Well, I never would've thunk this could happen, but it did. Mix a dingbat girlfriend with gosh knows what else she might've been smokin' and here's what I get. My highly modified mint condition '95 XJ in her swimming pool.

I need some help/advice from anyone that has had a submerged vehicle before. Is it savable? I'm sure the insurance company will total it but is it worth buying it back and getting it going?

Here's what I did. It was out of the water within a couple hours. I drained the motor. I pulled the plugs and sucked out the water in the cylinders. put oil in the cylinders and hand turned the motor over several times. I pulled all the fuses and blew it all out. Surprisingly, there wasn't any moisture in there. Blew out the board on the drivers side. Disconnected the battery. Put a big carpet fan on the drivers seat to blow air up under the dash.

Is there going to be water in everything else? Trans, transfer case, gas tank, brake res, power steering tank?

Any help or advice would be much appreciated as I need to act fast if I'm going to try and save my waterlogged wonder.

Chris

 

It's a 23 year old Cherokee, insurance will probably give you $400 and you get to keep the vehicle. You probably pony up to repair the pool + whatever else was damaged in the incident.

 

Oh no..... That has to be a first on this forum....

Sounds like you have taken the proper steps. I would keep draining fluids, especially the differentials, they are not 100% sealed.

 

Looks like you are doing all the right things to get it running but I am curious to know the whole story. Forget her birthday? Does she think D stands for "Definitely Reverse"? Just saw Dukes of Hazard and is easily influenced?

 

Get the carpets out before they start to fester - and do nasty things to your floor pans.

 

Sounds like you already started doing everything you can. Agree with others who have said change all the fluid, don't want rust starting inside any of bearings, gears and what not.

While I haven't had a car completely submerged, I have had to remove an entire interior because all the windows and sunroof were left open on my wife's car for the length of a rain storm. Completely soaked everything, puddles of water everywhere, but we ran fans and a dehumidifier in the car until it was good and dry.

Hopefully you can save it. Good luck.

 

When it's finally dried out, you may want to spray some stuff in the doors, like LPS-3, enough to soak into the pinch welds on the bottoms of the doors. Also, lubricate the mechanisms for the windows, door latches... etc.

 

It's your electrical that is going to take a huge hit when submerged as far as yours has been. Electrons and water do not get along. Even if you get it running again, you are assuredly going to run into electrical gremlins down the road.

On a side note....I do like how you titled this thread. It's gonna get a lot of looks!

 

Honestly, there is going to be a lot to take apart, but if it is in mint condition, and you have the time, space, and patience, keep doing what you're doing. Try to pull as much of the interior out as you can. While its all out, go through ALL of the electrical stuff you can. Also take a look at the fuel tank / pump, just in case any water could have gotten in. The good thing is that its clean water, not like that brown or black flood water.

 

I have done it a few of times ( Clean or repair cars that were in water that is ) yes drain everything diffs, transfer, trans, power steering pump check master cylinder your dealing with clean pool water so a big plus now lake water is bad (for smell ) and salt water then don't bother trying to save it! Strip inside clean with fresh water and let dry! spray all fuse boxes and electrical connections with wd40 it displaces water, Computer is made to deal with water normaly are good radio and blower motor if they were not on let dry and may be okay again blower motor can be sprayed with wd40 and let dry. Be sure to check fuel tank and carbin canister it gets overlooked a lot with sunk cars!

 

Sometimes a wash is a good thing, so a soak in the tub should be cool, right?

I'll ask you this, was it a saltwater pool? Saltwater would be a **** ton worse

 

Due to your location and the daily temperature this time of year, a good heat soak in a paint spray booth could help dry it out. Where most people wind up with trouble is the water that gets into the wires where the insulation ends, like at the connectors where they are stripped for the pins. Don't forget the lamp sockets either. Nothing should be overlooked. After Hurricane Sandy, there were so many cars that were flooded with salt water and slipped by the insurance companies to be sold to unsuspecting customers that it became a national scandal! They developed electrical problems in the wiring many years down the road.

It looks like you're on the right path to save the beast. Good luck with the girlfriend! I hope the engine died before it sucked in enough water to bend any rods or crack pistons from hydraulic lock.

 

 

"Mint Condition.... Heavily Modified"

Hmm nope! Can't be mint if modified.

 

Pictures of the girlfriend would help