OEM intake water crossing depth?

Okay, before you read the title and immediately begin to craft your objections, there was a flash flood down here in florida the weekend before Halloween. So as fate would have it, my GF and I ended up having to deal with waist deep water in her Hyundai Elantra, of all vehicles, on our way back from a halloween party in the early hours of the mourning. Why we took her car, i don't really know. It was partially laziness (had to move another vehicle), part lack of thinking, and part "who the F is expecting a flash flood in 3 hours?" Anyway, damn elantra sucked water into the intake about 100 feet from my house. Luckily I was able to push it to the driveway. After that the rain cleared up and we jumped in the Taco to survey the damage. A lot of vehicles seemed to have met the same fate, in far less opportune places than I. The tow trucks had a field day. The deepest water I found was almost up to the bottom of the cab. Maybe right at the bottom of the cab. (31" tires, 1.5" lift) Just outside of that particular road pond were 3 cars, stranded with their hazards on. I pulled up to see if they needed any help and one guy told me that where his car was parked the water was over his tires. That shocked me since he couldn't have been there more than an hour or 2 and there was no water where his car was. Based on that, I can only imagine how deep the water was not 40 feet from him that was almost up to my cab.

So.... if I had been out in the truck and not the little hyundai, I wonder if even I could have made it through that water? (i turned around, went a few miles, hit another road south, doubled back east, and went north to my house. luckily that way wasn't as swamped but it could have been, and then the car sucked water in within sight of my driveway).

That leaves me wondering, about how high is the intake on our trucks. I can't really see since it seems to disappear into the side of the truck. in the case of my GFs hyundai, it's easy to see the intake is right over the radiator smack in the front of the hood. Also, i've read the alternator is vulnerable too. How high is that thing? is there any way to waterproof it?

Again, not asking because i'm foolhardy or naive, just want to know in case im caught in an emergency situation and need to make a decision. Until I get a snorkel of course

As for the GFs hyundai. the next day i pulled the spark plugs out and used the starter to pump the water out. That was what we always did on our ATVs as kids . I used the handpump i used to change the diff oil to pump any excess water out (a lot in cyl 4). sprayed wd-40 in the cyl, cleaned and dried the sprak plugs, went to start it and it made this horrible ticking. Im guessing cracked manifold or.... bent rod/bad crank bearing her insurance seems to be taking care of it. I was crossing the water just fine, what did me in are these stupid speed humps down my street. Upon cresting the speed hump, the decent forced the nose of the car into the water. As I later found out, the intake is right in front of the hood. If it had been level the whole way, i think i would have made it fine.


Any thoughts. Excuse my grammar, it's 8:30am and i didn't get any sleep last night. feels like 9:30 with the hour change....

 

Too long for anyone to read? Lol

 

The bottom of the intake is about 4-6" above the top of the tire, behind the wheel well.

 

This is the deepest I've seen a 1st Gen go without snorkel. I didn't see it myself, pic is courtesy of Jose

What do u mean by boxes wolfpack? The fuse boxes?

Thanks for the reply brad.

 

I did this crossing ^ right before him it's not that deep we were just pushing water in front of us making it look deeper. it was about half way up the doors. and he had water in his air box I also had water all over my K&N.

Here is me going across it this was taken right before the deep spot but the water did roll over the hood.

 

Had zero problems with this crossing. (Was my first time and I'm sure I did it wrong.) I think as long as you have a steady wake in front of the truck, you should be able to get through water up to your headlights without much if any problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPVyiZ3lwX0

 

Time for a snorkel...I know I want one pretty badly.

But yeah, I've gotten to the point where it was definitely sketchy...like the engine almost wanted to die hah.

 

when i cross 2 or 3 foot of water my taco dies any ideas

 

GO slower lol

 

Are you going deeper than this guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJgBU3DB1HM

 

What about a go pro in the engine bay with a light when going into deep water?

 

hope this wasn't a serious suggestion

 

I always like it when I see people that think the deeper the water is, the faster you should go. Just be smart about it and take it easy and you'll be fine. The deepest I've gone up to is a little higher than the door panels, and that is on a stock taco. I was nervous, but everything worked just fine.

 

definitely..

I have been in water up to the middle of the door, and just crawling through it in 4LO got me through it okay. Unfortunately the bottom started to fall out under the water (mud) and I started to spin....got kinda sketchy...

thank god for 4LO

 

By proving they can't stop you!....




Seriously though I feel that way about boulder crossings. So slow and tedious. I feel more aof a reward from crossing a river or muddy hole than a pile of sharp rocks. Guess I just don't have a fetish for articulation like some.

 

Oh ya, didn't u hydrolock ur taco in the dinedk? That sucks