hello, new to site..i hope you guys can help me out on saving my truck...its a 97 discovery..ill try to tell you in detail on the events and what i did and whats going on with truck, so if you have any suggestions or answers, i would really appreciate it...here we go.......

as the water started to rise, my alarm (horn) went off. i went out and disconnected battery..when water recited, i noticed the water was as high as the console...i started it, and starter was still good, but hydrual locked..took plugs out and got water out of cylinders...then couldnt start it..so i started taking apart dash..i noticed the water went about 1/4 up on the gray fuse box under driver side...on the passenger side, it went up to about a 1/4 in the silver computer box(on silver computer box it reads in big letters (wabco amr5557)......so, i replaced the big gray fuse box and fuses, the silver box computer and all the black, green and yellow relays on the passenger side..the relays on the drivers side still look good..i use electrical cleaner on all the relay connections and all the rest of the connections that were under water....also, i put new starter in(that was a pain)...the other computer boxes that i didnt replace yet are the srs airbag in center console, window lift ecu, amp, and the green alarm box(which ill talk about shortly) i also cleaned up the center console area and connections(nuetral safety switch, etc)......also the computer on the passenger side and fuse box(not inside car) under hood didnt get affected..

now here is what happens and the problems....when i turn ignition on, it wont turn over(starter wont engage), dash doesnt light up, but red signal light for alarm is on....what does work is driving lights, radio, dome light, flashers, hood light....when i start by passing relays(relay to relay and relay to fuses), i CAN get the rest of the electronics to work and also the dash to light up, only from bypassing, but CANT get it to start from key....i found two relays bypassing that i can get starter to work (black relay to one of the yellow relays...but i have no spark......is it the alarm that stopping the dash from coming on and starting? any way to totally disconnect alarm? is there an inline fuse of some sort in the wiring harness...did i miss a relay, fuse, computer.......any help, suggestions or what you think, please reply...dont wanna lose the truck..thanks guys, chris

 

Purely from a mechanical standpoint you need to flush EVERYTHING.

I had an old Series IIa that used to get "wet" all the time (at the bottom of river beds, streams, creeks, etc.) and this is what I used to do. Never failed me but others may have different advice.

I'd either remove the oil pan or keep the drain open and plan to drain out a LOT of fluid. Take out all of you plugs as well as take the valve cover gaskets off. Buy about a gallon of rubbing alcohol and flush it down the heads and down the cylinders (slowly, you will see it drain). Once that is done do the same with ether (starting fluid). Once that is done put a few drops of OIL into each cylinder and then manually hand-turn the engine a few rotations to make sure the rings and cylinder walls aren't exposed to the air without a coating of oil. Replace oil filter with a cheap, junk filter. Fill the engine up with the cheapest oil you can find - I usually went lighter weight even than recommended just because it was easier to crank and get up to temperature that way.

Once the motor starts, let it get up to temp by idling. Next kill the motor and drain oil & replace filter. Fill the engine up with diesel fuel + about a half of a bottle of water remover (that you would put into your fuel tank if you had a diesel). Start the engine and let that run for 1-2 minutes, not even to the point that it comes up to temperature, just enough to get the diesel fuel everywhere so it cleans and spreads the water-remover.

Kill engine, drain, replace oil filter and fill with cheap oil again. Start it up and run for a bit (short trip to the store, around the block, etc.). Drain that and finally replace with proper oil filter and oil.

Take it as an opportunity to clear out and clean your intake - you are going to need to replace the air filter anyway so clean the MAF and throttle body.

No idea about the dash and the electronics. Put the truck inside a heated garage, buy a dehumidifier and let that run INSIDE the car for a few days. If you try to start it when internal electrics are wet it may not be good and may be too late.

 

These trucks have been known to cross rivers without any problems. That being said, it's different from having flood waters slowly creep up into your vehicle. The water probably carried some dirt, silt, oil and whatever else was within 100 yards of your truck. Plus you probably have all kinds of oxidation by now. Relays & switches probably have dirty contacts, connectors probably have crud in them.
I'm sure it's salvageable, but will probably take a lot of work. Plan on removing and cleaning anything with an electrical connection. Moving parts might very well have to be replaced. (Motors, ignition switch, etc.) Cross your fingers that your ECU is okay. The good news is that your wiring harness is probably good if the insulation on all of your wires is intact. Any exposed wire will begin to oxidize from the water. If it's near the end of the wire, it can be trimmed back to where it's still clean & shiny and re-terminated with a new connector.
Good luck!

 

I didnt even read the whole thread because you need to let insurance total it out and start over.
It was flooded, it is done, end of story.
Your transmission is full of water, so is the transfer case and differentials, all the electrics are done for, if not now once the corrosion starts they will be.
The MAF is toast, the ECU, window motors, seat motors...everything.
If insurance wont cover it then strip what you can to sell, like winch bumper if you have one, wheels and rims, spare tire...anything that cant be ruined by water.
Your truck is D-O-N-E!!

 

There's a big difference in getting one wet and getting one flooded..
I'm on the path with Spike here.. It's probably toast..
Depending on what computer you replaced, You might have to have it re-setup to that truck with the test book...

How long was it under water ? If you haven't drained all the gearboxes yet you've probably waited too long...

And whatever that guy said about putting diesel in the crankcase instead of oil and then running the engine for a couple of minutes... Well you just need to ignore that part... Flush it out but don't try to use diesel in the place of engine oil...

It's probably immobilized....The spider got wet and that's what's holding you up... Time to tear apart the dash..

John



John

 

see https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...ighlight=alarm