My fj40 drowning in 4 feet of water// HELP !! (1 Viewer)

[djcfj40]

Hi Guys,
I'm looking for some advice.
My 76 Fj40 has been a 2 year long restoration in progress.
Last Friday, my auto repair shop was flooded with 4 feet of water.
Water has entered everything ( engine,trans, transfer and diffs )
The engine,transmission and transfer case were all rebuilt and had just assembly lube ( no oil ) in them.
Needless to say I am devastated.
I'm wandering if evaporust may be a viable option to try to get things back to normal without having to tear everything all apart again.
I've used evaporust for all kinds of stuff over the years,but never with something of this magnitude.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[antFJ]

I would think you could just put oil in it and run it? change the oil after a couple hundred miles and call it a day?

did the engine get water in it? id be more concerned about the engine than anything else

 

[Jdc1]

Drain your fluids, inspect and get new in there. Pop your sparkplugs and turn the engine over to blow the water out. Some fogging oil from your local marina will help prevent rust in cylinders. How long did it sit under water? Does the shop have ins.?

 

[Stumpalama]

Yes, I would think getting oil in the tans and tcase ASAP and getting them moving then draining and repeating until there is no milky oil coming out would be key.

 

[sadam_husain]

it sounds like your trying to avoid pulling it all back down again

the best result would be a complete tear down but that's your decision to make, I'd be at least pulling the running gear back down, you can try running it with multiple oil flushes but having a rebuilt engine that hasn't been run may make that a bit harder to achieve
personally my initial move after draining and flushing everything would be to use a dehumidifier for a week or so to try and pull as much moisture out of everything as I can

Sorry to hear about the flood and good luck getting the truck sorted mate

 

[djcfj40]

I pulled the spark plugs and have water in cylinders for sure, I sucked out as much of the water that I could with what little time I've been able to give it and sprayed wd-40 in the cylinders.
The cruiser was underwater for about 5 hours until the water receded.
Going in tomorrow to drain everything and try to flush it out with some fresh fluid.
It's had water in it for almost a week though.
I've had to give priority to get my business up and running .
My shop has insurance, but I don't think it will cover my own vehicle,especially being in project status.
I've been struggling with a young and cocky adjuster that has not been helpful.
I'm in process of going to his supervisor and he seems to be more receptive,but no word as to what can be done.
I had three other vehicles damaged and they haven't looked at any of them yet.

 

[Jay-]

I feel your pain, I was on the final smog and carpet and stereo when my rig was burnt THE Fxxx UP in a mechanic fire.
Naturally no insurance. $4K in body damage and $4k in melted stuff.

WE WILL SURVIVE!

 

[Captn Conch]

Filthy flood waters are the worst in the world. S*#t and silt gets inside everything. Electronics are skewered. I would take the heads and intake/carb off and drop the pan, get the crap out, then maybe a quick start for 30 seconds or so with fresh oil and repeat. Maybe you can get by with just flushing the trans, trans and diffs, drive around the block and flush again at least once or twice more when able to do so. I'm not a real mechanic but have been involved in a flood that damaged/destroyed many cars (Memorial day flood Austin Tx 1980 I think,) Salesman at Henry Moore Suburu Dealer that wiped out almost the entire inventory of new Subs.)

 

[antFJ]

not just water but dirt/silt in everythimg makes me think you should pull the covers/pan&head and clean everything before running it :/

 

[70Cruza]

Totally SUCKS, but good luck with getting it all sorted out!!!! I would lean towards more than less with this. Would suck to have it come back and haunt you after your build is complete. Keep your chin up man!!!

 

[Flipper1938]

Yep. You need to take EVERYTHING apart and get the silt out.

 

[sproggy]

OH man!!!! Sorry for your troubles….

 

[oldmuddog]

So sorry to hear about this. Those Insurance '' F****r*s'' , rule the country.

 

[franklin40]

I've heard that if it an engine has been submersed it won't damage anything anymore to leave it there until you're ready to drain it and get more oil in it. it doesn't really matter how long it was under water. it matters more how long it was out without oil. it's the oxygen in the air that'll rust things faster than the little oxygen in water. flush evetything out like others have said and get new oil in it and get things moving. I had this happen to a boat motor and after flushing things it ran like a top for many more years. of course this is a one time experience for me that worked out. there no guarantee other than starting again though.

 

[cult45]

I reckon the trans/t'fer/axles will be fine once drained, topped up with oil and run with several flushes. As for the engine, weigh up the cost of a full reassembly versus what it will cost to drain it and run it and make your call. Personally, seeing as it's not metal fines or dirt through the engine, I'd drain it, clean it out, crank it til the rings make them bores smooth again, replace oil and coolant and points, dry everything else out and run the SOB. It's a 2F! But whilst prepping it to run, dry everything out in the sun [ie. wiring] for a good few days.

The other thing to entertain is that the insurance company may actually cover costs. Do you use the rig for work? I do, and claimed my cab swap on tax.

Good luck man! And remember it was only under for 5 hours!

 

[65swb45]

Put me in the tear-it-down camp.

Floods don't consist of tap water.

The silt will tear at the cylinder walls, scratch your rings, and leave you with a motor that smokes forever.

 

[Flipper1938]

Put me in the tear-it-down camp.

Floods don't consist of tap water.

The silt will tear at the cylinder walls, scratch your rings, and leave you with a motor that smokes forever.

.....assuming that the grit that embeds in the bearings doesn't kill the crank first. Think of pouring valve grinding compound in your motor....or that stuff that they used to kill the motors in the cash-for-clunkers cars.

 

[Captn Conch]

I googled your flood! Wow! That was a bad one!

 

[peteinjp]

Memorial Day flood. I lived right off of shoal creek then. Flood damage is pretty difficult to recover from. I'd say tear it down.

Surely your short on time but at least I try to flush drain and refill all the drivetrain stuff just to get it dry until you have the time to open it all up. At least filling in with oil push the remaining water down to the drain plugs. If you get off the silt when you drain it you know it has to come apart. But anything you can do to keep it from rusting until you can get it apart will save a large part of the work that's been done.

Pete

 

[sggoat]

I feel your pain, I was on the final smog and carpet and stereo when my rig was burnt THE **** UP in a mechanic fire.
Naturally no insurance. $4K in body damage and $4k in melted stuff.

WE WILL SURVIVE!

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