flood car
- Thread starter macdole99
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Differentials, transfercase and trans for sure.
If there were any electronics inside or outside the vehicle below the water line, they may need replaced. Clean the carpets ASAP and also remove the seats and door panels and give them a good cleaning as well before mold sets in.
this may not be practical, but if possible maybe park it in a climate controled garage or something to help it dry out (low humidity) or maybe a fan or somehting.
I would disconnect the battery while everything dries out also.
I would disconnect the battery while everything dries out also.
I know some folks who bought cars that were flooded from the recent spate of hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico a couple years back.
They had 3 kids in college at the same time.
They didn't know what they were getting into.
First off, evaluate the situation. Try to figure out how much got soaked. It may not be worth your time and effort.
All fluids need to be changed out. And then have a short interval before changing them again.
The problem has multiple facets. Water, when it evaporates, leaves behind whatever it was carrying. Ultra-fine silt, algae, and if it is salt water... SALT. None of these things is good inside an engine, and more importantly inside a electronic device.
The problem becomes getting out that which was "washed in", and trouble-shooting electrical gremlins will kill a car faster than any other method I know.
If it is only your carpet that got wet, then you are probably OK. However I would take off the door panels and try to figure out how much of it got wet before I spent much time and money into this project.
It could be a money pit.
They had 3 kids in college at the same time.
They didn't know what they were getting into.
First off, evaluate the situation. Try to figure out how much got soaked. It may not be worth your time and effort.
All fluids need to be changed out. And then have a short interval before changing them again.
The problem has multiple facets. Water, when it evaporates, leaves behind whatever it was carrying. Ultra-fine silt, algae, and if it is salt water... SALT. None of these things is good inside an engine, and more importantly inside a electronic device.
The problem becomes getting out that which was "washed in", and trouble-shooting electrical gremlins will kill a car faster than any other method I know.
If it is only your carpet that got wet, then you are probably OK. However I would take off the door panels and try to figure out how much of it got wet before I spent much time and money into this project.
It could be a money pit.
Time to call up your insurance company...
Originally Posted By: SF0059
Time to call up your insurance company...
I'd probably go this route. Your Tahoe may be seriously damaged depending on how much water and things suspended in the water that it was exposed to.
Do you have any idea how high the water got? If it only got up to the bottom of the doors, you might be okay. Lots of trucks gets dunked in water up to the doors and come out just fine. I had swamp mud come through the doors of my old Ranger when I miscalculated a mud hole and it never had any ill effects, but if it gets into all the wrong places you're looking at major money to fix.
At the very least, all fluids should be changed and major electrical connections checked and cleaned. I would only start doing that once you know the extent of the damage though. If water got up to the seats I would definitely just hand this over to the insurance company and wait for the check.
Time to call up your insurance company...
I'd probably go this route. Your Tahoe may be seriously damaged depending on how much water and things suspended in the water that it was exposed to.
Do you have any idea how high the water got? If it only got up to the bottom of the doors, you might be okay. Lots of trucks gets dunked in water up to the doors and come out just fine. I had swamp mud come through the doors of my old Ranger when I miscalculated a mud hole and it never had any ill effects, but if it gets into all the wrong places you're looking at major money to fix.
At the very least, all fluids should be changed and major electrical connections checked and cleaned. I would only start doing that once you know the extent of the damage though. If water got up to the seats I would definitely just hand this over to the insurance company and wait for the check.
Originally Posted By: SuperDave456
If it is only your carpet that got wet, then you are probably OK. However I would take off the door panels and try to figure out how much of it got wet before I spent much time and money into this project.
I agree. Be cautious but don't panic, yet. I have seen trucks flood like this and end up OK. The fact that it didn't actually run in the flood water is a huge positive for you. I would take it to a detail shop (after all the fluid changes) and get a deep carpet shampoo, with fans left on for 24-48 hours to thoroughly dry it out.
Good luck & write back and update us how it goes.
If it is only your carpet that got wet, then you are probably OK. However I would take off the door panels and try to figure out how much of it got wet before I spent much time and money into this project.
I agree. Be cautious but don't panic, yet. I have seen trucks flood like this and end up OK. The fact that it didn't actually run in the flood water is a huge positive for you. I would take it to a detail shop (after all the fluid changes) and get a deep carpet shampoo, with fans left on for 24-48 hours to thoroughly dry it out.
Good luck & write back and update us how it goes.
Tranny and rear end [if you have one!].
Newspapers suck up water wonderfully well. I'd yank the carpets and get things really dry, though. Many seats are held by only four bolts - rather easy to remove.
An OZONE generator will make it smell nice. Fabreeze is good, too.
Newspapers suck up water wonderfully well. I'd yank the carpets and get things really dry, though. Many seats are held by only four bolts - rather easy to remove.
An OZONE generator will make it smell nice. Fabreeze is good, too.
Electronics, transmission, differential, etc would be my main concern. However even if those are ok your interior would likely be destroyed and the labor to fix them could end up being more than the vehicle is worth.
Best way I ever found to dry a "dunked" car is to put it in a body shop's paint booth with the doors, hood, glove box, and trunk open and crank up the heaters! The dealer did it on my mother's Sable when my idiot brother tried to cross a flooded road...car dried with no ill effects beyond needing full fluid changes. I had water over the floorboards of my Caddy and a similar method (closed garage with a bunch of heaters running and a big exhaust fan) got things dried out. (Though I did use that as an excuse to replace the ratty old carpet.)
If you decide to keep it, do the front wheel bearings, too (assuming it's 2wd).
Probably best just to let the insurance company have it though, unless you can verify what the water level actually was and it was low enough to be minor. Without that information, I'd walk away.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
Probably best just to let the insurance company have it though, unless you can verify what the water level actually was and it was low enough to be minor. Without that information, I'd walk away.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
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