So this happened today

[jeepXcore]

Took a detour home from the shore and got a little overzealous and thought 4 Low meant I was invincible...and got stuck and had to be towed out.

A little worried because the water was just barely submerging the exhaust and went up to just below the engine.

I've got an auto trans and it seemed a bit sluggish/wonky from a stop on the drive home. Seems ok now though, maybe it was just the fact that the tranny was sitting in water for a good hour and had to dry out?

What should I do/check to make sure nothing got messed up? Put the sprinkler under it running warm water after the engine cooled down once I got home. But other than that I'm at a loss.

 

[Ahoragi]

Pop the diff covers and drain/refill the fluids. To be on the safe side I'd do a tranny and t-case flush for a peace of mind.

Next time try getting a stick and poking the mud hole for deepness.....

I did a similar stunt and learned the hard way.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

What year TJ? I wouldn't have to ask people this if they would just bother to complete their Profile Page. 2002 and older TJ automatics are pretty easy to get water into, not so much 2003 and newer.

If your TJ is a 2002 or older, I would get your Jeep to a transmission shop and have it flushed with fresh ATF+4 (only!) TOMORROW, not Monday or sometime next week. No, not just dropping the pan and refilling, a complete flush which is the only way to replace all of the ATF+4. Don't let anyone add anything but ATF+4.

Waiting too long to flush the transmission, cooler, and torque converter will give any water inside time to start dissolving glues inside that hold the transmission's friction clutch surfaces in place.

Edit: I just figured out your TJ is a 2002 which means it has the 32RH automatic transmission which means its air vent is located at the front of the transmission, just above its input shaft. That means water could have easily gotten into it from how deep the water is in your above photo. I strongly advise you get your Jeep over to a shop that can do a thorough transmission flush Saturday. If you wait too long the transmission will be toast, I would not wait to have a complete flush done to it.

If you're up to it, there are a couple of us here who can tell you how to do the flush on your own but you'll need a large bucket, 10-12 quarts of ATF+4 (no other ATF is suitable), and a 3/8" ID rubber hose from which you can start the drain & flush process.

 

[Rob5589]

:eeeeek: Yea, it happens. If you have even the slightest inkling that the trans has been contaminated, DO NOT drive it. Drop the pan and flush the fluid. Probably a good idea to check the T/C and diff fluids as well.

 

[bobthetj03]

I have done something similar. Check your differential breather hoses and make sure they are connected well. Not sure where the breather is on the auto, but to be safe, I'd drop the pan and change the trany fluid and filter. Shortly after I did this I got angry sparrows and had to rebuild my front drive shaft. Take a pressure washer to the undercarriage and clean the brakes and such.

 

[jeepXcore]

Thanks for the responses. Brought it to a local trans shop this morning. Not sure if they'll get to it today, Guy said Monday at the latest

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks for the responses. Brought it to a local trans shop this morning. Not sure if they'll get to it today, but I'm not sure if they'll get to it today. Guy said Monday at the earliest.

I'd go park myself in their office until they get the idea you need it done today. Seriously, Monday may be too late due to the glues used to hold the friction surfaces in place being water soluble.

Tell them you'll take it home and flush it yourself if they can't get to it today. Which is neither difficult nor demanding of any particular expertise.

Reply here for instructions on how to do the flush yourself if decide to do it on your own. Nope you don't need any special equipment.

EdIt: I may not be here so here's an abbreviated how-to...

Your 32RH transmission pumps ATF only in Neutral, not Park, so when you're ready to flush, shift to Neutral. To shut the pump off, shift back to Park.

You're going to have the transmission pump the contaminated ATF+4 into a large bucket or catch basin from the passenger-side port at the bottom of the radiator. That is the output side. Connect a rubber hose with a 3/8" inside diameter to the passenger side port and run that to your catch basin.

While the transmission is pumping the old fluid out into the catch basin, you'll be adding fresh ATF+4 from the top via the transmission's dipstick tube. Insert a small funnel into the tube to help. Just pour fresh ATF+4 (nothing else!) into the funnel in the dipstick tube at about the same rate as the old fluid is pumped out into the basin.

When the fluid pumping into the basin turns bright clear red, you're done, shift back into Park to shut the pump off. Maybe go another quart or two for good measure if you have more unopened bottles of ATF+4.

Check the fluid again once the output hose is reconnected back to the radiator port. Start the engine, shift to Neutral, and use the dipstick to verify it's full or add more ATF+4 until it is. It does not hurt it to be slightly overfilled.

Any brand of ATF+4 is fine, I personally use Valvoline but I wouldn't be afraid to use a store-brand ATF+4 if that's all I could find. Any major brand of ATF+4 will be fine.

 

[jeepXcore]

Well, they didn't get to it until today. I had a lot going on Saturday/Sunday, so it wasn't feasible to do it myself. Dumb call on my part for not thinking ahead regarding my choice to offroad beforehand.

Shop was doing to transmission flush and replacing the filter this morning, so fingers crossed.

The mechanic mentioned that he noticed my oil pan gasket had a leak in it...is this something that should be fixed A-SAP? The engine is holding adequate oil for operation and the oil pressure is a little above 140 when operating, goes down to 140 when idling.

 

[Bird]

The oil pan Gasket is up to you, whether you want spots in you're driveway or garage.
I've had rear mains leaking for years, just make it a habit to check your oil.

 

[jeepXcore]

The oil pan Gasket is up to you, whether you want spots in you're driveway or garage.
I've had rear mains leaking for years, just make it a habit to check your oil.

Heh, my driveway is a mess anyway, could care less. The guy wanted to charge me 3 hours labor to fix it, and I was like"...let me make sure that absolutely needs to be repaired before I drop that much money into it". I could care less, I know the 4.0's have a reputation for being "leaky, but reliable".

 

[Chris]

Depends on how bad the oil pan gasket leak is. If it's barely dripping a drop each time you park, you don't need to worry about it right away.

If it's a large leak, then yeah, I'd fix it ASAP.

 

[jeepXcore]

Depends on how bad the oil pan gasket leak is. If it's barely dripping a drop each time you park, you don't need to worry about it right away.

If it's a large leak, then yeah, I'd fix it ASAP.

Yeah, it's not even dripping at this point, just pooling lol.

 

[Chris]

Yeah, it's not even dripping at this point, just pooling lol.

You can probably go without replacing it for a while then!

 

[Forty]

I'd go park myself in their office until they get the idea you need it done today. Seriously, Monday may be too late due to the glues used to hold the friction surfaces in place being water soluble.

Tell them you'll take it home and flush it yourself if they can't get to it today. Which is neither difficult nor demanding of any particular expertise.

Reply here for instructions on how to do the flush yourself if decide to do it on your own. Nope you don't need any special equipment.

EdIt: I may not be here so here's an abbreviated how-to...

Your 32RH transmission pumps ATF only in Neutral, not Park, so when you're ready to flush, shift to Neutral. To shut the pump off, shift to Park.

You're going to have the transmission pump the contaminated ATF+4 into a large catch basin from the passenger-side port at the bottom of the radiator. That is the output side. Connect a rubber hose with a 3/8" inside diameter to the passenger side port and run that to your catch basin.

While the transmission is pumping the old fluid out into the catch basin, you'll be adding fresh ATF+4 from the top via the transmission's dipstick tube. Insert a small funnel into the tube to help. Just add fresh ATF+4 (nothing else!) as the old fluid is pumped into the basin.

When the fluid pumping into the basin turns bright clear red, you're done, shift back into Park to shut the pump off. Maybe go another quart or two for good measure if you have more unopened bottles of ATF+4.

Check the fluid again once the output hose is reconnected back to the radiator port. Start the engine, shift to Neutral, and use the dipstick to verify it's full or add more ATF+4 until it is. It does not hurt it to be slightly overfilled.

Any brand of ATF+4 is fine, I personally use Valvoline but I wouldn't be afraid to use a store-brand ATF+4 if that's all I could find. Any major brand of ATF+4 will be fine.

Honestly @Jerry Bransford way to look out for a fella. Major props to you and your wealth of knowledge.

 

[jeepXcore]

Honestly @Jerry Bransford way to look out for a fella. Major props to you and your wealth of knowledge.

Agreed, this was very detailed and insightful input that I can use in the future.

 

[Sahara01]

Been there done that. Well not in the same fashion. But I've been stuck a few times in all of my rigs.
The pictures I would like to see are the interior and of you with mud up to your belt. That would tell the hole story.
And don't you have another thread where you mention needing a winch in the future? I think it's time!
Hope everything is alright with your tranny, I am sure it is.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

So what happened? Do you have your Jeep back and is the transmission ok?

 

[jeepXcore]

Jeep's back, guy said everything looked good. Transmission was flushed and had a new filter put in, coolant fluids were flushed as well.

Luckily it didn't flood the cabin, got up to the steps and stopped.


Hopefully buying a winch and getting it installed this afternoon!

 

[TJ4Jim]

Looks like someone went into the Pine Barrens.

 

[Sahara01]

Nice, glad to hear all is well!

Now if you get a winch you'll have to go get stuck again so you can use it.

I am hoping one of my buddies get stuck so I can use mine [emoji13]