Fixing 4Runner Water damage

[The Rusty Gear]

Went offroading last weekend and decided to take a bit of a dip in the pool . . . was quite a bit deeper than I thought and I was lucky I didn't suck any into my intake! Must have been close! I am kicking myself for being so stupid and going into that water hole . . .

Anyways, I pulled out the seats and the carpet is laying on the garage floor drying out, but I'm trying to work out a few other kinks likely due to water getting inside the truck.

1) Everything is soaked through. I know I can clean the carpet off at the carwash, but I'm not sure I can get all the mud and water out of the insulation/sound dampening material. Any sugestions? Should I rip the insulation out and look for replacements?

2) I can no longer control my rear window with the buttons on the dash. The motor still works because I can use the key to raise and lower the glass. Could this be a bad relay or blow fuse due to water short? Maye it is related to problem 3?

3) My rear hatch doesn't want to open (stupid electronics, give me a mechanical latch!) Is there some sort of "door closed" sensor or something which is being affected by ingress of mud?

4) My airbag light is on . . I think it only came on after I removed the passenger front seat (the inside of the truck is still drying. . . . . looks very ghetto. Just a drivers seat and bare floor)

5) The door drains *seem* to be empty but when I accelerate and brake, I can still hear water sloshing about somewhere. . . . Where else can water get trapped? I will probably pull the inside door trim to take a look and maybe hose things off in there. . .

Any other tips on cleaning up after taking on water?

As an aside the next day the truck wouldn't start . . .that was because it was below freezing and the starter was frozen solid! I needed to point a radiant heater at it for 45 mins before I could start!

Fun weekend though. I love showing up modified jeeps with 35" tires! GO ATRAC!

[loner]

Airbag light is probably on because of the missing seat. IIRC there is a sensor in the seat that tells the airbag system if someone is sitting in the seat.

DId you disconnect the battery temporarily -that might explain the rear window and door. I'm guessing your sunroof doesn't have its auto finction anymore either. You'll have to re-initialize these things.

Sloshing water may be in the rocker panels. On my old 80 series Land Cruiser, the rockers were prone to hold water because the drains along the pinch weld would get clogged. Try locating such a drain on your truck - they are little slits about an inch long that run along the bottom seam of the body under the rocker panels. The end of a zip tie is a good tool for cleaning these out.

It's not funny, I guess, but your screen name is certainly ironic...

[my034runner]

PM Brett (damaged110) and pick his brain as well. :cool1:

[Ryanmb21]

i have no advice.

but where are the pictures man?

[The Rusty Gear]

DId you disconnect the battery temporarily -that might explain the rear window and door. I'm guessing your sunroof doesn't have its auto finction anymore either. You'll have to re-initialize these things.


Didn't disconnect the battery - all my radio presets are there . . . how do I re-initialize my rear door ? ? ?


Sloshing water may be in the rocker panels.

Or running boards. . . .

[The Rusty Gear]

i have no advice.

but where are the pictures man?

Luckily not one of the three of us had remembered to bring a camera! The water was at headlight level. . .

[T?@\7]

ahh dude, I KNOW your pain and situation!
I did something similar, ended up ankle deep inside the truck........

All I can say is TAKE YOUR TIME if you want her to come back as clean or cleaner than she was....

I wasnt able to completely remove my front seats bc of the headrest dvd players, theres an associated wire that i couldnt reach either end of, so ATLEAST you could get your liner TOTALLY out..

I washed/rinsed my iinsulation 500billion times, till it rinsed CLEAR as could be and re-used it along with some other I bought, so i used the stock and some more.

You will be able to get your carpet fully clean no doubt, dont stress over it.

I ended up having to replace the lowest portion of the ecu (which is apparently a 3 piece setup) which is located on the outer wall in the pass. foot well.... the truck never ran funny or anything but my lights wouldnt go away and a dealer diagnosis revealed the issue... it was a $230 +- part.
http://thumb11.webshots.net/t/69/669/8/65/59/2167865590031375951SWwcLE_th.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2167865590031375951SWwcLE)not the best pic but you get the idea, the pass. side was deeper. I had a pic of teh waterline on the truck somewhere, ill try and find it..


I recommend "damp rid"s, and baking soda to help with the moisture aswell as potential smell. If you didnt know already, you would never guess that happened to my truck once you get inside of it, its as clean as new!

good luck

ps- here is my old thread http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2892

[TNcaveman]

Potential damage to the most important things can't be seen, especially in your drivetrain.

Grease all U-joints.

Drain front and rear diffs - if the oil is white, you'll probably have to pull the axles and diff to clean ALL the water out.

Transfer case oil - it's cheap - change it.

Check the transmission oil - if it's contaminated, flush it (12 qts of synthetic $$$)

I'm not that familiar with the parking brake with the rear discs, but the mini drum may be full of crud (sand, silt, clay, organics, crawdads, etc...)?

Rear axle seals - they may start to leak now (sand and grit).

Radiator and AC coils - mud?

Mud in the alternator?

Junk in the frame rails?

I hit a too deep mud hole in my old 4Runner - never again :jester: All the above (except the transmission and T-case).

Good luck,

Steve

[T?@\7]

yeah I had to flush my diff's, but my TC was clear luckily. Water can be one nasty b@tch

[loner]

how do I re-initialize my rear door ? ? ?


I recall reading about a similar problem here:
http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3733

[The Rusty Gear]

I recall reading about a similar problem here:
http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3733

The rear window must have been a water short because it is working now after things have been drying out for a while . .

I'll be going to the car wash after work and hosing off the floor and carpet (thanks goodness for floor drains!)

I'll also be looking at the rockers carefully for plugged drain holes. THe weather is forecast to be ABOVE freezing today! Yahoo!

[The Rusty Gear]

Potential damage to the most important things can't be seen, especially in your drivetrain.

Grease all U-joints.

Drain front and rear diffs - if the oil is white, you'll probably have to pull the axles and diff to clean ALL the water out.

Transfer case oil - it's cheap - change it.

Check the transmission oil - if it's contaminated, flush it (12 qts of synthetic $$$)

I'm not that familiar with the parking brake with the rear discs, but the mini drum may be full of crud (sand, silt, clay, organics, crawdads, etc...)?

Rear axle seals - they may start to leak now (sand and grit).

Radiator and AC coils - mud?

Mud in the alternator?

Junk in the frame rails?

I hit a too deep mud hole in my old 4Runner - never again :jester: All the above (except the transmission and T-case).

Good luck,

Steve

Very good points! I will try to see if i can get some time this weekend for a de-water tune-up. I don't think I'll have to do the transmission because it is supposed to be a sealed "lifetime" unit.

There was definately alot of mud in the rad. I always check that very carefully after each run because with my old truck I overheated that way and blew my head gasket!

Another point a friend brought up was that I should go to home Depot and pick up a fungicide and spray the back of the carpet and the floor of the truck once everything is clean to ensure mold won;t be growing anywhere.

[CJ3Flyr]

I don't think I'll have to do the transmission because it is supposed to be a sealed "lifetime" unit.


I wouldn't count on that. The only way non-sealed one is more vunerable than the "sealed" one is if you go deep enough to submerge the top of the dipstick in which case you're higher than the factory vent. I'd check it, here's some DIY how-to. (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36489 [u)

:rockon:

[The Rusty Gear]

I wouldn't count on that. The only way non-sealed one is more vunerable than the "sealed" one is if you go deep enough to submerge the top of the dipstick in which case you're higher than the factory vent. I'd check it, here's some DIY how-to. (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36489 [u)

:rockon:

Good info! Thanks!:drink:

[The Rusty Gear]

Still haven't made it to the car wash (family obligations) but I did manage to re-grease the driveline, and I found the extra water! It was in the passenger side rocker panel. There are rubber plugs (smaller than the floor drains) Which I took out and was rewarded with a couple splashed of muddy water. I'm thinking I'll probably try to flush the crud out of the rocker using clean water through these drain plug, then let it dry overnight and re-plug everything up.

[chitown4x4]

THis happend on my FJ a few times. Never ran into any mechanical issues though, Just had to flush and lube all joints and fluids.

Ohh and strip the interior to dry it out. Lots of :beer: and :guitar: to get me through a few days of work to get it all done right.
I did drain my Trans though,, Just incase.. That would suck if you killed it cause you did not want to flush it.

[The Rusty Gear]

I wouldn't count on that. The only way non-sealed one is more vunerable than the "sealed" one is if you go deep enough to submerge the top of the dipstick in which case you're higher than the factory vent. I'd check it, here's some DIY how-to. (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36489 [u)

:rockon:

OK, bit of a "blond" question here, how will I be able to tell if the tranny fluid is contaminated? As I understand it, I remove the level checking port (which won't drain all the fluid) and some should come out. Will it be a different color? Will the water be floating on it?

[CJ3Flyr]

OK, bit of a "blond" question here, how will I be able to tell if the tranny fluid is contaminated? As I understand it, I remove the level checking port (which won't drain all the fluid) and some should come out. Will it be a different color? Will the water be floating on it?


Ok blondie:rotflmao: , with the engine and trans fully warmed and the vehicle running in N or P remove the plug. You'll probably get a little trickle of fluid. It's very similar to checking the axle fluid, it tends to dribble a bit. Most of the time the transmissions of this type are over-filled somewhat because they never bring it to full operating temp at assembly/service. (It's not usually enough of an overfill to worry about.) That's why it should dribble for you. If it doesn't dribble put your foot on the frame and rock the vehicle some. That should slosh some out. If that fails you're low on fluid.

You want to see clear fluid with a pink hue (same color as regular ATF). If it's a milky pink/brown or milky anything you've got water contamination.

Hope that helps:rockon:

[4mudder]

OK, bit of a "blond" question here, how will I be able to tell if the tranny fluid is contaminated? As I understand it, I remove the level checking port (which won't drain all the fluid) and some should come out. Will it be a different color? Will the water be floating on it?

When in doubt, change it out! Especially after a dip like that!

I'm coming up on 50k miles on my rig and ALL the fluids are getting changed. Just good preventive maintenance.

[The Rusty Gear]

When in doubt, change it out! Especially after a dip like that!

Well there is the 4 qt drain and fill, and then there is the 12-14 qt flush and fill. Can get spendy using the special Toyota synthetic fluid . . . .

18 000 miles is a bit early for "preventive maintenance" if it is not contaminated . . .

[The Rusty Gear]

Ok blondie:rotflmao: , with the engine and trans fully warmed and the vehicle running in N or P remove the plug. You'll probably get a little trickle of fluid. It's very similar to checking the axle fluid, it tends to dribble a bit. Most of the time the transmissions of this type are over-filled somewhat because they never bring it to full operating temp at assembly/service. (It's not usually enough of an overfill to worry about.) That's why it should dribble for you. If it doesn't dribble put your foot on the frame and rock the vehicle some. That should slosh some out. If that fails you're low on fluid.

You want to see clear fluid with a pink hue (same color as regular ATF). If it's a milky pink/brown or milky anything you've got water contamination.

Hope that helps:rockon:

Simple enough, even for a blond like me! :rotflmao: :rockon:

I'll put some white paper underneath to catch the dribble.

[4mudder]

Well there is the 4 qt drain and fill, and then there is the 12-14 qt flush and fill. Can get spendy using the special Toyota synthetic fluid . . . .

18 000 miles is a bit early for "preventive maintenance" if it is not contaminated . . .

I started mine at 5k miles. Switched out all fluids for synthetics. Yeah, it was pricey, with the diffs, transfer, tranny, etc.. but my truck is an investment. I'll drive it till the wheels fall off and then I'll put 'em back on and drive it some more.

This sounds like a great excuse to go 100% synthetic.
Good luck with your water damage issues.:rockon:

[CJ3Flyr]

This sounds like a great excuse to go 100% synthetic. :rockon:

FWIW- The WS is on on par with modern synthetics hence the extremely long service interval and very few suitable alternatives. I changed my axles and t-case early though. Driveline components get expensive, leaky seals are a PIA and on and on... I agree with 4mudder that this opportunity to change out fluids to synthetics might be a 'good' thing.

I know of one alternative to the Toyota WS if you're 'hell-bent' on not going to the dealer...

"Redline"= http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=115&subCategoryID=18&categoryID=8

"Royal Purple" for the older Type IV fluid= http://royalpurple.com/prod-pdfs/max-atf-ps.pdf There are also other choices for the older Type IV fluid.


:rockon:

[The Rusty Gear]

Simple enough, even for a blond like me! :rotflmao: :rockon:

I'll put some white paper underneath to catch the dribble.

Well, it came out a little faster than a "dribble" but it looked pretty clear red/brown. WHEW!

I'll check it at the next oil change too "just in case"

I also got a chance to change the rear diff, and it looked good (I've seen some real milkshakes in the past in other trucks) But after looking at the fluid in the drainpan, it looked like there was a *little* white discoloration. It may have been from the pan, but at least there was not massive water infiltration.

yay for small victories!:rockon:

Little by little I am ridding the truck of water! (I only get time when after the little ones are put to bed) The cleaned carpet is back in too! Woohoo!

[The Rusty Gear]

FWIW- The WS is on on par with modern synthetics hence the extremely long service interval and very few suitable alternatives. I changed my axles and t-case early though. Driveline components get expensive, leaky seals are a PIA and on and on... I agree with 4mudder that this opportunity to change out fluids to synthetics might be a 'good' thing.

I know of one alternative to the Toyota WS if you're 'hell-bent' on not going to the dealer...

"Redline"= http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=115&subCategoryID=18&categoryID=8

"Royal Purple" for the older Type IV fluid= http://royalpurple.com/prod-pdfs/max-atf-ps.pdf There are also other choices for the older Type IV fluid.


:rockon:

I'll be putting Synthetic in the transfer case if there is no evidence of water. I've already put dino in the rear diff (the front will be done this weekend) but I plan to check both diffs next oil change, and if there is no water left, I'll probably go synthetic in the diffs as well.