Rail

I am sure this has probably been asked before, but I'm new here. 98 Xj was underwater for several hours. Water level reached halfway up the windshield. Do you guys/gals think I can save her?

-As soon as the water level receded I disconnected the battery.
-I have drained the oil
-drained transfer case
-drained transmission
-drained front and rear differentials
-gutted the interior except the dash
-cleaned every electrical connector I could find in the engine bay

Rail

Can water get into the fuel tank? Is there anyway to test the fuel to see if there is water in it?

docmedpros

Yes it can, and you're best bet is to drop the tank and clean her out. You can save her just need to flush everything a few times to help lube and remove any water that may have accumulated

Fred/N0AZZ

If the engine was running when it went "Under Water" pull the spark plugs as water was sucked into the engine I would expect into the cyl.'s and crank it over to displace the water. Then dry and clean (might as well check gap too) on the plugs, oil the cyl. wall and replace air cleaner. Check the battery water level as you may need to remove a little from each cell.

Rail

Ok. I have the engine running. New distributor cap and button. However, Idle is crazy and it will not start unless your giving it throttle. I am excited to have her running but I have a long way to go.

Anyone have thoughts and suggestions? I am all ears. Keep in mind I'm not a certified mechanic. With that said, I have always worked on my own cars and am not totally clue less.

Rail

Unfortunately, I forgot to mention this is my dd

SatiricalHen

mine did that when the battery was low, or had a bad connection, and when my fuel pump was going bad.

Rail

Well that may be a possibility. Cause I was being lazy and just placed the connectors back on the battery but didn't bother tightening them back down. I new I was gonna disconnect the battery after I was done tinkering with her for the night.

Waynerd

Awesome to hear a story sorta how my newest project is. Just picked up a 98 that had an interior fire. It was hosed down pretty good and I'm worried about any water that had penetrated the dash. Didn't get quite as wet as yours. Lol. Anyway I picked it up as a parts donor but decided it was worth turning into a dd. Needs less work than the one I picked up in January and the one that's been in my garage for like 3 years. Good luck to you anyway.

dmill89

If the water was dirty/muddy I'd pull off the throttle body and IAC and give them a good cleaning, they could be plugged with crap, the TPS (and any other sensor that was under water) may be toast as well.

Rail

Yeah it was muddy.

kearny

How did it happen?

dmill89

I saw the pics in your other thread, make sure to give everything a through cleaning. There is also a good chance that your alternator and starter will bite the dust (especially the alt) in the near future, you may be able to save them if you flush them out really well but 9 times out of 10 muddy/silty water will kill them (usually not right away, but the deposits left behind can score the bearings and break down the insulation leading to early failure).

Rail

6 inches of rain in a few hrs overnight caused flooding around the city. The car alarms and horns of a few dozens cars woke me up. It was to late

Rail

There is another Xj in my parking lot and doesn't look like anyone is interested in fixing. If I fix mine, I may try to nab that one for cheap. Turn it into a full blown trail rig.