Help My 5 ton is under flood water!!

[ridered131]

hello,

I am needing some help I have recently purchased a m54a2 the truck ran great not a single issue with it. i made the 600 mile drive from Oklahoma city to my hunting property in Holt county Missouri without missing a beat. The problem was as soon as i got it there the corps's of engineers decided it would look a whole lot better under 10 + feet of water thanks to the mighty Missouri river. Needless to say the water is over the hood and will be for some time probably till the beginning of September. Any tips or ideas on preparation to try to save it once the water recedes would be greatly appreciated. I hate to have to scrap it as it was in such good condition prior to this mess. an no I did not have flood or farm or any kind of insurance unfortunately. Thanks for any advice!! Eric

 

[mktopside]

Personally, I wouldn't waste my time. It's not like the water is going to go away overnight, it's going to gradually drop exposing various parts to the air as it does. If you could pull it out of the water and get to work immediately, then maybe you'd have a chance. But after slowly emerging from the water over the course of an entire summer, you'll probably spend more money on trying to un**** that truck than you would on a new one.

It's worth a shot no doubt, but I wouldn't spend a whole lot of money on it.

I feel for ya man, I'd be beyond angry

 

[tigger]

That sucks! first thing is change all fluids! before anything. I wouldn't scrap it it will be fixable!

 

[gimpyrobb]

Nah, pull it out and do your PMCS on it. I drive mine through stuff like that on purpose. When I'm done, I swap out fluids and re-pack with grease, good to go. I certainly would NOT let it sit there!

 

[mktopside]

Under 10ft if water? The cylinders will be filled with water.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Pull the injectors and shoot some carb/brake cleaner in there. Run it out with some pressurized air. Put some atf in after. Start it up. No worrys.

 

[gimpyrobb]

131, if you can pull it out and want to try any of this, I can try to talk you through it, PM me.

 

[mktopside]

I hope gimp is right! I'll keep my fingers crossed for the OP!!

 

[gimpyrobb]

If it were a Cat motor, I'd say its junk, but we are talking about the mighty mighty LDS!

Just kidding, should work for most motors.

 

[drgreg]

This sounds like the definition of FUBAR. Sorry for my negativity, but I don't see this ending well.

 

[Ripcord01]

If not you could always upgrade and send the Civil Engineers who blew the levee a nice bill..Good luck

 

[mktopside]

If it were a CAT motor he wouldn't have left it behind. Come on, you think any of us yuppie A3 snobs would have let that happen?

H*** No! We would have formed a focus group, and decide that the best course of action, would be to transfer the soccer ball magnet from the minivan, leave it behind, and have the wife and kids follow us in the Prius.

Psshhttt... Pull the injectors on the 3116?!?! Lol, you could buy another A3 for the cost of the special tools and injector cups. Such extremes are a good thing, it keeps away the ruffians!

 

[Srjeeper]

Any tips or ideas on preparation to try to save it once the water recedes would be greatly appreciated. I hate to have to scrap it as it was in such good condition prior to this mess. an no I did not have flood or farm or any kind of insurance unfortunately. Thanks for any advice!! Eric

Having lived to see far to many floods hit the Keystone state over the years, I can surely simpathize with your plight.

In 1972 Hurricane Agnes caused a dandy flood that put the town of Harrisburg in about 30' of water. Pennsy Supply had all their cement trucks parked in the yard along the river and when the water rose the trucks all floated, cabs down under water and the cement barrels up. Now I'm talkin about 30 trucks or more.

After several days the water finally receeded and they commensed to untangle the pile of trucks. Most had sever cab and body damage, but others were just full of water & mud. Those trucks were completely washed out with clean water, under the dashes & all. Fluids were drained from the motors, drivetrain components, fuel tanks, then they were flushed with clean water also and allowed to air dry/drain for a day or two. With new filters in place they refilled everything, put in new batteries and began to fire them up.

Now this is sounding easier than it actually was, but they got some running. After several days of service they brought them back in as others were able to take their place and new filters and fluids were put in. Aside from the river smell that was always present in the cabs most ran for a good while afterwards till eventually they were all replaced.

The biggest problems they had to deal with in nearly all the flooded trucks was in the electrical systems. Now these were all older B, DM & early R model Macks, so the electronics were very basic, but they still had there problems with lights, guages and everything rusting.

There's no way to really undo whatever damage the water may cause, I'm sorry to say. It may not be very noticable at first, but down the road things will start to crop up.

 

[Recovry4x4]

As long as it wasn't running there is a possibility that the air in the engine will lock out a good portion of water. I'm afraid the driveline parts may not fare as well. Certainly worth evaluating.

 

[G-Force]

I bet you'll never park there again!!!!
Just kidding....sorry you sunk.....
I agree almost 100% with what Srjeeper said. In another life I used to work in a marina. When we had a boat sink the first thing we did once refloated was pickle the engines. Drain all fluids in engine and trans (not an easy chore on some boats), pull plugs or injectors and douse the cylinders with WD-40 while cranking it over, usually with the starter that was submerged. Sometimes we had to hook 24 volts up to 12 volt startes to do this. Then we would refill the oil in engine and trans and reinstall the plugs and injectors. Start the engines and let them run off of a fuel can. Once we had the engine running we would leave it run for an hour to get it hot and dry out the inside. Then change the oil again and the starters, alternators and carbs on gas engines went to the rebuilder. Then we would pump the fuel tanks. But the biggest problem after that was with the electricl system. But then again this was all covered by the owners insurance.

 

[midcounty]

The key is going to be retrieving asap when the water starts leaving. The electrical will be problematic, but the mechanical parts should be able to be saved if dealt with quickly and properly. Dry and oil everything as soon as possible. I have sunk a couple trucks in my time, and they fared ok when it was all said and done. Just remember as soon as air hits previously submerged metal, the corrosion process begins. You must get oil too those areas before the corrosion sets in.

 

[patracy]

Gimp is on the right track. I've uhhh submerged a vehicle or two in my life...

 

[dittle]

Just be glad that the truck isn't newer with a computer controlled engine. If it were I would say scrap it. With it being as "simple" as it is follow Gimp's advice and you should be fine.

 

[Flyingvan911]

Don't give up on 'er. The LDS is too good to let go. Follow the advice of the old hands and she'll be just fine.

 

[ridered131]

thanks for all the advice guys, how much oil do you think I will need for the transmission all three diffs, winch and transmission? also what king of gear lube I have seen a lot of conflicting types of 80 90? also do I need to worry about water being in the turbo? how about the air lines and the air compressor. my profile picture is of my truck as of last Sunday the water has risen 2.5 feet since then. thanks again Eric