My M35A2 went though Hurricane Isaac and needs help

[fduvic1]

Hey guys I'm 22 and I got my deuce 4 years ago, so I have some experience with working on it. But this week mother nature through me a curveball. I live in southeast Louisiana and my town got hammered by Isaac.

I'm here to tell you that I love this truck and it worked amazingly through the storm. I was asked by the sheriff’s department to help rescue people out of my neighborhood. My deuce pulled 55 people and 10 animals out through 5.5' of water and howling winds. It also pulled a bottomed out 50 foot long RV out of a 4' deep ditch.

It did all this after I found out the week before that two cylinders had bad piston rings which were pushing oil into the exhaust manifold and it also has two bad head gaskets. So as I’m pushing through this water it was overheating and at one point pegged the gauge but there was nothing I could do but keep driving. The truck would not give up.

So it got a little banged up but what I need to know is what I need to do to make sure going through high water doesn't damage it in the long run. You know as far as fluids and anything else that might be at risk. Y'all input would help me out a lot. Thanks.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Deep water gets into those places it doesent need to be..I.E. (a good service) Check DIFFS. then x/fer and gearbox. Was the fording plug in the bell housing? . Inside drums to clean and clear mud/dirt.-sevice adjusters. You can check for ingress into the brake servo. Just do a thorough and patient job..See tms also. You did a great service to your comunity. WELL DONE.

 

[glcaines]

Going through five and a half feet of water with extended operation has undoubtedly contaminated all of your fluids and possibly your fuel. I would recommend the following.

1. Drain fuel tank to remove potential water.
2. Drain and refill transmission.
3. Drain and refill transfer cases
4. Drain and refill crankcase
5. Drain and refill all three asles
6. Repack bearings
7. Check steering gear
8. Check master cylinder - many deuces have the vent tube disconnected and are vented right at the cap

 

[ARYankee]

Outstanding job!!!! It's great to help out when the need arises.

 

[armytruck63]

These trucks take a licking and keep on ticking. The above service advice is even more important if that was salt water you were driving through.

 

[wsucougarx]

Thank you for helping out my friend.

 

[TMNT]

The short version: you need to do everything. Drain all axles, transmission, transfer case. Remove all bearings, clean and repack. Refill everything with new gear lube. Grease all the zerks. Inspect and clean the clutch.

 

[M813A1]

Also check and drain if needed , the brake fluid as well if your air pak was under water !! Did you put the plug into the bell housing efore driving into the water and hook up the vent line to the master cylinder vent ?? That could of helped to prevent any water getting ito your different systems !! You can still do the and miminize the water getting into your systems on your truck !!

 

[fduvic1]

Thanks for the info and in the rush to get down there I forgot to put the plug in the bell housing. As on right now the starter wont do anything and I am cleaning it and found that the bendix is rusted closed a little bit. Im going to put it back on and try it again.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

Good job! These trucks can take a beating but it takes a dedicated driver to make the difference. Be safe, keep warm, flush all fluids!

 

[BIGDDV]

GOD BLESS YOU FOR HELPING.

 

[dabtl]

We had an 11 inch rain here in 2007. We rescued a man off and F250 in more than five feet of flood water. Worked fine.

Went to work on the brakes some time later, Ooooops! The front seals leaked and the bearings were shot on both sides.

Take some time, pull the front hubs, clean and grease. Check the differentials. Check the brakes completely.

Maintenance is a must on a deuce.

 

[Warthog]

Thank you for your support of your community.

If you need some parts for repairs I'll be happy to send some your way.

Let us know what you find and what you need.

 

[Broke Down]

Good job! It's good to see someone put there rig to use for a good cause! Just start checking fluids like everyone mentioned and you will be fine. Nice truck by the way!

 

[islandguydon]

You just gained my respect, I only wish I was there with you to do what I could to help. The only question I have is did you get water into the Air Compressor intake...? How were the brakes when you parked the BEAST...?

 

[Flyingvan911]

Great work. No good deed goes unpunished. Time for lots of time and money changing lubes mentioned previously. But really, it's great that you were able to help.

I would suggest using a garden hose to spray up into the belhousing to flush out any mud and other junk that might have gotten in there.

 

[caliber1]

Awesome job helping out!! Now it's time to take care of the helper.

 

[CombatVet]

Commendable job, man. You did a good thing for your community and local officials. Make sure that your sheriff remembers what you've done so he can keeps his hounds off your back when you drive your MVs around his town.

Again, excellent work and nice lookin rig

 

[3dAngus]

Great job helping out. You should be proud.

Next time, unless it is imminent life or death, do NOT drive that truck or any other with the temp gauge pegged out unless you want to start walking. Better than to be smart, cool it off, go again, then to waste an engine. Next time, pull over and if necessary, shut the engine down, something you normally don't want to do when hot, but if running it is the problem, you have to shut it down to keep from cracking the block. Try to determine the problem, and if you can't, use it for "limited use" only, minimizing the amount of time it is running in overtemp condition.

 

[fduvic1]

Thanks for the comments I appriciate them a lot. But it looks like round two might be heading my way. The pearl river system by my house that backed up with storm surg during the storm is now threatening to blow through river locks and go over the levees because of the rain run off. If it blows i maybe in te same water level by tomorrow. I just put the cleaned starter back in and if that wasn't the problem the only other thing I can think of is the relay. If that doesn't work I'm going to push start it and fill it up and won't turn it off. I'm going to make sure the air tanks are clear, make sure my snorkel it sealed, check fluids, and try and seal everything up.

Is there any other quick garage emergency tricks to keep it cool, get it started, and keep me going if the crap hits the fan. Any suggestion is welcome because I may wake up tomorrow and go do this all over again.