Bronco vs Deep Water ... 3 Broncos Down (Exceeding Maximum Water Fording Depth)

[BroncocnorB]

This post reminded me of the over the hood submerged D50 that I rescued out of a waterhole in Camp Springs MD back in 1983 with my 1972 Calypso Coral (AKA Code-Orange) F250 Sport Custom.

(no digital cameras then )

I wish Ford still made this truck generation. It is the high point of F series

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[Southern Girl]

Come on seriously? How many millions of people in florida? Her channel is very small. Lets not over blow this. I dont think anyone reading this thought anything about anyone in florida or the few thousand people across the world that watch it on youtube. Little dramatic

You live in Connecticut. You don't get a say. So dramatic to care about our off-road culture here.

 

[da_jokker]

For what its worth the Pentistar engine does have a very good reputation, sometimes considered the best V6 available. That said there is something to be said about the access of spark plugs and more on an inline 4, just one of the reasons I have to regrets going with the 2.3L.

It's funny, both jeeps I have had (1 with the 4.0 and my current with the 3.6) have a reputation of being solid engines.

And yet the moment you have an issue with them and start to google you find out they are both plauged with design flaws. My 4.0 developed pistion slap at 55k miles. My 3.6 developed the rocking arm tick on the passenger side. Would have been a $4k repair job but I ended up doing it myself for $400.

Right now it sits in my garage, I barely drive it, because I'm worried the driver side is going to develop the tick before I can trade it in on my Bronco.

 

[da_jokker]

Not sure how they figured the fording number but vent locations for the driveline components may be one of the factors. Someone needs to try and measure the height of the air inlet trapdoor to ground and see what that comes out to. If that is the overwhelming factor, common sense would then say max fording would be different on all of the different trim levels due to ride height.

Still, the biggest "flaw" I'm seriously concerned with is the ease at which water is able to enter the air box. You hydro lock it, kiss $8K goodbye. Water in connectors or sensors can be dealt with an relatively inexpensive compared to an engine. I'm no serious wheeler but the air filter sitting in the middle bottom of the box and extremely exposed, IS A MAJOR ISSUE for this vehicle. If you do wheel in water, you should take along at least one air filter (FA-2022) for a backup.

I laughed at the aftermarket $500 performance intake for the Bronco...now I wonder if it fixes any of the water ingress issues?

 

[Bmadda]

I laughed at the aftermarket $500 performance intake for the Bronco...now I wonder if it fixes any of the water ingress issues?

Who said there's water ingress issues?. I just checked my air filter after a solid wheeling trip and its perfectly clean. Alternator is muddy though! Mud as far as the valve cover. Not much standing water out there this time, sometimes there is...depends on time of year, and how the weather has been.

 

[Ryuk]

Wife went thru a creek crossing at rubicon. No issues

That is how you do it. Well Done.

For me, I can cheat. If I have to go through water, I change my ride height from this

to this

That's how I increase my Fording depth by a full 1'.

 

[killaz05]

Lol at people trying to defend this.
Buddy went in mud, maybe 16” deep. Alternator trashed. Bronco down.

This truck has problems.

that truck in the water has zero issues other than the driver making a serious error. Running fine for 2k miles since this incident

 

[killaz05]

@Mishimoto if you want me to test the snorkel

 

[BenderSquatch]

These drivers should have read the owner's manual, but here we are.

 

[DefNotBuddyLee]

Let me start with this: I ride with everyone. Jeeps, Toyota, etc. I included a photo
for reference. And, before you respond with “then don’t ride with her.” It wasn’t her ride. Wasn’t her event!

Your response was very compelling, especially the part about social media being here to stay! The ride was suppose to be with friends, not content for someone’s YouTube! You actually proved my point. Some people will continue to make excuses and exceptions (you call it “the flip side”) for these videos of misleading and incorrect info. I don’t have an issue with social media or someone making money off of it. I do, however have an issue with bullshit!

@Melwatson , I feel for you...
I have run as staff for a number of events where people do ignorant things and film it for internet points. Typically no biggie to me as long as they are not putting others lives or property in harms way. However, I have seen people that wreck their car and blame the track, blame the new design of their tires, blame the club organizing, basically blaming everyone and anything instead of taking ownership that they mishandled their car.

I will give @killaz05 credit for doing none of that, and instead owning that they went in too fast but learned from the issue. We all learn, and trying to have speed when you take on a deep water obstacle is a common mistake. I am glad they were able to resolve and so far seem to have a functioning Bronco with no issues.

 

[Primed_in]

No water ingress issues as mentioned above, but I got lucky as I definitely underestimated the depth of the hole.

 

[Deleted member 3063]

Easy solution - Don't tread in deep waters.

but if you do, be sure to have a snorkel and maybe a scuba
I take this vid as serious as the OP vid

 

[NatureBoy]

Welp, I read every post, thus far. Learned a lot. I’m new to off-roading and appreciate the input a lot have shared. One thing I will say is a lot of things I see in videos of these off-roading events go against the philosophy I had when I bought this thing (granted, again I’m a beginner): Don’t push the thing to its limits if you don’t have to.

If I was there, first thing I would have done was go around, parked and watched how it went for the dare devils. It was just too much water. There was enough land, it seemed, to coast along the edge of the puddle.

That’s where research comes in. But if I had researched — which, for me, includes this forum I would been more inclined to try it. You better believe I did a butt load of internet reading before I even got into this thing. Years worth, and we have only been on a few light trails. Easy does it gotta, crawl before you walk.

I don’t understand some of the hate and bashing, though. If people want to risk 30,000 + let them, just keep it off my wave. I’ll just shake my head and say, “ You do you.” No need for hate, keep it light and keep it moving.

 

[Overlanding4Fun]

Johnny from Johnny’s Car Care and Review said your Bronco is not a boat. Good information in the video.

 

[andrusoid]

This is why an alternator located near the top of the engine bay (ala Jeep) is ideal

Flooding the cold air intake may also be problematic no matter where the alternator might happen to be.

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