just purchased 2005 crew cab, 4x4, 15500 miles. this truck went for a dip in the lake. was cleaned up a bit to running condition but what should be done to avoid future problems? wiring kits, computers, fluid changes???

thanks in advance

Did it go completely under or only halfway?

I seriously hope you got it for free. Water and vehicles do not mix. If it got above the floor you might be in trouble. Go through it with a fine tooth comb. Water in the dash area or ECM is all bad. Don't mean to scare you but as I said before, water and vehicles don't mix.

I guess it depends on the level the water got to. I would think with the volume of electronically and computer controled systems in the new trucks you could have a few "gremlins" to look forward to.

Good Luck

Yikes, you're a brave soul. I'd of steered way clear of a flooded vehicle. Hope all goes well.

what lake? Hope not Lake New Orleans after Lake Ponchatrain filled it. Water damaged vehicles aren't the best. Water in the air intake, at least that much, can cause some serious issues.

If you plan on keeping the truck, get a diablosport so you cna go over several diagnostics. Keep an eye on injector balancing on all these trucks. There are other parameters that show you some things your truck is going through.

Although it is running, is it running in optimal performance. Is the compression good in all cylinders? I would go through it with a fine tooth comb, then monitor it a little more often.

Beware of vehicles that have taken any mud or water damage. Have your vin number checked. Vehicles from Hurricane Katrina have been recirculating. I wouldn't trust any waterlogged vehicles from the areas hit by Katrina.

I don't trust any vehicle wherre water got in the cab. Check the mounting bolts for the seats for any rust. That tells you if it got inside. If so, rip out the entire interior, replace the carpet, carpet padding, seats, if springs under seats are rusted as well and possibly the dash.

Mold is something you don't want to play with.

By the way, I was there to help rebuild the cellular infrustructure in New Orleans just after Hurricane Katrina. I spent 2 months there and know what I had seen and know that lots of the vehicles are out running around now.

water nearly to the roof, not too sure what happened immediately after it was pulled out. i know that all of the fluids have been changed numerous times. i'm hearing that the wiring should be fine but the connections are what i need to worry about. heard s/t about a connector spray (removes moisture from connection etc.) but never used it yet. what i don't know is the seal about the computers. they are suppose to be water tight but i have no experience in this. answer to the free question is no but very cheap. hopefully that is not the only good thing about this truck.

upper michigan lake in the winter, mold should still be at a minimum. i hear that the local diesel chevy guy is not to swift so is compression s/t that any diesel person can test?

A compression test is the first thing they learn im sure.. Cant fix them without knowing how to do it.





You may have some problems later on, not all computers and connections are sealed to the elements ( most of which are in the cab area) If corrosion doesnt happen then you should be fine, obviously shorting wasnt an issue as everything works....

I think water behind the dash woudl be the biggest problem, and of course in the intake. Keep an eye on all fluids, that look milky. Seriously, Id look into an extended warrrenty if you can find one that doesnt say anything about flooded vehicles. I dont know if there are any out there, pry not but if you do run into problems int he future expect big $$$$$$. At least it wasnt salt water, any water left in anythign would eat through any metal part.

hopefully they gave you a new interior. as for me, in due time will mold come about and i would be the first to change out my interior entirely. Just to be on the safe side. i would say keep an eye on your fluids and check your connections for corrosion. they do have electrical cleaning sprays out, but if you do that, i would get some no-oxidation grease to place on the connections to ensure it keeps out moisture. we use it on any electrical metal to metal contact and grounding for the telecommunications gear. Once your connections are cleaned, this will ensure you don't get any corrosion. I would save money and have an extra ECM and TCM on hand. Maybe even a FICM, just in case.

water nearly to the roof, not too sure what happened immediately after it was pulled out. i know that all of the fluids have been changed numerous times. i'm hearing that the wiring should be fine but the connections are what i need to worry about. heard s/t about a connector spray (removes moisture from connection etc.) but never used it yet. what i don't know is the seal about the computers. they are suppose to be water tight but i have no experience in this. answer to the free question is no but very cheap. hopefully that is not the only good thing about this truck.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: As said before, check everything out. A buddy of mine (who is not too bright) decided to go for a drive across a frozen lake in his CJ Jeep. He found out the hard way that the ice wasn't that thick. It went in nose first, thankfully it didn't sink too deep. He ultimately had to replace eveything except the engine which was saved by the snorkel.
Best of luck with your truck, I hope it dosen't turn into a problem.:)

I would spray every thing (electrical) with WD40, it displaces water and protects from corrosion.

Out of curiosity, what did you pay for it?

16k paid but planning on investing another 4.

KSK,
Sounds almost like a deal at first, depending on what was performed on it when it was pulled out, considering it probably sold for near $40k new.
BUT.......

As many have stated, it's just best to stay away from this type of damage unless you are willing to put some time (and probably money) into it later on. It most likey will come back and haunt you.

With my knowledge of electronics and not that extensive on automotive except my own, water contact will tend to corrode the electronic connections as well as the solder joints within the components even after they are "dryed" out.
Matter of fact I am working on my wife's expedition (yes I own many brands of vehicles) that had a windshield replaced over a year and a half ago and it leaked, getting water down in the dash on the electonics. The company that did the windshield repair placed blowers in the vehicle to dry it out and it was fine until now. AC and dome lights are now acting intermittently stupid. So here I go....

The only way to try to stop this from occurring is to remove EVERY connector and EVERY component and do like others have said to use a contact cleaner or WD-40 to stop the corrosion, but that's not feasible or guaranteed a fix.

That's only considering the electronic's. Not totaly sure of all the bearings and friction plates such as clutches that may not hold up.

You're going to have to deal with issues as they arrive, but I think you will be constantly dealing with them for as long as you own the vehicle.

Sorry to have to point out these items but that's My $.02

Rather you know, than not.

Good Luck.

so far we have changed all pulleys (which all contained a level of sand), fan, u-jts, exhaust, air intake, oil pan, rebuilt alternator, flushed numerous times.
today we start the interior. carpet, pad, two molded plastic pieces and now the wiring harnesses. i have taken the solid advice of the diesel place crew and dialed in a di-electric spray as well as a separate grease. since the water damaged is only a few months old we think (hope) that the corrosion is at a minimum.
i'll keep you posted but please keep the advice coming.

thanks