Flood proof lube?
Discussion
Hi, This might seem like a really dim post but it's genuine...
I don't do off roading although it's one of the things I could be tempted into when I've got more cash. I do own a Subaru MV pick up. Recently in the pitch dark of a morning I ploughed into a flooded road (just thought it was a big puddle in the dark). Once in the best bet seemed to be to keep going, as it turned out the road was flooded for a hundred yards or so and the level came over the headlights and bonnet at times. Surprisingly, it didn't miss a beat and the cab stayed dry although there was a couple of pints sloshing about in the door panels...
I've dried it out as best as I can and had already Waxoyled it etc. but was wondering about all the wheel bearings and CV joints. Do you guys who go wading on purpose regularly change fluids, bearing grease etc. or do you use special waterproof stuff?
Now I'm not daft and I know that grease is generally waterproof but obviously some stays put better than others...
I don't do off roading although it's one of the things I could be tempted into when I've got more cash. I do own a Subaru MV pick up. Recently in the pitch dark of a morning I ploughed into a flooded road (just thought it was a big puddle in the dark). Once in the best bet seemed to be to keep going, as it turned out the road was flooded for a hundred yards or so and the level came over the headlights and bonnet at times. Surprisingly, it didn't miss a beat and the cab stayed dry although there was a couple of pints sloshing about in the door panels...
I've dried it out as best as I can and had already Waxoyled it etc. but was wondering about all the wheel bearings and CV joints. Do you guys who go wading on purpose regularly change fluids, bearing grease etc. or do you use special waterproof stuff?
Now I'm not daft and I know that grease is generally waterproof but obviously some stays put better than others...
Prevention better than cure & all that...
HTH
M
- A regular grease will be fine on the CVs, props, etc... It is the oils you need to watch out for.
- Extend any breathers (axle, diff, gearbox, etc...) well above any expected water levels. This will help prevent any water getting drawn into the casing and mixed with the oil.
- Check that the breathers are not blocked. If they're blocked, the assy will start 'breathing' through the seals instead.
- Re-grease and check the oils on a regular basis. Checking the oil is simple as water will always sink to the bottom... Carefully undo the drain plug and let a little bit 'dribble' out. If it is oil then everything is fine but if you find water, you need change it (Remember that any dirt in there will act like a grinding compound!).
- Simple physics: Remember 1L water=1Kg=10cm3.
- Therefore: 1 cubic metre of water = 1 tonne.
HTH
M
Thanks, I'm not really planning on making a habit of it but you never know the way things are going.
The plan was to check and grease pretty much everywhere that the water might have got in but was interested to know how you guys dealt with it.
On my kit car I had to drive through a lot of flood water one winter, I got lazy and as the car didn't get used for months on end ignored it, for the next MoT I was replacing all the wheel bearings and the steering rack - you live and learn...
And C.L. I learnt the power of flood water a few years back when I took a Triumph 2000 swimming...
The plan was to check and grease pretty much everywhere that the water might have got in but was interested to know how you guys dealt with it.
On my kit car I had to drive through a lot of flood water one winter, I got lazy and as the car didn't get used for months on end ignored it, for the next MoT I was replacing all the wheel bearings and the steering rack - you live and learn...
And C.L. I learnt the power of flood water a few years back when I took a Triumph 2000 swimming...
Twas a scary experience and a case of stupidity on my part brought on by tiredness etc...
My other half had a nasty 'bike accident and nearly lost her leg. I quit work and became her carer for a year, sold our Spitfire and bought the Triumph 2000 as it was a big, solid, comfortable car. After she came out of Stoke Mandeville (if you are going to have a bad accident this is probably the best place in the country to have one!) we spent months driving the hundred and fifty mile trip to almost daily appointments there. In the search to make the drive vaguely interesting for both of us I started using more and more obscure back roads.
One morning the road we were using was under water as the river had broken its banks, we could see it was only a few inches deep so carried on and splashed through the hundred yards or so up to the bridge where the ground level was higher. On our way home we used the same route but I hadn't even considered to check whether the levels might have risen in the eight hours we'd been at S.M. We dropped off the bridge and the water came over the bonnet, with the car fully in and sat level the water must have been around the top of the wheel arches, we made it most of the way through until the current picked us up and started pushing us sideways. Thankfully there was a wooden causeway that was completely submerged but stopped us being washed away. Somehow we still kept going and we managed to crawl out the other end of the flood.
The car suffered a dented wing from hitting the causeway and destroyed the radiator as all the fan blades bent and carved a dinner plate sized hole through the core.
Could have been loads worse tho' as we'd been warned to keep the other half's leg scrupulously clean as any infection and she would lose it.
Nowadays I'll tackle standing water but anything with a current I'll treat with a little more respect...
My other half had a nasty 'bike accident and nearly lost her leg. I quit work and became her carer for a year, sold our Spitfire and bought the Triumph 2000 as it was a big, solid, comfortable car. After she came out of Stoke Mandeville (if you are going to have a bad accident this is probably the best place in the country to have one!) we spent months driving the hundred and fifty mile trip to almost daily appointments there. In the search to make the drive vaguely interesting for both of us I started using more and more obscure back roads.
One morning the road we were using was under water as the river had broken its banks, we could see it was only a few inches deep so carried on and splashed through the hundred yards or so up to the bridge where the ground level was higher. On our way home we used the same route but I hadn't even considered to check whether the levels might have risen in the eight hours we'd been at S.M. We dropped off the bridge and the water came over the bonnet, with the car fully in and sat level the water must have been around the top of the wheel arches, we made it most of the way through until the current picked us up and started pushing us sideways. Thankfully there was a wooden causeway that was completely submerged but stopped us being washed away. Somehow we still kept going and we managed to crawl out the other end of the flood.
The car suffered a dented wing from hitting the causeway and destroyed the radiator as all the fan blades bent and carved a dinner plate sized hole through the core.
Could have been loads worse tho' as we'd been warned to keep the other half's leg scrupulously clean as any infection and she would lose it.
Nowadays I'll tackle standing water but anything with a current I'll treat with a little more respect...
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