Stuck in water and mud today?a few ?issues? to deal with. Need assistance

[BrettinSanAntonio]

Well, after spending the day taunting the jeeps and pulling the Blazers out of the mud, I managed to bury my ?95 Discovery in a muddy, water hole in a nearby creek. This is my first major stuck/water experience and now I have a few issues to deal with.

Water never entered the air intake and I killed the motor after sliding into the hole just to make sure. I checked the water level and it was a few inches below the intake. Everything under that point was submerged. Water did enter the truck via the driver and passenger doors and soaked the carpet. I used my wet/dry vac to remove as much water as possible but it?s still somewhat damp. What now? Shampoo?

Back to the engine?..I was able to restart the engine with no problem and with a little help from a friend I was able to escape from this muck. At one point the engine was missing but corrected itself after a few minutes. I was able to drive out and home with no problems or symptoms.

After I spent an hour trying to remove water from the carpet, I went to start the Rover and all I got was a ?click?. Sort of like a quick, double click. It sounded like a servo engaging then returning to normal position a half second later. It did this several times. After letting my Discovery sit of a few hours, I turned the key and got a few cycles of the engine. On the second attempt, the engine started and ran fine.

Is there any particular area I should look to ensure the grungy water isn?t still hiding? I checked the obvious (plugs, cap, coil) but want to make sure there isn?t another place to look.

Thanks for any help.

 

[dudleyh]

Under the carpet there is a rubber and foam mat. The foam will hold the water for ever unless you take it out and dry it. It means taking off the center console and a minor bit of cutting (unless you really want to dismantel your dash).

I've killed two starter motors the same way. The standard Disco starter motor is a cheap item, I couldnt find any replacement parts for it. In the end I bought an after market unit that you can replace every part on (I cost about twice as much) - since then I have had no problems. When I do have problems I'll rebuild it.

Good luck

 

[Porter]

As far as the carpet goes, I would take the time to dry it out, otherwise mold could set in, and then you'll have a long term problem everytime things get even damp. When I sunk my Disco, muddy water soaked all my carpets. I spent the weekend taking out the padding and drying it out the best I could with a wet/dry vac and then driving around for 2 a few weeks with the heater on high heat. Almost burnt off my right foot with the heater, but I have no problems with moldy carpet smell though.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

If you don't want to remove the carpets, you can park for one night on a steep side slope, the steeper the better, and let the water drain out, you will see it dripping for several hours. Then do the other side the next night. If you have sliders, you can use the high lift jack to raise the side.

 

[Rocky]

Parking a dehumidifier inside the truck with the windows closed and recirculating button activated when you shut the truck off helps....

 

[DiscoveryXD]

If I remember right, isn't it common practice to check the diff fluid after wading in deep water? Just one of the things on the "To check" list...

 

[LostInBoston]

yeah after being in water for a while, water may have entered the diffs through the vent hose. changing the diff oil is pretty easy so it may be a good idea to do that in case there is any water in it.

 

[DiscoveryXD]

"I checked the water level and it was a few inches below the intake."

I don't know about a D2, but on a D1 the axle breather tube ends just below the steering shaft in the engine bay.

 

[Steve83]

Remember that D2s take special synthetic 75W-90 gear oil in the diffs. 3qts is enough, but it'll be VERY SLIGHTLY low - not enough to justify buying a 4th quart.

 

[LRWheelman]

Yee Haw! After leaving my beloved's Rover in the river overnight, went back next morning & started right up. Got pulled out & went home. Drained all the oils & refreshed them. Bled new fluid through the brakes. The only moisture in the fluids was from the RF swivelball! Had some starter trouble after that, but I believe driving in water is good for the Rover as I have very little abs problems. (clean water that is, I don't drive in mud) Hope this helps. Thank You, LRW.

 

[Meisterbr?wn]

This may or may not be helpful, but in my non-Disco experiences the click/click/click sound when turning the key ususally indicated the battery was dead.

Maybe yours is dying? Worth having it checked anyway.

Good luck.

 

[DeanBrown3D]

Remember that D2s take special synthetic 75W-90 gear oil in the diffs. 3qts is enough, but it'll be VERY SLIGHTLY low - not enough to justify buying a 4th quart.

Some people, especially the swimmers, just use regular 80W90 and change it more often. Get a 5 gal. drum.

 

[Trey & Melissa Burns]

Well Brett, if you were with us Cline then it wouldn't have happened! Instead of water damage, you could have maybe had a blown window, bent rear bumper, scratches down the side of your truck, or broken blinker light but hey it's all good. LOL

Seriously - I had a problem with my starter due to water and more than likely age. I removed the starter, took it apart, cleaned all the brushes, comentator ends, wet sanded with 1500 grade sand paper on the solenoid actuator, and then lubricated the solenoid with a very light coat of grease, and endcap bushing with full synthetic wheel bearing grease and reinstalled. My truck has over 220,000 miles and the starter is original, I have not had a problem with it since I did this. (With this being said that is going to be the next thing to go - I'm knocking on wood here).

Maybe this will help if you have not gotten any further yet.
Give me call if you need anything.

 

[yo! adrian]

Must be the Rover Gods playing tricks on Brett...that's twice he's dissed us at Cline Ranch for Devil's Den. Brett, you can also give us a call if you need any assistance.

Trey and Melissa, hope you'all are doing fine.

-Adrian