Question on Deep Mud and mechanical issues 2.7 4dr Black Diamond SAS

[gpetersttu]

Okay, so I was out at a local off road park today and was having a great time with the family. Going through some muddy areas and mis-read the depth of a mud puddle based on the surrounding terrain. Honest mistake on my part - I was trying to be careful but it was the only route wide enough to pass between trees on that section which appeared passable - 2 other routes "looked" deeper.

Got stuck and at the front end of the Bronco, the muddy water was up near the top of the grill. Was submerged for roughly 10 minutes and was not running for about 5 minutes of that. (It stalled out)

Friendly group of utv-ers helped me get out. Was able to get restarted, run the engine to clear the tailpipe/exhaust of water and finish the last bit of the course and back home.

On the way home had some intermittent misfiring (check engine light would flash, then stay solid lit, then turn off). Also had an electrical service warning. Lastly had a brief 4x4 service needed warning.

It is in the driveway drying out now. I washed out the engine bay, am leaving the hood up, and letting it dry out. There was a fair amount of mud all over in the engine bay and on top of engine and wiring.

I plan to just take it to the dealer if issues persist, because it is a brand new vehicle (December 21 delivery) and I don't tinker with stuff that is still "under warranty."

I am guessing plugs and O2 sensors are probably toast, will probably change the oil to be safe... not sure on the rest.

Any suggestions on what else I can do other than wait and see? I am wondering how bad the damage is. Never had this happen in my old trucks - plenty of getting stuck, but no submerged grills.

Looking forward to hearing everyone's opinions and criticisms.

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[Theherofails]

1.) Check all fluids for water ingress. Fluids will get milky and foamy if water got in. Check oil, transmission and transfer case if you can. Chances are very low for the last two.

2.) Check air filter for water ingress. If so. Rinse it out and let it air dry.

3.) Get some electrical contact cleaner and just clean out any electrical connections that were below the water line to be safe. Very easy to do and doesn't require much work. WD-40 will also work in a pinch as it is non conductive and displaces water. I'm talking about the big plugs you see scattered about, not individual wires.


Other than that, just let it air dry for a day or two and see if everything clears up. If you still have misfires etc, you need a mechanic. It's possible your filter is wet and that was allowing some moisture to get into the engine. Any white smoke?

Ive tested the water fording capabilities quite extensively and have had zero issues after 6k miles related to water fording. My Bronco spent several hours stuck in quicksand up to the skids in standing water and doing the above, it's running perfectly months later and several thousand miles.

I would say the deepest I've been is about 30" for any extended period of time.


How much water got in the cabin? Your fuse box is by the drivers legs and all of your major electrical connections are behind the glove box. Either of those get wet?

 

[gpetersttu]

1.) Check all fluids for water ingress. Fluids will get milky and foamy if water got in. Check oil, transmission and transfer case if you can. Chances are very low for the last two.

2.) Check air filter for water ingress. If so. Rinse it out and let it air dry.

3.) Get some electrical contact cleaner and just clean out any electrical connections that were below the water line to be safe. Very easy to do and doesn't require much work. WD-40 will also work in a pinch as it is non conductive and displaces water. I'm talking about the big plugs you see scattered about, not individual wires.


Other than that, just let it air dry for a day or two and see if everything clears up. If you still have misfires etc, you need a mechanic. It's possible your filter is wet and that was allowing some moisture to get into the engine. Any white smoke?

Ive tested the water fording capabilities quite extensively and have had zero issues after 6k miles related to water fording. My Bronco spent several hours stuck in quicksand up to the skids in standing water and doing the above, it's running perfectly months later and several thousand miles.

I would say the deepest I've been is about 30" for any extended period of time.


How much water got in the cabin? Your fuse box is by the drivers legs and all of your major electrical connections are behind the glove box. Either of those get wet?

Thanks! Great feedback and advice. Small puddle of muddy water got in drivers side floor but not much. We kept the doors shut.

Looks like glove box and fuse box is 100% dry.

I forgot to pull the filter out But will do that as soon as I get back home. No white smoke while driving back home - there was some smoke immidiatley after I got pulled out and was trying to clear the exhaust.

I appreciate your help!

 

[Theherofails]

Thanks! Great feedback and advice. Small puddle of muddy water got in drivers side floor but not much. We kept the doors shut.

Looks like glove box and fuse box is 100% dry.

I forgot to pull the filter out But will do that as soon as I get back home. No white smoke while driving back home - there was some smoke immidiatley after I got pulled out and was trying to clear the exhaust.

I appreciate your help!

No problem! Hope it works out for ya. The memories are always worth the risk, right up until you break the Bronco.

 

[tyrobronco]

If you have the tow package, open that up. I was getting electric errors and once I opened the door for the towing connections and let the water pour out, it fixed that problem.

 

[Mishra42]

So I did this on Apr 4th.

Didn't stall out or anything and was in the water about 15 minutes. I think she's fine, (and we've nicknamed her Lusitania or Lucy). This past weekend I got that my stabalizer disconnect needs service though. I'm currently in the shop waiting to here what's up. Hopefully it's a loose cable. I'll let you know.

 

[honorableh]

I put myself in a bit of a precarious spot yesterday so I've got no room to criticize, but rather glad to see others have gone through similar learning experiences recently.

Picture taken right before thIs nice fellow in the 4Runner pulled me out to safety. We managed to have an excellent time after wheeling around.

I spent hours of hosing out the mud and clay making a pile in my back yard. Found many new gaps and small pockets that collected on the skid plates, in the bumper, etc.

The journey underscored the importance of measuring any unknown obstacle depth at multiple points. The Bronco conquers obstacles so easily it's hard not to get overconfident...
I'm avoiding mud trails for a while though. It's not worth the hassle.

No issues besides the ACC sensors getting blocked by the insidious mud.

Going to go ahead and change the oil ahead of schedule.

Hope any issues for y'all can get resolved soon!

 

[Victoryengineer]

If you have the tow package, open that up. I was getting electric errors and once I opened the door for the towing connections and let the water pour out, it fixed that problem.

That's great to know. I might have to find a way to waterproof mine.

 

[da_jokker]

I'm sure some disagree, but you're alternator is the biggest concern. You go through muddy water, and the alternator can act up soon after.

 

[drew707]

I'm sure some disagree, but you're alternator is the biggest concern. You go through muddy water, and the alternator can act up soon after.

Correct. A relocation is being planned for the model refresh to mitigate these issues. It was brought up in development but there wasn’t enough time or budget to be able to address the rather complicated change for this generation.

 

[MNBigfoot]

A similar discussion was on the Wrangler forum, a guy took a new Wrangler straight from an Atv park, to the dealer, after electrical issues from a water hole (not submerged, just muddy) Jeep refused to warranty it.

My advice is to start washing it, and think before talking with your dealer.

 

[Victoryengineer]

A similar discussion was on the Wrangler forum, a guy took a new Wrangler straight from an Atv park, to the dealer, after electrical issues from a water hole (not submerged, just muddy) Jeep refused to warranty it.

My advice is to start washing it, and think before talking with your dealer.

Good advice. Even though these are billed as made for off roading, they will be swift to deny claims like this.

 

[da_jokker]

Correct. A relocation is being planned for the model refresh to mitigate these issues. It was brought up in development but there wasn’t enough time or budget to be able to address the rather complicated change for this generation.

Wait what? Is there a thread about this I missed? So you are not taking about a retro fit for existing Broncos but some (near?) Future version will be moving the Alternator? First I've heard of this.

 

[Razorbak86]

So I did this on Apr 4th.

Didn't stall out or anything and was in the water about 15 minutes. I think she's fine, (and we've nicknamed her Lusitania or Lucy). This past weekend I got that my stabalizer disconnect needs service though. I'm currently in the shop waiting to here what's up. Hopefully it's a loose cable. I'll let you know.

As a history buff, I love the new nickname!

What was the verdict from your service visit? Was the SBD damaged, or did it just need a good cleaning? Have you had any other problems related to the sinking of the great Lusitania?

 

[flip]

Pull air filter, if anything is in the tube going to the turbo and ends up being the cause of the miss, not warranty. Don't want to scare you but if water got up that high, it's very possible you sucked water and bent a rod which could cause a miss but not a catastrophic failure. Just be prepared.

DM me your VIN and I can look at your VHR to maybe point you to what's causing the miss.

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