thechad07

So... Please share where you found a source for "enhanced" stock manifolds.

Thanks,

TweakJK

Very possible. I had a buddy hit a large puddle on the street and immediately cracked his exhaust manifold.

Mark Doiron

I do not have a good recommendation. In fact, my Warn PowerPlant manual says to replace the controller module after fording. Since that is a $200+ part, I always ignored that instruction. But controller eventually failed; can't say whether from fording or not.

CMHilbert

Regarding the bow wave. Instructor from Offroad Consulting (they teach at Rausch Creek) talked about his experiences with water crossings - doesn't believe in the bow wave idea. His logic was that if you do have to stop (or get stuck), there is a greater chance of that higher water level coming back to do engine damage. He also agreed with the idea of not shifting while in the water.

I carry an ODB scanner that ties into Torque (an app available for Apple and Android). I have used it to clear O2 / misfire related codes after days with a lot of water involved. This has actually fixed a rough running engine for me before. I'm not saying this an ideal situation (protecting the engine from getting disturbed like this would be best), but its something.

I have all my breathers routed to the upper corner of the engine bay, and am waiting for an AEV snorkel to show up on the forums. I really like the Rugged Ridge snorkel - where you can remove the upper part when not needed, but the intake pipe routing and all the extra connections seem to outweigh the benefits.

zackjk

Water crossings over the tires always make me nervous. Last wheeling trip our guide who was on 40s in a YJ took us through a fairly deep swampy area. I ended up driving through water halfway up to my grill, which gave me a mini heart attack because I know that if I locked up my engine wheeling for me would be over for good.

Have someone else be the test dummy... Don't be the first to go through
Check depth with stick if unsure of deepness
Drive Slow through water, don't hit it with speed and produce a wake
Don't change gears while in water
Get a snorkle
Extend breathers
Have heard an engine fan shutoff switch is good to have when going in deep
Remember you can always turn around and go back the way you came

Tycho

Some random thoughts on water crossings. Generally if you are moving faster than the relative speed of the water you will end up with a bow wave. No great problem, just don't overtake it. Ideally for deep and swift water, if you choose to cross it, aim to cross going with the flow, this will see you exit downstream from where you enter so plan on this. If you find yourself getting swept sideways downstream go with it and angle more downstream, you don't want to hit a big rock side on and risk rolling. Don't cross on the bend of a river as chances are it will be deeper and the exit will be soft. Ideally cross just before a bend as the water should be shallower there. There can also be deep holes next to trees to trap the unwary. If in convoy do not enter water until the previous vehicle has fully exited. Once exited the vehicle should wait and observe the next vehicle, ready to assist if need be. Having recovery straps already attached front and rear can speed things and save some water from entering. Retaining clips on hooks can stop ropes and straps floating off. Hooks are a lot easier to attach to under water than a D shackle. Triangle stickers on hood etc can indicate the location of recovery hooks if the bumper is under water. Remember smooth water runs deep, clear water can appear much shallower than it actually is. One test for a rocky bottom stream is to throw a rock high and listen if you can hear it strike the bottom, this can give you some idea of depth. A good rule of thumb is if you cannot safely wade the river then you should probably not attempt to drive it. Generally avoid unknown water crossings at night as you will not be able to judge depth and once your headlights dip underwater the world will go very dark. Lighter vehicles or those without a snorkel can be towed across (engine off if no snorkel). Just use a good length rope as I have seen too short a rope pull both vehicles into a V and thus all the water will try and go between the vehicles rather than around them, makes things very difficult. It might be that you can connect two tow vehicles and have a long enough rope to have both towing vehicles across before the third (towee?) even enters the water. It is my preference to have my seat belt off if attempting a tricky water crossing, I also have a break glass hammer attached to the centre console. If you are driving in a river with a soft bottom air down and avoid spinning tires which will just see you lose forward momentum and sink as your wheels excavate holes, if you feel your tires starting to spin back off to regain traction. Ice in rivers is pretty much floating rocks and if thick enough can tear off brake lines, wedge where it shouldn't and pretty much make life difficult.

Mark Doiron

I have an sPOD and one of the problems with it is that it's designed to turn things that are normally off on, not to turn things that are normally on off. That may sound like a fine distinction, but I wanted to wire the sPOD to control my engine fan on my 3.8. Here's how I did it ...

Note that on a 3.8 there are only two wires to the radiator fan. On a 3.6 there are three. Ignore the extra wire (I believe it is white). A friend with a 2012 said that worked fine on his 3.6. Also note that there is a lot more power going to the engine fan than you may realize. A small horn relay will not work--besides, it needs to be a five pin relay, able to pass a signal through when powered off (which is why the sPOD doesn't do the job directly). I recommend this relay ...

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Relay-Si.../dp/B001PNMBE4




I attached the new relay to the fan shroud with some Zip-ties. I wrapped the connections with F-4 tape (Google it). Bear in mind that the relay I recommend comes with a couple extra heavy duty terminal lugs designed for its oversized pins.





I wired the relay control wires to the sPOD. Bear in mind that the way this works is what you want: I can override the Jeep's decision to turn on the fan motor. I cannot force the fan on, but I can force it off.



What that means at the sPOD controller is that when the switch is powered on (as shown in this image), the fan cannot run. Go very long like that and the Jeep will let you know because the engine can easily overheat. If you don't have an sPOD, then you can wire a switch to serve the same function: Wire it so that the switch, when activated, powers the coil of the new 80 amp relay. That will remove power from the fan no matter what the Jeep tries to do. When the switch is in the other position, that will allow the Jeep to decide whether or not to run the fan. Again: You do NOT want to wire it so that you have to remember to turn the fan off and on as you're driving the Jeep. this is just an override to force it off for a brief time while fording a stream.



And, because pictures of river fording are fun ...





And this is not how you ford a creek (or the Buffalo River, in this case). The friend driving my Jeep is a highly experienced overlander and knows that and was just screwing with me.



And one final point that hasn't been mentioned: If/when Jeep ever sells a diesel Jeep in the U.S., that is WAY better for regular river fording because it still runs fine when wet (doesn't need electrical spark system).

Mad Dog 21

So what are you suppose to do when you get stuck in the middle of crossing? besides quickly hook up and get pulled out. Shut the engine off? I'm still very new to this and have subscribed to this because this is a huge concern for me when going hunting or etc. please keep the wealth of knowledge coming. I'm learning.

Also, what should you do if you accidentally depress the clutch in the water? (For future reference)

Mark Doiron

That will depend on the situation. I had one friend who didn't realize he was in 2WD. Another engaged a locker to get moving. If engine is running and there is no concern for water ingestion, I'd leave it idling. Assess gear on each side of crossing, and what direction you want to go. And who's willing to get wet and/or muddy to hook up whatever recovery means you have. Bear in mind if you're first, a lot of river banks offer nothing to anchor to. A Pull-Pal may be very useful. Also bear in mind if you keep going forward with a larger group, it is likely the river bottom will become worse for travel.

If you push clutch, it's too late to do much. The access plate gives no real access to clean the bell housing out. Press on and hope for the best.

coolhand129

I just bought a zeon 10s. I believe their water resistance rating is that it will work submerged for 30 minutes.