to get deep, back out, its not worth the engine. To help I'd un hook the intake tube and aim it towards the firewall while crossing in case some water does get in the air box. Take your time and don't let anyone tell you you can do it if you think you can't. Its your jeep and your money.

[MJ1990buildup]

You can get the tires completely underwater before anything "should" go wrong. Extend your breather lines and i think you would start to pucker before your Jeep does.

[TORX]

Maybe 1.5 to 3.5 feet deep.

Make sure to take lots of pictures

TORX

[RichP]

Do not disconnect the filter box, the square hole is there for a reason, when water closes it off it is supposed to starve the engine for air and cause it to stall out before it inhales any h2o, it mostly works unless the engine is around 2,000rpm, at that point inertia is your enemy. Rule of thumb, keep the water below your bumper, drive at a consistant speed and get a bow wave going, keep it constant and the bow wave will keep water out of the radiator. However the most important thing to remember is let someone else of the same height go first, if he sinks then don't go... I don't like water either and on two occasions, same paragon rockrawl, I had it up to the bottom of my fender flares and was about sucking the seat cover up my butt, all my door seals worked well as the XJ was only 4 months old and it stayed dry inside, one was a 100 yard stream crossing and the other was a 1 mile long abandoned railroad tunnel that did a good impersonation of a killer monsoon car wash which totally caught the open topped shorties by complete suprise. The tunnel was pitch black but I could put my hand out the window and the water was about 1/2 way up the door. Water and mud are bad for jeeps...

[ShipleyCSA]

back in the day, my buddy was talked into taking his 92' stock XJ in a massive hole, with lots of water, maybe 2.5 ft. deep. Yeah, it was bad, his engine stalled out 1/2 way(probably bc to air was coming into airbox), some how....to our amasement, water was not coming in. WE pulled him out, the engine started (to our supprise) and the whole exhaust system was full of water, water went shooting out everywhere, it was funny to watch. And thats it, no damage, he drove it for another 2 years, then sold it recently.

[IdeaMan]

Well you guys have all scared the $hit out of me... guess I better be reeealllllly carefull and check exactly how deep this water is.

[jeepguy97]

Well you guys have all scared the $hit out of me... guess I better be reeealllllly carefull and check exactly how deep this water is.

Please! It's really scary to be half way across and drop in to where its suddnely coming over the hood.

[wescam]

"Do I need to extend my breather tubes on each axle and the transmission?"

There's a good question. How many people do that? I know lots of folks slap on a snorkle for the looks and or function. What about above and other stuff you can do?

[Kejtar]

Please! It's really scary to be half way across and drop in to where its suddnely coming over the hood.

Yup, all it takes is a washed out hole into which a tire will fall into dropping your front end suddendly and causing the air intake to go under water.

[RichP]

Thats one of the advantages of having kids, they don't mind getting wet and have no problems 'scouting the crossing', if you don't have your own just borrow someone elses, have not met a kid yet who does not like going off roading... Just don't make them walk into any white water unless their parents paid you in advance... :laugh3:

[bubba]

Also check local and state laws as to where you are wheeling. In MN we are not allowed to do water crossings, even on Private land.

[BRPL XJ]

Thats one of the advantages of having kids, they don't mind getting wet and have no problems 'scouting the crossing', if you don't have your own just borrow someone elses, have not met a kid yet who does not like going off roading... Just don't make them walk into any white water unless their parents paid you in advance... :laugh3:
LOL

[bigredjeep]

if you go fast enough your bound to make it... ... somewhere

[xj92]

I did Kane Creek Canyon in Moab right after a heavy rain and on the 11th crossing that day, the trail follows the creek for a short ways and I just sank in the sand. It starved the engine for air and killed it, but it sounded like loud metal on metal and scared the crud out of me. Water filled the interior slightly past the petals. Anyways, moral of the story, be VERY careful when crossing water. Raising the vent lines and all that is a good idea. I had to change out every one of my fluids afterwards.

[TORX]

Alright I got a question for water proofing. On the Renix models the fusebox is right above the clutch like 6 inches above the floor so if you interior gets flooded that will most likely become submerged or get wet. So what does everyone do about that, mine also has the clutch fluid starting to leak so something needs to be done before I get fried or end up with another "project". Sorry to hijack

TORX

[Wil Badger]

water is no joke. i grew up in the pine barrens of New Jersey all one has i s water and mud.you learn real fast what to do.this is a water hole in Paragon.i'm on 35's so it's every bit of 2.5 feet deep.if your drivers headlight goes under it's over .

water hole (http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/reader-rigs/albums/BadgersXJ/waterhole1.avi)

[DaffyXJ]

Something no one mentioned yet is pulling the fan into the radiator. Don't go fast.

[Kejtar]

Something no one mentioned yet is pulling the fan into the radiator. Don't go fast.
?? Unless I'm missing something, that'd be hard to do as the fan is on the other side of the radiator..... unless you're thinking about pushing the radiator onto the fan (which I think would be just as hard)

[DaffyXJ]

When you’re crossing deep water, a manual (engine-driven) fan can act like a propeller, pulling itself into the radiator

[Traverse]

I sunk my xj. Not only did the fan pull into the radiator but i lost the motor, cellphone, keys, and my pride. good times.

[ArcticXJ]

For diff breather tubes, I went down to the auto parts store and bought a few feet of fuel line and ran it up into the top of the engine bay and lodged it behind the brake master cylinder/ brake booster on the fire wall (front axle, of course). For the rear, actually well i never looked to see if it even had a diff breather hose, lol!

[wescam]

found this while searching out breather tube extentions -- on Jeep Creep.

Anyway, I'll add this to my list of things to learn how to do, then try. Heh. Sounds like a good idea at least....
----------pasted from Jeep Creep-----------
While you're at it, upgrade your breather hoses on the front and rear axles, the transfer case, and the transmission with high-quality fuel line. Use stainless steel hose clamps to secure them and route them all into a single line that eventually leads to the driest part of the Jeep, usually within the interior of the Jeep behind in or near the glove box. At the end of this line, use a fuel filter that is connected in such a way that the arrow (flow of the filter) points away from the fuel line. Point this end downward.

This will add life to the various components of your Jeep by keeping your fluids free of water and other contaminants.
--------end-------------------

[jeepin_al]

Sorry, if the AW4 is an auto then you also want to extend the transmission breather. There is alot more to deep water crossings then the intake but it is very important. I had my TJ actually over hte hood in water a couple of times without drowning the engine. Got caught in a mud hole once and it filled the engine bay and swamped the motor, pulled the spark plugs on the spot, turned over the engine (spit water all over the idiots on that side of the Jeep, I highly recommend that part of the repair), cleared all the water out of the intake, then towed it out, pulled the oil plug, changed it 15 times till it was draining without the milky substance, and checked the tranny fluid which was clear like it should be. Two weeks later I replaced my transmission for a repair bill of 4K dollars. STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM WATER AS POSSIBLE!!!!

[Timber]

I don't do water either, but anyplace to wheel in Ohio/Michigan is going to involve either some water or soupy mud. So, what about siliconing where the axletubes go into the housings? I've been thinking of doing that as well as getting some of the Superior D30 seals.

[Wil Badger]

all my breathers come up around my master cyclinder.my rear axle breather goes up into my back hatch post behing the brake light.goes up to half way up the back window.

[ArcticXJ]

Two weeks later I replaced my transmission for a repair bill of 4K dollars. STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM WATER AS POSSIBLE!!!!
HOLY CRAP!! Why in the world did it cost you four grand for a tranny????????
I blew mine on wednesday, went and got one from the junkyard (from an xj with 30k miles) on thursday, and spent a couple of hours working with a buddy to swap it in on friday. 800 bucks.

Damn dude, that really sucks you shelled out 4,000 dollars.

[Wil Badger]

the auto trans in Tjs have a stupid design flaw.seems the idiots at Chrysler put the breather in the bell housing.so if you put it in water up just past the rockers it will draw water into the trans.i have watched 3 TJs get strawberry shaked

[Wil Badger]

to prove my point and how to fix it

http://www.the-jersey-devil.com/photopost/data/500/166jp_001-med.jpg

http://www.the-jersey-devil.com/photopost/data/500/166jp_002-med.jpg

http://www.the-jersey-devil.com/photopost/data/500/166jp_003-med.jpg

[TrailHunter]

Something I haven't seen recomended yet which might be inconvenient but is highly efficient is tarping up the grille. If you know the water is going to be deep or the current is swift will require a bit more momentum to prevent getting swept downstream, tarping will allow you to run a taller bow wave and lessent he chance of getting water injested. This also helps prevent the fan propellering into the radiator. This techniquie is more common downunder.

[casm]

http://www.consumptionjunction.com/content/detail.asp?ID=38008&type=1&page=3&fav=0 (The audio is probably NSFW)

Don't be scared of water, just use your head when dealing with it. And don't do a Chewy unless you're prepped for it.

[clayman]

you guys have me freaked out now. i live in san diego and hardly ever see rain or water when im out off roading. but recently his has been raining like crazy. i was out just messing around locally and it started raining pretty bad. i got caught in a flash flood and had to cross two rivers about 3 feet deep. i knew to be carefull so i didnt suck water but wasnt aware of the breathers on the tranny or my rear axle (i have 2wd so i shouldnt worry about my front axle right?). should i replace all the fluids or what? also where are the breather hoses located. i would like to extend those now.


94 xj 2wd auto 4 door

[Slip Kid]

you guys have me freaked out now. i live in san diego and hardly ever see rain or water when im out off roading. but recently his has been raining like crazy. i was out just messing around locally and it started raining pretty bad. i got caught in a flash flood and had to cross two rivers about 3 feet deep. i knew to be carefull so i didnt suck water but wasnt aware of the breathers on the tranny or my rear axle (i have 2wd so i shouldnt worry about my front axle right?). should i replace all the fluids or what? also where are the breather hoses located. i would like to extend those now.


94 xj 2wd auto 4 door

Right, no front axle. :) Rear axle breather just goes into the frame rail I believe, extend it all the way up front to where the others are, on the firewall. If I were you I'd change the diff oil, that's the most likely place that water could have gotten.

[Beej]

Some of your guys' responses are hilarious! Take it from a Pacific Northwester, you can do water crossing safely no problem. If that wasn't the case, I'd never get to go wheeling! Buy some good quality fuel line and run your diff breather tubes into the interior or very high on the firewall under your hood. Also run your tranny and t-case breathers. Run them into a fuel filter or some other filter that won't allow water to drain freely in. Plug EVERY hole on your firewall with silicon sealant. Silicon seal your distributor closed as well. Make sure every nut and bolt is tight. Use shrink tubing on any exposed wiring under your hood. Consider better door and hatch seals and replace them when they wear. Invest in a snorkle (they are only a JU mod if you live in a desert). Or at least run your air intake into your firewall a la madxj or gojeep. Having hood spacers is not a good idea for water crossings. Don't cross where you are not familiar with the water. Walk it with hip waders and a long stick if necessary to find the sinkholes. Drive slowly through the water, but keep a bow wave going. I have safely done many crossings where the water came to just below the hood. Check your fluids after crossings, change as necessary, especially if it looks like you took on water. I do trails with minor water crossings all the time and I have never lost a driveline component to water damage. Like I said, if it wasn't possible, I wouldnt' get to wheel. Just be prepared.

[C85D4x4]

what do you do with ur alternator?????? being on my 93xj its so low in the engine compartment
So will it short out or anything?

[jdougn]

Something I haven't seen recomended yet which might be inconvenient but is highly efficient is tarping up the grille. If you know the water is going to be deep or the current is swift will require a bit more momentum to prevent getting swept downstream, tarping will allow you to run a taller bow wave and lessent he chance of getting water injested. This also helps prevent the fan propellering into the radiator. This techniquie is more common downunder.
I've seen guys take the grill from a charcoal grill. They get a round grill and then mount it to the inside of their radiator to keep the fan out of the radiator. But these guys do over-the-hood water crossings on a regular basis.
http://image24.webshots.com/25/0/25/90/287402590GnBHPG_ph.jpg Basically stock & no problem! :paperwork
"Shallow Water Crossing"

[casm]

i got caught in a flash flood and had to cross two rivers about 3 feet deep.

Be careful with that. My last XJ was totalled after being caught in a 3' flash flood, which, as it happens, is more than enough water to pick up and move your Jeep if it's moving fast enough.

should i replace all the fluids or what?

Check the fluids. If they show any signs of having taken on water, replace them; otherwise, you should be fine.

also where are the breather hoses located. i would like to extend those now.

Look at your axle and transmission. You should see the breather lines rising vertically off of them; just follow each line to the top. Sorry for not being more specific, but these things have a habit of not always being in the same location after a number of years.

[TORX]

Alright I got a question for water proofing. On the Renix models the fusebox is right above the clutch like 6 inches above the floor so if you interior gets flooded that will most likely become submerged or get wet. So what does everyone do about that, mine also has the clutch fluid starting to leak so something needs to be done before I get fried or end up with another "project". Sorry to hijack

TORX

[C85D4x4]

repost

what do you do with ur alternator?????? being on my 93xj its so low in the engine compartment

[BruteXJ]

Yeah, what RichP said.

Never over your bumper, or a four-year-old's head....and slowly.

[BruteXJ]

Also: hood vents are for desert Jeeps, not yours.

[MudDawg]

I like the chrysler tranny vent mod for sure!!..i'm building a tranny to replace the one i waterlogged..I drained it and all..got it working again...but if i'm gonna pull the tranny to do the vent mod..I might as well put in a new tranny...that already has the mod done...it is costing me less than $250.00 bux for the parts to completely rebuild my core 904...

Anyways....I regularly play U-boat Kommander with the Heep...I have the air intake remoted to the cowl vent area...and the ignition waterproofed...I turn off my electric radiator fan...I change a lot of diff lube...and i long ago wasted the interior...btw...did you know a XJ will float??? BRIEFLY!!!

[Wil Badger]

Silicon seal your distributor closed as well. Make sure every nut and bolt is tight.

uhm that is like the worst thing you can do.i have seen people do it and get away with it .but it also keeps the distributor from breathing .when it heats up it can cause it to crack.i have always just gone to a junk yard and picked up a Ford distributor booty from a mustang or lincoln continental

[Lore5]

Also: hood vents are for desert Jeeps, not yours.

huhhh

[53guy]

yeah dude, water is no fun. this past weekend, i sunk my jeep in some tank traps on marine corps base quantico in va. if you get up some speed, you might be able to clear 2' of water no problem, but that's just standing water. be careful with moving water. i crossed some streams and they were like 20" deep and it started to push my jeep. it is a pretty good idea to take your carpets out if you still plan on playing in deep mud/water. where i got stuck, there was water up to my door handles and i'm in the process of cleaning out my jeep. its not too terriable, but its a pain. remember, you DO have drain plugs in the cherokee (six of them actually), so utilize them if you get a lot of water/ mud inside. and also remember, if you have a stock airbox, any water up about mid-grille will get into the airbox/ and into the engine. no airfilter will stop water, so be careful. its loads of fun but also tons of work as well, so be cautious.

[Zoro]

What's the best type of door-seals to use that'll keep water out for a while?

[BruteXJ]

The Dukes of Hazzard style would do it.

[Zoro]

You mean welding the doors shut right? Kinda hard to jump thru that window tho, but it would look cool

[BLINGN XJ]

mud water sucks the worst. Alternator, clutch and fan clutch got mud in them and it was over thank the jeep gods no water got in the air intake into the motor!! I used to think it was cool to see how muddy and deep I could get the jeep after that I love the rocks

[Lagooz00xj]

You mean welding the doors shut right? Kinda hard to jump thru that window tho, but it would look cool

I got an uncle who does that, even though he has no need to, he's a big NASCAR fan. :D

[Zoro]

Lagooz00xj-If you don't mind me asking, where in Bergen County are ya?

[blaisetd]

Ideaman,
A few years back i took my ol' ladys stock wrangler to check out a deer lease. While there we tried to cross a "small body of water". We got stuck about half way through. Water was just at the bottom of the body and we left the motor running while we come-a-longed it out. This took 10 or so minutes. Once out of the hole the trans would not shift outta first. In summary: new tranny under warranty at dealership! Be careful....

Then again i've gotten my '90 XJ's carpet wet a couple of times with no problems. blaise :us:

[BruteXJ]

You mean welding the doors shut right? Kinda hard to jump thru that window tho, but it would look cool

Yeah, that's what I meant. It'd be even funnier to see someone pulling a step-ladder out of the back to climb in the windows after they lifted it 6".

[Zoro]

Yeah, that's what I meant. It'd be even funnier to see someone pulling a step-ladder out of the back to climb in the windows after they lifted it 6".
I gotta do that just to get pics of it, I'll use my boat ladder...

[twardnw]

everyone says to use fuel line for the breathers, but what diameter?

[luvdaxj]

You could always just hammer down and hope to hydroplane :D

[85xjwoody]

With my 85 woody I have done alot of water crossings with no trouble. I have three inches of lift with 31's and I have gone through water past my that splashed halfway up the windshield and past my door handles. If you have never driven across water before start by driving through something shallower to get used to driving your jeep through water. ALWAYS check the water depth wherever you cross!!! My friend brings his dog with that is a black lab and he just throws a stick across it if it is not to far and if the dog has to swim across we get out and check ourselves. We get wet but it is better to get wet than have an empty wallet

[john]

How do I post pictures?

[twardnw]

~twahost them somewhere (photobucket.com ofoto.com) and then post the link to the picture, wrapped in [ /img] tags

[IMG]http://www.twardnw.com/~tward/images/jeep/jeep-10.jpg
http://www.twardnw.com/~tward/images/jeep/jeep-11.jpg

[TRSCobra]

Sorry to revive an old post as I'm a newbie to this forum. I have a '98 XJ with close to 4" of lift and 31" tires. I got stuck in really deep watery mud for about an hour one day. The exhaust was completely under water and I had to keep it at like 1500 rpm to prevent it from stalling. I was in up to my door moldings and my carpets got muddy cause of the water that leaked in. Anyways, the only real casualty of that was afew weeks later, I had to replace my starter because it was rusted almost solid. The drain was plugged with mud. Now I have a lifetime warranty starter from advance. Also, I checked my diff and tranny fluids after and they were fine!
Bring on the water!!! :)

P.S. My friend who winched me out from that has an '04 Rubicon with a 4" lift and 33" Xterrains. He went in from the opposite way this weekend and only got 1/4 the way in on his second try. We needed to winch him out also. :laugh3:

[japril]

[QUOTE=RichP] However the most important thing to remember is let someone else of the same height go first, if he sinks then don't go...


I like this advice the best!

[4x4life05]

Ok I know this was somebody else's post but I have a question kind of about the same thing. I went threw about 2' deep water in my stock xj. its a 2.5L. now i know i shouldnt have been trying this with a stock jeep, but the water wasnt that deep where we tested the depth there was a pretty good drop off. anyway, it stalled out and i had to get pulled out. my truck wont start after that. when i turn the key in the ignition all i i hear is a clicking sound. my truck runs fine once i get it jumped but once the ignition is turned off it wont turn back on! any suggestions?

[j99xj]

Get a boat or a snorkel.

[KSXJ]

Take your starter out and have autozone or somewhere like that test it. You could possibly have a bad solenoid. If thats not it, test your connections, cause it sounds like the battery is not getting enough juice to the starter. Also have them check your battery when you check the starter. Its free and thats where I would start.

[G.Q. Jeeper]

I played with water and got wet......


It was a place called the Coke Plant in Brampton Ontario Canada, there is this large pond, one one side, any jeep can make it, not that deep 2-2.5 foot dept at the most, on the right side, its way deeper 4 feet (which is alot!) I had my XJ with a snorkel & 3.5" lift and 31's, so I thought that I was all that and a bag of chips!

I started to venture out in the deep stuff, and water was coming over my hood - scary even with a snorkel, however it was my fault, I was in 2nd hi, the XJ started to bog down and stalled right in the middle of all places. after 30 seconds my feet where under water inside, I had to swim out and get the tow strap to hook up, by the time I got back to the Jeep, the water was upto the dash board and my spare clothes were floating in the back seat...lol

got out ok, Jeep ran fine, just the RPM guage did not work for a few mins. had the carpet in so no drain plugs and it was like driving a bath tub full of water. now everthing including my self were dripping wet, the worst part was we made reservations at a local restaurant, which i had to walk in squishing wet, cause my change of clothes were not any better than the ones I had on...

Moral of the story?

Make sure if you go into water, you know how to swim...

My Jeep did not suffer any real negative effects, and is still on the trails to this day. but it can cost you alot, its not a matter of if, just a matter of when.

Jeff

[4x4life05]

Take your starter out and have autozone or somewhere like that test it. You could possibly have a bad solenoid. If thats not it, test your connections, cause it sounds like the battery is not getting enough juice to the starter. Also have them check your battery when you check the starter. Its free and thats where I would start.
Thanks it ended up being the battery. now i'm off for another fun adventure!

[KSXJ]

Thanks it ended up being the battery. now i'm off for another fun adventure!


glad to here is was simple and cheap for ya. Consider it a warning to be careful in water.

[rstarch345]

This is how a friend of mine on a run at Bass Lakes, ON, described his dunking. The bow wake is actually what killed him when he lost traction.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/soxja/DSC01551.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i151/soxja/DSC01547.jpg

[fender]

Drum brakes don't like muddy water either - if you do frequent crossings 4 wheel discs would be the way to go.

Coating all electrical connecters/blades/terminals/Plug and cap posts with dialectric grease would probably be a good idea.


Years ago I remember reading an article in one of the off road mags talking about slightly pressurizing components by running OBA to the diffs,tranny,tcase breathers to keep water out. Just a couple pounds to keep water from being sucked in. Have no idea if it works but I imagine you would just pressurize before the crossing and you probably want to have any leaks fixed (probably a good idea anyway if you are crossing water often).

[XJBeater]

drive around it.

[PosiDave]

On the topic of water. How bad would it be to get stuck up to the very bottom of the doors in water and up to the whole undercarriage in sand. It sat for 4 hours running. I got stuck because my axles and driveshafts were surrounded in sand.

[camarors8992]

XXXX water. I went through water at the very max 2.5ft deep and my engine hydrolocked. I ened up replacing the motor. :(

[93_xj]

many people dont want to believe this but here it goes...

stock xj , 5 speed , 4.0

the water was really really brown and it usually wasnt to deep in previous attempts of going through it, but this time it was deep.

we wanted to "make a splash" so we went through it at like ~ 10 mph.

needless to say, it was extremly deep, water came over my windows , flooded interior, and the jeep did not stall, air pocket in the intake or something i guess. I have some pics of how deep it was and 6 people were in the xj with me to experience it.

[XJack]

On the topic of water. How bad would it be to get stuck up to the very bottom of the doors in water and up to the whole undercarriage in sand. It sat for 4 hours running. I got stuck because my axles and driveshafts were surrounded in sand.

I've done it overnight, twice - except it was wet, muddy clay.

Cost me a set of unit bearings and some fluid changes. And I think the 4WD indicator went out shortly thereafter.

No big deal, but I don't night wheel anymore without another trail rig around.

[camarors8992]

And I think the 4WD indicator went out shortly thereafter.

No big deal, but I don't night wheel anymore without another trail rig around.

I have the same story. My 4wd indicator doesn't work, my reverse lights don't always work. Just a pain. I was by myself and ended up needing a backhoe to get my "heep" out.

[cumorglas]

I have the same story. My 4wd indicator doesn't work, my reverse lights don't always work. Just a pain. I was by myself and ended up needing a backhoe to get my "heep" out.

if it's an aw4 the nss has a vent on it, but its about three inches from the factory. the way the factory vent is that thing get corroded just from road spray. when i rebuilt mine i plumbed it into the vent line for the rear diff and that goes up int the c pillar.

[andrew2516]

Water can be done...you guys make it seem horrible...just prepare and you will be fine. About a second before this pic was snapped the water was half way up the headlights. The airbox had a little water in it and the filter was a little damp.

The main thing people don't realize is that speed through a deep hole is not a good idea!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c43/andrew2516/HPIM0538.jpg
My jeep has 6" of lift and 34" tires

[Ben H]

point front downstream if possible to drive away from current. Enter stream above exit so you can drive downstream.

[sprngfldxj]

I have driven through many water crossings and even lost an engine to one. The advice I would give you is...... prep the vehicle with vent lines and intake as high as you can go, even stock is ok depending on level of water.
They are alot of fun if you do not abuse the situation, just like anything else.

[Zoro]

Is there anything that can be done to prep a manual trans, say AX-15? The only thing i'm worried about is getting the clutch/slave cylinder area soaked or muddy.

[GhostDakota]

Stock XJ (Whatevah) in water:
http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/reader-rigs/albums/Pine-Barrens-New-Years-Day/SV400005.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3481.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3531.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3499.sized.jpg


My XJ in water:
http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3562.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3671.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3677.sized.jpg

http://gallery.jerryhorn.com/albums/newyearsrun/IMG_3447.sized.jpg

Most of these pics were taken by Jerry Horn btw...

This run was the reason why I got a snorkel. My friend got water in her tank and some in her intake... $600 later she was good. A guy here at work hydrolocked his YJ in water, etc. If you do water make sure to:

-GET A SNORKEL! Make sure everything in the intake is SEALED completely
-Seal the distributor
-Relocate axle vent tubes as HIGH as possible, preferably in the pass. compartment
-Relocate trans and t-case vent tubes as high as possible
-Make sure dip stick indicator seals well in tube
-You may want to seal the top of the trans as well where the shifter is
-Check ALL electronic connections and make sure everything is nice and tight

It's best to drive slowly causing a "wave" type action of the water in front of you. This keeps water from going where it doesn't need to go.

When you return from the trail:
-Make sure all greasables are greased!
-Change the diffs, trans, t-case, fluids and engine oil
-Give the Jeep a good wash (including undercarriage) just in case there was corrosive crap in the water

Just be careful.

[PhotographerMike]

Is there anything that can be done to prep a manual trans, say AX-15? The only thing i'm worried about is getting the clutch/slave cylinder area soaked or muddy.
I'm another with manual trans who wants to be "Safe rather than sorry."
Thanks, Mike

[Zoro]

I'm another with manual trans who wants to be "Safe rather than sorry."
Thanks, Mike
Yea but it hasn't stopped me from submerging it in the past....

[flexjay87]

the weather channel says to "turn around, don't drown"

[G.Q. Jeeper]

Good Question!

Whats better suited at getting a soaker? the AX-15 or the Auto's? if you end up going for a swim whats the deal? I know my AX-15 stood up to a nice dunking now and then and I had no real issues with it at all!

whats the story with an auto if you make like the titanic?

Jeff

[andrew2516]

I've got an ax15 that i dunk frequently...I'm not going to say how it has held up though...because I don't want it to suddenly break when I drive it next.

[traitor5150]

A stock cherokee can take over a foot ive had mine up the the center console
(water even with the back seats in the coil holder) up the the headlighs stoped with everyone kneeling on the seats to stay dry. She dident like it but I got out

[FubAr4x4]

ive done a few water crossings and the best thing to do if you get water in the intake and enough to stall the motor, never try to start it just remove the spark pluges theturn the motor over this will evac any water that made it to the cyl

[Zoro]

ive done a few water crossings and the best thing to do if you get water in the intake and enough to stall the motor, never try to start it just remove the spark pluges theturn the motor over this will evac any water that made it to the cyl
That brings back some memories :)

[XJ-4-life]

safari snorkel

[anderld47]

Went swimming. 98, RE 4.5 with 32's. At 2.5' deep things were OK. Dropped into a hole and went to 3.5'. Water over the headlight, engine died. Put Warn 9k (on a carrier) on the back, winched out, yanked the plugs, and blew out the water. Started it up, went home and started drying out interior. Next day changed fluids in both pumpkins, trans, and tcase. Even with factory extended breather hoses (come up on the firewall) had water in both diffs. Tcase and tranny were OK. Won't be going swimming again. I was halfway out when pic was taken.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7736/swimmingdaheeptw4.jpg

[Tradesman300]

Here is how little mine was able to take, she farted and started right back up. And my 'rod knock' totally dissapeared!!!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/3.jpg


http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/2.jpg


http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/one.jpg

[99xjstl]

i put mine deep enough to cover 33's and some door which i had about 7 inches of water inside my jeep. I flushed everything soon after pulled the carpet and bedlinered it. Like someone said before dont let other tell you what to do, i did and got lucky i didnt screw anything up. I wouldnt do it in a stock jeep really not worth it, if your going to waste a jeep think of the money lost put a lift on and then go. Go slow if you do.

[XJ-4-life]

I have a buddy who bedlinered his XJ and installed a bilge pump up front and another out back, at first I thought it was weird, but when I saw him go in over the hood and hit the switch I was VERY impressed.....of course he has a snorkel too.

[andrew2516]

Here is how little mine was able to take, she farted and started right back up. And my 'rod knock' totally dissapeared!!!

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/3.jpg


http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/2.jpg


http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m173/tradesman300/one.jpg

and that would be the reason you don't hit deep holes with any kind of speed...

[buzzbombxj]

I have had water come over the hood a few times, but i was lucky and never lost momentum so i was fine. if you dont stop then you can get away with more. i wouldnt try it again and normaly i wouldnt go over the top of the bumper.

[dt00th]

Over here in the UK rocking crawling is limited so we need to find other things to do water feayures very highly .

US spec 2 door 4.0l man D30 D44 homemade snokel and raised breather .

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1608/6728117/12945002/191260748.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1608/6728117/12945002/191260745.jpg

[Tradesman300]

and that would be the reason you don't hit deep holes with any kind of speed...

Yes, exactly. I just had to make sure she floats!

[XJoshua]

If you had a snorkel, couldnt you just tie all the vents into the stock filter box. Or does the trans, axles, tcase release bad gasses?

[MogifiedXJ]

If you had a snorkel, couldnt you just tie all the vents into the stock filter box. Or does the trans, axles, tcase release bad gasses?
You can do that.

Here's another idea...I drilled holes in my wiper cowl and installed brass fittings into them with a 90 degree turn down inside the wiper cowl and ran all of my vents to those. It's worked great so far.

[Tradesman300]

You can do that.

Here's another idea...I drilled holes in my wiper cowl and installed brass fittings into them with a 90 degree turn down inside the wiper cowl and ran all of my vents to those. It's worked great so far.

I am not the biggest fan of the snorkle and how it looks, I was thinking of routing a tube into the wiper cowl and then getting a scoop ala rally racing to collect air. This would be good for water crossings as long as it is not over the hood.

[MogifiedXJ]

I am not the biggest fan of the snorkle and how it looks, I was thinking of routing a tube into the wiper cowl and then getting a scoop ala rally racing to collect air. This would be good for water crossings as long as it is not over the hood.
I don't know if you've seen these or not but they may help...

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/JJcustomSnorkle/CustomSnorkle.htm

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=97813&highlight=snorkel

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=93467&highlight=snorkel

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31683&page=2&highlight=cowl+induction

[Mudkiwi]

Hi guys I am new here and am on the look out for an XJ at the moment but they arent to common around here. In New Zealand one of the first thing you must do when 4wding is fit a snorkel extend breathers and seal up the electrics. Deep water is very common here rocks arent.
The isuzu is my old vehicle and the discovery is a friend of mine, dont be afraid of the water its good fun:)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3/AaronHawes/15.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3/AaronHawes/Swimmingdisco.jpg

[MogifiedXJ]

Cool pics...it looks as though the discovery hit the water crossing with a little too much zeal perhaps.

[Tradesman300]

I don't know if you've seen these or not but they may help...

Thanks. good info.

[Big Red]

Do not disconnect the filter box, the square hole is there for a reason, when water closes it off it is supposed to starve the engine for air and cause it to stall out before it inhales any h2o, it mostly works unless the engine is around 2,000rpm, at that point inertia is your enemy. Rule of thumb, keep the water below your bumper, drive at a consistant speed and get a bow wave going, keep it constant and the bow wave will keep water out of the radiator. However the most important thing to remember is let someone else of the same height go first, if he sinks then don't go... I don't like water either and on two occasions, same paragon rockrawl, I had it up to the bottom of my fender flares and was about sucking the seat cover up my butt, all my door seals worked well as the XJ was only 4 months old and it stayed dry inside, one was a 100 yard stream crossing and the other was a 1 mile long abandoned railroad tunnel that did a good impersonation of a killer monsoon car wash which totally caught the open topped shorties by complete suprise. The tunnel was pitch black but I could put my hand out the window and the water was about 1/2 way up the door. Water and mud are bad for jeeps...

Dang that train tunnel water immersion sounds like some crazy stuff (insert scary music and Jaws music), man you are lucky you didn't stall out in there. I've had my share of water induced drivetrain deaths. 1st in my 91' YJ with stock 3.07 gears, 33" PC muds and I got stuck in a mud/water hole and hydro locked the motor (The Badlands in Attica, IN), the next time was years later--the 1st and last time I took a ZJ offroad at a NAXJA event to the "Lost Coast", I got lots of water in my tranny after getting stuck in the Eel river and water up to my windows and had to climb out the window with water to the bottom of my seats. I had no tools with me, it was a holiday weekend and my tranny fluid was Pepto Bismal pink, the tranny didn't last too long after that.

Moral of the story, avoid water, if you like water so much, get a boat, not to say a Jeep cannot cross it, but don't get too cozy with it. Water doesn't play nice with drivetrain components and electrical components either.

Troy

[XJoshua]

Personally Id get a snorkel for the look, I think it awesome, also you get the beniefits of intaking cooler air, when at speed. Its the last thing on my project list though, right after the paint job. I think a snorkel on a DD is all preference, where as on a wheeler its for people who plan on going into the water. Here in colorado if there are safe crossing they are usually shallow and filled with sharp rocks, and the deep ones youll need pontoons on the side.

[Zoro]

RICHP-What trail is that train tunnel one on at Paragon? I want to hit that so bad now....

[mtsz52784]

http://matt-katie.com/images/DSC01440a.jpgwell heres last weekend in about 12 to 18 inches...

[Big Red]

http://matt-katie.com/images/DSC01440a.jpgwell heres last weekend in about 12 to 18 inches...

Nice, but we are talking more than twice that. Check some pics out at the group I was with years ago on Fordyce on the NAXJA run.

Jes has some nice pics of the NAXJA Fordyce run in 04, now check out those river crossings!!!

http://www.fototime.com/ftweb/bin/ft.dll/pictures?userid={0641A5A9-DB40-46BE-9569-B61D5BC8B151}&albumid={B18F3C19-AB5B-43E1-8F20-8C5D991EED1B}

[mtsz52784]

very nice... i gotta try to find some bigger river crossings

[perez]

Your joking right. 3.5 feet of water in a stock cherokee, my bumper with a 3" lift only sits 26" off the ground and thats only slightly more than 2 feet. If you must , yes extend the breathers and if it stalls cut it immediatly!!! I would drain the axles if you are in it for an extended period. I don't condone this by the way.
haha yeah i agree. i got 36"s and a 7" lift and i was within a 1.4" from having water come in
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e358/xjperez/1166004790_l.jpg

[Zoro]

Don't you hate that, always stuck when your almost out...