Water to bottom of the seats!

[DChatfield]

My 2500 was caught in a flash flood a few days ago. Water rose to the bottom of the seats, did not get in the dash, it was under water for approx 2 hours. I checked the oil could not see any water on the dipstick. I did not start it, called insurance they wanted me to have it towed to a auto-body shop. I said the hell with the body I want to know if my engine/transmission is good and if Dodge won't warranty it because of the flood water then it should be totaled. Well adjuster went to the dealer to look at the truck (after 3 days of sitting with water in the floorboards) and the dealer gave an estimate to fix of $1400. Dealer says they found no water intrusion in the engine. They are going to drain all of the fluids and will replace the carpet, detail inside and out. I still have a lot of concerns but my hands are tied. I can just hope when the dealer starts draining the fluids they find some water intrusion and call the adjuster back. I asked the dealer to please go over it with a fine tooth comb, I'm also asked them to look in the turbo for water. Any suggestions on what other issues items I should have the dealer/ins co look at before I accept the truck back?



2003 2500 slt HO, 6spd man, LWB, tag, B&W turnover

 

[BarryG]

Aside from what you have already mentioned what about any electrical items. Those junction boxes/splices/connectors etc may dry out fine and then again they may corrode down the road. You might want to take a look and see if there are any major ones that could have got a good soaking. Since it stayed below the dash the interior ones should be fine and the exterior ones should be fairly watertight but might be worth a check. Water splash is one thing total immersion for a couple of hours is another.

 

[John - K5AWO]

DChatfield



(you really need to update your profile and set it up to show your signature on your posts. We can be more helpful that way)



I have some very real concerns here. * THIS IS AN OPINION *



However, I have worked as an electronics technician since 1959 working in the oil patch on water soaked equipment after the fire hoses made a mess of everything. Take it with 2 grains of salt. Nuff said. For the last ten years I have been with Phoenix Fire Department, still working with after effects of water in my electronics.



NOW: your problem...



1) Was the battery disconnected immediately after truck retrieved from the water?



YES: Most likely the truck will survive, but the wiring must be cleaned thoroughly and corrosion protection applied to every electrical connection that exists on the truck. And there are a slew of them below the dashboard level. Also be sure the transmission and axles are drained and refilled with new fluids. I would totally insist that all upholstery be replaced, seat foam, everything.



NO: You just may have a total on the electronics. After three hours of soaking, everything is wet through and thru on the insulation and it will remain that way for weeks unless you are in desert country. The problem with this is electrolytic corrosion (electrolysis) that will continue until all moisture is gone. You can tell if this happened by looking for green or white-ish color residue around any bare terminals or wiring.



Read this as meaning: All push on connections regardless of type are now suspect. Any circuit boards that got soaked are suspect. Covers have to be removed and the moisture thoroughly dried out. Those push on connectors and thru dash harnesses love to hold moisture, really tough to get them dry with out a heat gun. All of this takes time and I am sure the dealer will only blow the water off with an air hose (maybe).



The only way to be sure is to remove all water damage, pull every joint apart, clean it with a good water dispursement product obtained from an electronics supply store. WD-40 will leave an ugly mess behind if used inside the cab. LPS-1 is great, still oily though. Works great under the hood.



But, here is the caveat. All of this should have started immediately after pulling the truck from the water. Letting it set for three days just ensures that all water absorbent areas are really soaked through and through Making the dry out process longer and tougher.



In my humble opinion, you just may want some legal help here to help the thought process along a little better in your behalf.



Not very encouraging am I.

Sorry 'bout that.



Having said all this, I have recovered nearly all of the vehicles that were damaged by water. Some of them were easy. Got to them the same day they got wet. Others, well, let's just say that because of company budgetary reasons, I had to redo all that work on them every few months until we got rid of them. The electrolysis kept returned like a bad nightmare.



If you live in a cool country, I would get rid of that truck one way or the other.



John

 

[EEngel]

Water

If the option of getting rid of the truck is too great of a loss, get the bumper to bumper waranty from the dealer. That way they are responsible for any further damage either way.

 

[ThomasLawrence]

Back in '99, during Hurricane Floyd, I had both my '95 3500 and '99 2500 immersed in water overnight. The 3500 had water to the bottom of the seats, and the 2500 had water to the top of the trans tunnel.



Fortunately, prior to the flooding, I disconnected all batteries. The 3500's engine and trans did not take in any water, but the 2500, due to a faulty oil pan gasket, did injest water into the crankcase. I simply drained all fluids (engine, trans, T-case, axles), replaced them, re-greased all the fittings, pulled the seats and carpeting, dried the interior with blowers, took the 2500 to a local oil change place and had an engine flush performed, bought new carpeting, new ABS modules (the only circuit board that sat in water), and a new CD player (to replace the trashed CD changer that was underneath the seat), and put it all back together. I disconnected all suspect electrical connectors, cleaned them with contact cleaner, greased them with dielectric grease, and plugged them back together.



Both trucks are still running fine today, with no ill effects. You'll probably be fine, as well.



-Tom

 

[Skippy1538]

I agree with Eengel, if you have not already purchased the 100,000 mile 7 year warranty see if the insurance company will pay for it. Also get the dealership to put in writing that they are aware that the truck had water damage that THEY fixed and agree to honor it.

 

[John - K5AWO]

On review, that warranty extension idea would be the cheapest.

 

[Briman]

Flood waters carry silt. Any body cavity that can hold it will cause rust or other problems down the road. My neighbor bought a used 96' 3500 about four years ago and the doors were full of red dirt. He also had a lot of electrical problem, as it turned out, it was from some floods in Houston. It was probably underwater longer than yours.



Check to make sure that all body voids are free from dirt deposited from the water. Yours may not have this problem but it might be worth thinking about.



Good luck coming to a resolution.

 

[DChatfield]

Thanks for all the responses. I spoke with my dealer today and they have removed all electrical connectors. blown them dry, (said did not find much water) and reapplied dielectric grease to all connectors. Also carpet was removed yesterday and they are awaiting new carpet to install. No water was found in engine, transmission, diffs or txfer case. Only time will tell but the dealer said when they are done they will have a signed statement of the work that was completed and my factory warranty will be honored. I am considering purchasing the xtended warranty and am in process of working this out with my insurance. Againg thanks to all who helped me out.

 

[Bertram65]

I would not worry too much about future problems, I would however be concerned if it will show up on a carfax report in the future if you decide to sell it. Is there anyway the insurance company can tell you if it will.

 

[DChatfield]

Well, The dealer called me saying that my vehicle was completed and ready to be picked up. The dealer told me over the phone that they had replaced the carpet, completed the detailing, found no water in the engine/transmission/diifs/ or txfer cases. When I arrived at the dealer the truck was out front. I could not believe what I seen. There was still grass and mud on top of the gas tank and hanging from all over the frame. The dealer never took the time to wash the underside of the truck to get rid of the mud and debris from the flood. This gave me lots of confidence they did the rest of the restoration job correctly. Inside the truck they did replace the carpet. However they did not wipe the mud off of the steel tool bed or the the center lower console. There was a big gouge in the passenger pillar arm plastic from, I guess where they took the seats out to replace the carptet. There was still dirt all over the front of the grill (mud and oil) from the flood and mud all over the top of the frame. I can go on and on. I was ******. I kept my cool and told the service mgr that it was not acceptable and would not accept the truck in this condition. He said: Quote:" why don't you drive it home for the weekend and bring it back on tuesday and we will clean the frame and wash the underside of the vehicle". I said no thanks that there were other issues and I pointed them out. He got somewhat defensive and said they only were paid to do a 150 dollar detail job and I would have to take it up with my insurance co. So I refused to pick up the truck and have contacted my adjuster stating what was wrong with the truck. I took notes and had a witness. I'm so ****** at these dealers. My truck was in a flood and I expected it to be returned to me at least with the mud washed off. I guess that was expecting too much. We will see what happens next tuesday.

 

[bmarkert]

my 03 drowned in six feet of water , the ins. company totaled it without question, it was under water for 9 hours (front-end) everything including under dash was soaked, filled with snakes and fish, took 5 days for the adjuster to get there. . the dealership said it could be fixed however the ins. co. totaled it because of their long term concerns.

 

[John - K5AWO]

hang in there. it was clean and new condition BEFORE the flood.