Flood damage

[Travis]

Last week eastern Iowa and western Illinois got pounded with a major rain event. There were rain gauges at work that were spilling over at 6". The parking lot took the most water, naturally right, there were cars that were completely submerged, it was a really bad deal. I just happened to park where the water was at its lowest, which was up halfway on my fog lights. HRNT is stock, no lift, 31"x10,50" KO2's.

So anyway, I didn't initially think the Jeep was damaged, until the next day I smell shit inside. I pulled up the carpet to see some dampness on the tub and a little bit of water, only on the passenger side in the front. I cleaned it up and aired it out overnight. What really surprised me was to see how much rust is under there, that's a seperate issue now.

My front ring and pinion has been leaking for quite some time. Is there a possibility that water could seep into the differential thru the bad seal? My Jeep has developed a "whine' on decelleration since the flood. Also, the brakes are now squeaking, loud, when I release them, they only does this while in gear. I can pump the brakes all day in nuetral and not hear the squeak.

My employer is really making it right with the employees. They are paying all deductables, and paying for the damage, plus a rental if you needed one. It's been estimated at a million dollars in vehicle claims. My Jeep goes Monday to get looked at, what should be looked at most closely by the shop? This will have to be turned into my insurance, and I'm afraid if I ever try to sell it, that it will be marked flood damge and substatially lower the value. Is this true?

All in all I got lucky, lots of people's basements & quite a few business's were completely destroyed by flood waters. Mine, thankfully was not. @Northwood can probably attest to how much rain swept thru the area in that 24 hour period, it was insane.

Thanks for reading fellas.

 

[LTTJ]

Last week eastern Iowa and western Illinois got pounded with a major rain event. There were rain gauges at work that were spilling over at 6". The parking lot took the most water, naturally right, there were cars that were completely submerged, it was a really bad deal. I just happened to park where the water was at its lowest, which was up halfway on my fog lights. HRNT is stock, no lift, 31"x10,50" KO2's.

So anyway, I didn't initially think the Jeep was damaged, until the next day I smell shit inside. I pulled up the carpet to see some dampness on the tub and a little bit of water, only on the passenger side in the front. I cleaned it up and aired it out overnight. What really surprised me was to see how much rust is under there, that's a seperate issue now.

My front ring and pinion has been leaking for quite some time. Is there a possibility that water could seep into the differential thru the bad seal? My Jeep has developed a "whine' on decelleration since the flood. Also, the brakes are now squeaking, loud, when I release them, they only does this while in gear. I can pump the brakes all day in nuetral and not hear the squeak.

My employer is really making it right with the employees. They are paying all deductables, and paying for the damage, plus a rental if you needed one. It's been estimated at a million dollars in vehicle claims. My Jeep goes Monday to get looked at, what should be looked at most closely by the shop? This will have to be turned into my insurance, and I'm afraid if I ever try to sell it, that it will be marked flood damge and substatially lower the value. Is this true?

All in all I got lucky, lots of people's basements & quite a few business's were completely destroyed by flood waters. Mine, thankfully was not. @Northwood can probably attest to how much rain swept thru the area in that 24 hour period, it was insane.

Thanks for reading fellas.
View attachment 19604

This is a good question about being marked flood damage. I'm not entirely sure if the shop or insurance reports it, but I would assume that it will be reported and show up on a Carfax. We just sold a car a few months ago, and my husband had been rear-ended twice, and both repairs showed up when the dealer ran the vin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tman66]

Sorry to hear about your Jeep.

I would think you'll need to replace all of you fluids.

 

[Blank]

Replace the fluids and clean up the rust maybe even try to get a new carpet out of it. Don't get get rid of the Jeep and you don't worry about resale lol. Any who good to hear only the Jeep got messed not much else in your life at least


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Northwood]

Last week eastern Iowa and western Illinois got pounded with a major rain event. There were rain gauges at work that were spilling over at 6". The parking lot took the most water, naturally right, there were cars that were completely submerged, it was a really bad deal. I just happened to park where the water was at its lowest, which was up halfway on my fog lights. HRNT is stock, no lift, 31"x10,50" KO2's.

So anyway, I didn't initially think the Jeep was damaged, until the next day I smell shit inside. I pulled up the carpet to see some dampness on the tub and a little bit of water, only on the passenger side in the front. I cleaned it up and aired it out overnight. What really surprised me was to see how much rust is under there, that's a seperate issue now.

My front ring and pinion has been leaking for quite some time. Is there a possibility that water could seep into the differential thru the bad seal? My Jeep has developed a "whine' on decelleration since the flood. Also, the brakes are now squeaking, loud, when I release them, they only does this while in gear. I can pump the brakes all day in nuetral and not hear the squeak.

My employer is really making it right with the employees. They are paying all deductables, and paying for the damage, plus a rental if you needed one. It's been estimated at a million dollars in vehicle claims. My Jeep goes Monday to get looked at, what should be looked at most closely by the shop? This will have to be turned into my insurance, and I'm afraid if I ever try to sell it, that it will be marked flood damge and substatially lower the value. Is this true?

All in all I got lucky, lots of people's basements & quite a few business's were completely destroyed by flood waters. Mine, thankfully was not. @Northwood can probably attest to how much rain swept thru the area in that 24 hour period, it was insane.

Thanks for reading fellas.
View attachment 19604

That definitely was an ass load of rain, based on the amount that bounced off of my head. I was out working all night and saw numerous cars stranded in the middle of the road after trying to cross high water.
I've never been closer to getting struck by lightning than that night. It struck less than 50 feet away from my crew and I. We all about shit.

I would definitely insist that all fluids be changed at the very least. The whine makes me worry you have water in your diffs

 

[Travis]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm worried about the differntials too. I drive about 2 minutes back and forth to work, and in that short time, it's extremely noticable. My record time to work is 1m 42s, lol.

 

[Mike_H]

Yeah, For sure change the fluids in the tranny, T-Case and Diffs...Probably oil too, while you're at it. That should only be a couple hundred bucks...I wouldn't even turn it into insurance. Just work something out with your employer...If not, I wouldn't think its worth the hassle of dealing with the Ins co.

As far as flood damage...I'm not 100% sure what gets reported, and what doesn't. I had a car wash incident once, where some stupid woman stomped on her brakes and jumped the belt. I was carried into her, and the car behind me was carried into me before they stopped it. I had new bumpers and paint done (paid for by the car wash) and it will never be on a carfax. Just stay outside of insurance, and you'll be fine.

 

[Ahoragi]

If the diffs started leaking after the flood then yeah you prob got flooded axles. Diffs on our jeeps are common leakers though so it could just be aged seals. Both my pinions are leaking on my 99. Its a good time to drain, clean, replace seals, and fill.

I would pull the carpet and remove the top for a couple days just to dry out all the water in the tub and also change all fluids for a peace of mind.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

Sorry to hear about HRNT Travis, nobody likes an unexpected bath, the bright side is that it sounds like limited water damage.
In my limited knowledge it does sound like you need to do put HRNT through a full fluid dialysis, replacing the seals as you go (just to be safe) then take out the carpet give it a good carpet clean, dry it out and install...sooner the better too.

 

[Travis]

HRNT goes tomorrow at 10am for the estimate. That garage is flooded with customers, pun intended

 

[Kiwi TJ]

:emoji_fingers_crossed: it all goes well @Travis

 

[Travis]

HRNT is back from the shop, and their diagnosis is the front and rear main seals are both leaking and are in deslerate need of repair. The mechanic says the bearings are pitted from the water and both need changed. He also said the transmission fluid is "milky", so that will need flushed and changed as well. There is also an issue with the brakes, he said that was not included in the flood damage. But it was added into the damage estimate. All in all it came out to $2020.08. I turn in the estimate at work tomorrow, here's hoping they pay the deductible and this stuff gets repaired, I certainly don't have 2 stacks on hand to have these issues fixed.

 

[Kiwi TJ]

On the plus side, if the company foots the whole bill you'll have a fantastic full service, including new bearing and seals.

 

[Travis]

Here's what I'm thinking, since my employer will be paying my deductible, I'm going to file an insurance claim and have both seals replaced ect. Since I have been saving money specifically for that repair, I can now use those funds elsewhere. I have been following this thread. Thanks to everyone who chipped in on that, @Ahoragi, @bobthetj03, @StG58, @Chris & @EJD.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/stock-spring-inquiry.6295/#post-88055

I have always read good things, mostly here, about the Rancho and H&R set up. So I'm going with it, because my Jeep looks like a lowrider. HRNT's springs are tired, so it's time to upgrade.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=301946860925

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=331737807240

I have found some cheaper deals for the set on Amazon, but the springs are blue. How do you guys think blue springs would look on a black TJ? I'm having a hard time picturing that.

What's the difference between the gas shock vs. the nitro shock?

 

[Chris]

A Rancho and H&R setup would work nicely. I'll wait for @StG58 to chime in, since he's the only TJ owner I know with H&R springs. I can however say that I had H&R springs on every BMW I ever owned in the past, and they are fantastic, high quality springs, no doubt about it.

As for blue springs on a black TJ, I don't think you'll see them that much in all honesty. Blue goes with black well anyways, so I wouldn't really think twice about having blue springs. It might not be my first choice (I just like black springs), but it wouldn't keep me from buying them, that' for sure.

Gas and nitro are the same thing. Nitro is just a fancy name for it, but they both use gas in the shocks.

There are two types of shocks you should be looking at, gas or hydro (hydraulic).

Hydraulic and gas charged shocks have the same amount of oil, the difference is the gas charge.
A hydraulic shock has equal amounts of dampening force in both directions. Gas charged shocks usually are pressurized with nitrogen.

Hydraulic shocks have a tendency to fade as the oil heats up and gets agitated by the shock, creating air bubbles. These air bubbles cause the shocks dampening ability to fade. The nitrogen charge keeps the air bubbles under control, so they can not affect the shocks performance. A gas shock will extend on its own due to the gas charge.

That being said, I always run gas shocks. I've run nothing but gas shocks for the past 15 years, and I love the way they ride. As long as it's a high quality shock (i.e. Bilstein, Koni, Rancho, etc.), they'll ride nicely!

 

[StG58]

They don't stay blue very long.

The color is changeable, if you don't like it throw some rattle can paint on them, the powder coat is very durable.

As far as the H&R springs, I like them - a lot. I paired mine with Bilstein 5100's though. Expect something like an inch to an inch and a half of lift. The pairing of those springs and shocks works for me on highway and off. I did it to gain a little weight capacity in the back, the lift part was just a bonus. These springs and shocks eat rough roads up, and flex nicely off road. Didn't need to monkey with the bump stops. There's a couple of other folks on here that run them as well with equal satisfaction. We usually don't say anything, much, because it's almost impossible to buck the OME tide.

 

[bobthetj03]

I think we can say that H&R springs are comparable in quality to OME. I have H&R wheel spacers on the Z, and they are top shelf IMO.

 

[Travis]

The insurance adjustor came today and the news was not good. The have deemed HRNT a total loss. On top of the damage listed by the auto shop, they said it would be too much of a liability with the electrical gremilns that follow a flooded vehicle. I was kind of sad when I heard him say 'total loss'.

The hunt for a new Jeep begins today & I'm not sure how I feel about that. I love my Jeep but I think it would be smart to find another one.

I'm sure hoping I can find one by this weekend since HRNT is my DD.

 

[LTTJ]

The insurance adjustor came today and the news was not good. The have deemed HRNT a total loss. On top of the damage listed by the auto shop, they said it would be too much of a liability with the electrical gremilns that follow a flooded vehicle. I was kind of sad when I heard him say 'total loss'.

The hunt for a new Jeep begins today & I'm not sure how I feel about that. I love my Jeep but I think it would be smart to find another one.

I'm sure hoping I can find one by this weekend since HRNT is my DD.

Oh no- I'm so sorry! On the one hand, this is devastating, but on the other it will probably save you a lot of headache down the road. Keep us updated on what you find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chris]

I'm sorry to hear that. They are right about a flooded vehicle though. Flood damage will do a number on electronics, and it's just too much of a liability at that point.

Hey, maybe you can find a potential upgrade? You know, a TJ Rubicon or something? Not a must, but I look at situations like this as always being a blessing in disguise, even when they seem like nothing but bad news.