Rescue7

Amongst dual 50 inch light bars and skyscraper lift kits are usually a few who know more about the reality of off-highway traveling. When you take your jk into the water at an appropriate speed just how far can you push the stock limits? I've had water come over the hood and crash into the windshield as I foolishly entered a waterhole before depth checking it.
Taking a more serious approach to to water crossings besides raising the breathers, sealing up the grommets and raising the intake what should I be looking to enhance. For whatever reason my jk spends a lot of time fording water and I want to take a wholistic approach to properly outfit it.

karls10jk

I've got the "jeep jk in water" video under my belt and picking your gear is essential. Adding dielectric grease to all of your connections would also be a prudent move. If you've got water ingress then removal of the carpet and bedliner would be a wise choice as well. Whenever I get into the water like that I'm concerned that the manifolds may crack. Additionally, the o2 sensors take an ambient reading right there at the bung so you may experience failures there. Drill a hole in your gas tank skid to allow debris to drain out instead of sitting there to rust. Other than that, mine has been pretty solid in water. I admit I should get a snorkel and a cut-off switch for my fan but I haven't committed to that level just yet.

I don't have the coveted 50" light bar but I've been in 40" of standing water numerous times. Take it for what it's worth.

Mark Doiron

I had an exhaust manifold crack and always wondered if it wasn't from water fording. Not much you can do about it. I'd also recommend that if you have glass lenses on any lights that are turned on, turn them off and let cool down. Seen many a cracked lens. Also, differentials can be hot. The breather is designed to allow it to cool down and suck in air above the water line. If you're worried that your differential breathers may be below the water line, wait awhile for the diffs to cool before crossing.

Also, if there's risk you might get stuck, not a bad idea to get out the winch controller, hook it up and place the controller in the cab, and run out the winch line a bit, drooping it over the bumper. I've seen a guy get into a situation where he needed to winch, and can you believe that with five vehicles, all with Warn winches, not a single other person's controller would fit that particular model? In that case it was on a steep ascent (Blanca Peak) where getting into his rear end was very precarious, but can you imagine having to open your rear gate in 40" of moving stream to get your controller that's stored in the cubby?

Tycho

Probably the biggest pain with regular water crossings is water in the diffs. You can extend the breathers but still pays to check regularly. An ARB diff cover or similar with a built in dipstick helps speed the checking and replacement. A snorkel is a must have if water is a regular for you. Also don't change gear mid stream if driving a stick shift.

karls10jk

Funny you should say that, I found a company doing "enhanced" stock manifolds with a 10 year warranty. They're competitively priced with stock manifolds as well.

Rescue7

That is a great video!
I too have cleaned out a lot of debris from my skid plates. Drilling a small hole sounds like a good idea. I live in New England where water is often muddy and I think the fan cut out and electrical grease may be helpful.
thank you.

Rescue7

Hmmm. I do have a manual Trans. What happens when you shift it underwater?

Rescue7

I don't have a winch yet but it is currently on the top of my list after getting stuck in thigh deep water. Can you recommend a good waterproof winch ? I was just going to Buy Warn and call it a day.

karls10jk

If you shift in the water then you pull your clutch away from your flywheel and allow anything in the water to get in there. I recently shifted in water after reading how it was "safe, as long as it's just water and not mud". I already had 125k miles on my clutch and TOB was ready to give up the ghost so I went ahead with it. The water was street flooding (not the swamp water this time) and I could immediately feel the grit on the clutch. The roar from my TOB got louder than it's been before. I went ahead and replaced everything in there last month and that TOB was shot. Clutch still had life in it and the flywheel wasn't scarred from the grit that was introduced.

Lesson learned- shifting in water, even if it appears clean is not a good idea. I also sprayed water into the inspection plate on the bottom of the trans and got quite a surprise with the amount of stuff coming out.

MMXJKU

Something to consider is that there are different depths to consider. Take a look at Tycho's pic. The bow wake is pushed up to the hood. The water level at the rear is about rocker high. The faster you go the higher the wake and the more power it takes to push through the water. This can create the need for more power which causes a higher bow wake and a percieved need for even more power. Sometime a slower speed can make a crossing easier. I have a high water mark in my airbox box not from sinking my front end in water that deep but from pushing a high bow wake.

My personal #1 rule for water crossings is when in doubt let someone else go first. My second rule is to clean out the radiator fins and fan. All kinds of crap will collect in there and lower the radiators ability to function properly