As a few of you may know, I went down to Cape Hatteras this weekend to check on my house. The storm passes and all is well except this morning I got up and wanted to get a few groceries. I went to the local store and on the way there, I went through a puddle. Nothing big or huge just a fun little splash. Well my three amigos turned on. Son of a biscuit eating bulldog! I make it to the store and the wind is still howling N/NW. On hatteras that means flooding. Sloop I'm driving back to the house and I am in about 2.5 feet or so of water. I stop to help someone who's stuck in the water (still on the road) and it takes about 15 minuets. I get back in the rover which has been running this whole time, and my check engine lights on, rear suspension light, three amigos, M&S and D are flashing. I slowly make it home about a mile down the street and park it in the neighbors yard. Shut it off and didn't try restarting it. We're about 4 hours from our house in VA. Should it be towed? Should I try restarting the little rover? Should I disconnect anything? There aren't any good mechanics here on the outer islands.

Theres a road down there

 

Forgot to mention its an 01 SE7.

 

Hi
If you got water inside underneath the driver seat the transmission ECU got wet. I have had personal experience with Auto ECUs. It would be best not to drive it if this happened. I wouldn't if you can help it. You can take a petrol d2 pretty deep in the water if you keep a bow wave in front of the rig. A good size bow wave will keep water out of your engine compartment, so don’t stop.

"You can not go as deep as a Diesel but with proper prep work you can pretty darn deep if you don’t mind a wet interior. When getting ready to go deep you need to look at how often you will be going under. If it is a minor crossings every now and then, just keep your bow wave and add duct tape to the bottom of you door seals where the two halves meet. Just that little trick will keep water out of the cab for a little longer.

If you are doing a lot of water crossings you can extend your BCU, ECU, ABS and many other computers to the back roof and mount the computers above the barn door. The biggest issue was the coil packs. When they get wet the d2 bucks like a mule for a few miles. What a friend did was move the coil pack to the inside of the cab."

I would check the differential's and
transfer case fluid if it looks milky change it.
I think it might run after this, but really poorly until it dries out. I would Wait !

I wish you and all your neighbors the best of luck.
I hope this helps you.

From the DII owners manual:
WADING
The maximum advisable wading depth is
20 inches (0,5 m).
Severe electrical damage may occur if the
vehicle remains stationary for any length of
time when the water level is above the door
sills.
If the depth of water is likely to exceed 20
inches (0,5 m), the following precautions
should be observed:
•Fix a plastic sheet in front of the radiator
grille to prevent water from soaking the
engine and mud from blocking the radiator.
•Remove the CD autochanger*.
•Ensure that the silt bed beneath the water is
free of obstacles and firm enough to
support the vehicle's weight and provide
sufficient traction.
•Ensure that the engine air intake is clear of
the water level.
•Select a low gear and maintain sufficient
throttle to prevent the engine from stalling.
This is particularly important if the exhaust
pipe is under water.
•Drive slowly into the water and accelerate to
a speed which causes a bow wave to form;
then maintain that speed.
At all times, keep all the doors fully closed.
After wading
•Immediately after wading, remove any
protective covering from in front of the
radiator grille.
•Drive the vehicle a short distance and apply
the foot brake to check that the brakes are
fully effective.
•DO NOT rely on the parking brake to hold the
vehicle stationary until the transmission has
thoroughly dried out; in the meantime, leave
the vehicle with the gearbox selector moved
to park (‘P’).
•If the water was particularly muddy, remove
any blockages (mud and leaves) from the
radiator to reduce the risk of overheating.
•If deep water is regularly negotiated, check
all oils for signs of water contamination -
contaminated oil can be identified through
its ‘milky’ appearance. In addition, check the
air filter element for water ingress and
replace if wet - consult a Land Rover dealer
if necessary.
•If salt water is frequently negotiated,
thoroughly wash the underbody
components and exposed body panels with
fresh water.
NOTE: Vehicles required to undergo frequent or
deep wading conditions will require more
frequent servicing.
Best

 

Hard to say what all is wrong with it without a code reader, if the interior didn't get wet then some of your issues may resolve themselves once the truck dries out. Problem is, that was saltwater I'm assuming so it's more likely to cause problems after the fact due to corrosion. Any connectors that got submerged I'd want to clean out if it was mine. Good idea to change the front and rear diff and transfer case gear oil also if it was parked in the water for a while.


You could try starting it tomorrow and see if it's improved any. Disconnecting the battery would clear some of the warning lights assuming you have no other means of doing so (scan tool). Of course if anything is still waterlogged they may come right back on.

 

The storm surge went down, we still have water on the roads but not nearly the height. I started the rover and she ran a bit winky at first but I refer it up a bit and it sounded great. The M&S lights are off but the 3 amigos and the CEL light are back on. I'll have my mechanic read the codes.
Thanks for the piece of mind though, this forum is a awesome place!

 

The lowest priority are the Three Amigos. You can drive in normal conditions indefinitely with them illuminated.

The CEL (SES) light should be addressed soon but it doesn't render the truck undrivable unless it's flashing.

You say you were in 2-1/2 feet of water. That's 30" and over the top of your tires and well above the floor of your truck in the front. I hope that's not really the case because if it was sitting for a while while you were helping the other driver the water could've done real damage to the EAT ECU under the driver's seat.

Setting that aside, the connectors for the O2 sensors are very fickle about being wet. Mine went haywire after I sprayed down the engine in my truck at a car wash.

The O2 sensor connectors are likely above the level of the standing water where you were but they may have been splashed when you were driving. I'd suggest disconnecting them and letting them dry out, and then using a good electrical contact cleaner on them, both male and female sides. Then let them dry again and reconnect them and see what happens. It may take a few drive cycles for the ECU to reset it's adaptive settings so try to be a little patient.

And if you don't already have an Ultra Gauge to read temps and fuel trims I recommend you get one. Mine's been invaluable to me keeping my truck on the road and running right.

BTW I was in Hatteras again (and Ocracoke) four weeks ago. I'm trying to reconcile what I saw with your pics. Wow.

 

Yeah 12 was totally flooded. I disconnected the battery this morning and went fishing for a few hours. Came back reconnected the battery and attempted to start the truck and it cranks but doesn't start. I tried and tried but no start. Finally it turns over and runs good. Amigos still on ( I know they're not a big issue) I'll start it again in the morning. The carpet never got wet, and it definitely didn't get up to the edu or the bcm under the dash. I'm sure the o2s got wet, even with a respectable bow wave. Want more pics? See how the majestic sound flows into our parking lot.

Bonito rd by Tarpin ln. That feild was under water

The water line didnt get much higher when i stopped for 15-20 mins.

Rt 12 at Tarpin was waist deep with salt water. Its not rain.

 

Most likely some electrical got wet. I wouldn't be to concerned. Check the codes and see what she is telling you. I would almost bet the CEL is going to be o2 sensor releated

 

Sarahcake, any update?

 

Yes! The truck started rough the next few days and on the way home I was terrified to turn it off. Tuesday I go to work in the morning and the truck starts just fine. All the lights are off except the amigos which is frustrating since I spent a ton to turn them off. But I'll have them reset and fix it again if need be, hopefully it's not a big deal. Weirdly though the carpet was wet. I don't remember the water getting that high, but apparently it did. Sorry if you're ha going the same problems, I think water caused my problems.