Water crossing

[devildogcruiser25]

So after my recent experience here https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/541529-weird-power-loss-shift.html
I am a litte freaked about water crossings. I'm still not sure what caused it, I think i fixed it by draining and filling the ATF, maybe it was just coincidence and what ever was wet dried out in time.

SO, how do I prep for water in this rig? What are the weak links? It seems everywhere I turn there is a picture of an 80 in water, almost like they are fish or something. So why did I have so much trouble after just minimal exposure to rocker deep water?

 

[JohnR]

Put dialectric grease in every plug you come across.

 

[atomicshawn]

How did the ATF look? Milkshake-ish? Or get a little dolup of water then the oil when you opened the plug? Hard to imagine you got water in the trans. Dont think a seal would allow any significant amount of water to pass so I'm thinking the only way in is the dipstick or vent hose that terminates at the top of the dipstick tube which is way up in the engine compartment and you would have other problems before that occurred. If you do think you got water contamination I would follow that vent hose and make sure its not cracked or broken. If you did get water in your trans you'll want to flush it more than once.

Like John has alluded, a more likely scenario is you had a soaked connector. I would look closely at the harnesses on and around the trans for any obvious problems. And like John says, you can use dielectric grease to help keep water out of connectors. If the trans went to failsafe because of an electrical issue chances are it stored a code. A trans code and wiring diagram could point you to what circuits/connectors you should pay particular attention to.

I spent some time trying to set mine up a little better for water crossings. Might give you some ideas:https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/495916-breather-questions.html

Good luck!

 

[UWdave]

Somewhat like my issue, so I'll explain in case it helps:

Problem:
From park, if I shift to D it feels like it starts in 2nd gear and will barely go forward. If I shift into L or R everything is fine. Then shifting into D everything is good.

Cause:
Loose transmission electrical connection. Just above the starter and below the PHH, there are 4 connectors that go back to the transmission. (total PITA to get to) In my case it was the round connector. I combination of water and a little damage from during my engine swap made the connections iffy.

Partial Fix:
Cleaned the connector and added dielectric grease. Every once in awhile it pops up after a mud hole.

 

[devildogcruiser25]

Thanks UWdave, is there any way you can post a picture of what you are talking about?

 

[devildogcruiser25]

How did the ATF look? Milkshake-ish? Or get a little dolup of water then the oil when you opened the plug? Hard to imagine you got water in the trans. Dont think a seal would allow any significant amount of water to pass so I'm thinking the only way in is the dipstick or vent hose that terminates at the top of the dipstick tube which is way up in the engine compartment and you would have other problems before that occurred. If you do think you got water contamination I would follow that vent hose and make sure its not cracked or broken. If you did get water in your trans you'll want to flush it more than once.

Like John has alluded, a more likely scenario is you had a soaked connector. I would look closely at the harnesses on and around the trans for any obvious problems. And like John says, you can use dielectric grease to help keep water out of connectors. If the trans went to failsafe because of an electrical issue chances are it stored a code. A trans code and wiring diagram could point you to what circuits/connectors you should pay particular attention to.

I spent some time trying to set mine up a little better for water crossings. Might give you some ideas:https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/495916-breather-questions.html

Good luck!

Shawn, the ATF looked brand new! That's the weirdest part about it. I'm going to inspect all connectors very soon, I feel that the issue will most likely rear it's head in the future and I would like to be prepared on what to do. I ordered some spark plugs with my VC gasket from CDan, when I put those in all put dialectic grease on everything I can find. Thanks for the input.

 

[asutherland]

Hey man... what were the resistances across the shift solenoids?

 

[devildogcruiser25]

Hey man... what were the resistances across the shift solenoids?

I didn't check them, I had talked to CDan and a couple Toyota tranny people and they have never seen them go bad.

 

[asutherland]

I didn't check them, I had talked to CDan and a couple Toyota tranny people and they have never seen them go bad.

That's odd, there's a ton of people on this forum who had them go bad, including myself. Maybe they're different on your generation?

 

[devildogcruiser25]

That's odd, there's a ton of people on this forum who had them go bad, including myself. Maybe they're different on your generation?

Yeah I think we are talking two different generation transmissions, I have the A343F

 

[asutherland]

Yeah I think we are talking two different generation transmissions, I have the A343F

Nice to see they fixed it then!!!!

 

[UWdave]

I see that you have a A343F and mine is an A442 so I'm not sure if this applies.

From the SLEE PHH DIY:
Slee - PHH (Toyota 80 Series Land Cruiser)
Right under the outlet from the block there are several large connectors going back to the trans.

 

[SiRaDuDe]

I see that you have a A343F and mine is an A442 so I'm not sure if this applies.

From the SLEE PHH DIY:
Slee - PHH (Toyota 80 Series Land Cruiser)
Right under the outlet from the block there are several large connectors going back to the trans.

I think this is what the quoted post is trying to say...

Access through driver side wheel well. Highlighted area shows approximate location of detail photo

On that last pic. The harness plug under the yellow Hose Arrow...

When I do any type of water crossing, (A442 tranny) I will loos my speedo for a while, sometimes a few months. I suspect this plug is my cause, I need to water proof it. I had my engine out and I think this plug might have been damaged, or not sealed correctly.

Hard thing to get a hold of, so it's on my to do list for a while...

 

[TexasJack]

If you want to waterproof your 80, you'll need a snorkel. You'll need to put dielectric grease in all of your electrical outlets. You'll need to extend your diff breathers as well as your transfer case and transmission breathers up to right under your hood. Seal up your distributor with silicon sealer. If you are going deep, strap a tarp on the front of your truck to create a bow wave to keep the water more shallow in your engine compartment. You can take it off when you come out of the deep water. Make sure you get under your truck and look for areas where water will leak into your truck. An example would be if you remove your rear most seats, the bolts you removed will leave holes in the bottom of your truck where water will leak into the rear compartment and rot your carpet. Make sure all of your doors are adjusted properly and that your door seals are working properly.

Take waders with you and walk the creek before you cross if the water is cold otherwise, I just walk it in shorts. It is a bit disappointing to drive into the creek only to find it has a deep hole you weren't aware of.

If you do water crossings frequently, change your diff, transmission and transfer case fluids regularly.

 

[TexasJack]

So after my recent experience here https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/541529-weird-power-loss-shift.html
I am a litte freaked about water crossings. I'm still not sure what caused it, I think i fixed it by draining and filling the ATF, maybe it was just coincidence and what ever was wet dried out in time.

SO, how do I prep for water in this rig? What are the weak links? It seems everywhere I turn there is a picture of an 80 in water, almost like they are fish or something. So why did I have so much trouble after just minimal exposure to rocker deep water?

Same thing happened to me when I first started crossing creeks. If you hit the water hard, it will wash up right over your engine. I fouled plugs by causing the water to wash over my engine.

 

[atomicshawn]

...Seal up your distributor with silicon sealer...

Hey Jack, are you talking about using a little silicon grease aroung the distributor cap o-ring? Or are you talking about plugging the three vent holes in the distributor housing? If your talking about greasing the cap o-ring that's swell, but IMHO the distibutor vents are there for a reason and sealing them off completely is a mistake. Others have reported complications from just plugging the holes. Best to run breathers like the diffs.