Water Depth?

Finsterino · 08-28-2008, 11:08 AM

On a later model Taco, the air intake seems to be above the wheel well. But besides not wanting to suck water in, how is the rest of the engine for water intrusion?

Are the plugs and high voltage circuits sealed with something like silicone goop?

Should I be able to drive thru water that reaches the top of tires without stalling?

What is your experience?

TNX

silverback07 · 08-28-2008, 11:44 AM

I've been through water that came to about the top of the tire. It didn't have an issue, but I don't think I'd want to try any deeper. Since you can't see whats on the bottom I kept thinking I might hit a hole, drop a tire and suck in some water.

Janster · 08-28-2008, 12:31 PM

Since the truck wasn't designed to drive in water, I doubt Toyota took anytime to consider totally waterproofing the engine or electronics. That's why it has a hood on it.....

The items that really need to be protected (computer) are inside the cab.

If you find yourself wanting to drive in water a lot - then you're only asking for trouble either immediately (hydrolocking the engine) or down the road (worn out bearings, leaking seals, smelly carpet, electronics corroding, etc).

I don't think there's anyway of totally waterproofing everything....and if you could, is it really worth it? Just stay outta the water!

Like Silverback07 already said.... depending on the terrain, you could easily drop a tire into a hole and you can easily splash water up into the intake at any given moment depending on how you're driving. It only takes a little bit of water to get into ONE cylinder to hydrolock the engine.

If you do stall when fording water...DO NOT TURN THAT KEY!!!

Banshee · 08-28-2008, 03:07 PM

Another thing to consider is extending the breathers on both diffs and the transmission (if an auto). Get some water in there and you'll end up with a nice milky mess and your gears will really dislike you. If water gets in your transmission you'll potentially be looking at a very expensive repair, in upwards of $6000 for a new tranny is what I've seen.

chris4x4 · 08-28-2008, 06:09 PM

I was in my friends Tacoma ( he has a snorkle) and the water was lapping up onto the windshield. We were kinda freaked, but no damage was done, the truck made it accross, and all he did later was change out his fluids.

silverback07 · 08-28-2008, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

Another thing to consider is extending the breathers on both diffs and the transmission (if an auto). Get some water in there and you'll end up with a nice milky mess and your gears will really dislike you. If water gets in your transmission you'll potentially be looking at a very expensive repair, in upwards of $6000 for a new tranny is what I've seen.

I believe the front diff, transfer case and transmission are already extended. Take a look under the hood and you will see them on the drivers side of the motor. The transfer case and transmission share one and the other is for front diff. The rear however is not, I have extended mine up into one of the side pockets in the bed.

Banshee · 08-28-2008, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverback07

I believe the front diff, transfer case and transmission are already extended. Take a look under the hood and you will see them on the drivers side of the motor. The transfer case and transmission share one and the other is for front diff. The rear however is not, I have extended mine up into one of the side pockets in the bed.

On the FJ Cruiser the transmission is NOT extended. There is a guy up here in WA that had to have his trans replaced after going through some deep water. I believe it is the front diff and transfer case that are extended. It might be different on the Tacoma but I doubt it. Might want to verify the trans and transfer case share one.

silverback07 · 08-28-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

On the FJ Cruiser the transmission is NOT extended. There is a guy up here in WA that had to have his trans replaced after going through some deep water. I believe it is the front diff and transfer case that are extended. It might be different on the Tacoma but I doubt it. Might want to verify the trans and transfer case share one.

Well I stand corrected. Neither of those vents under the hood go to the transmission NOR the transfer case. One is for the front diff and one is for the locker actuator that runs all the way from the back of the truck. Apparently the trans breather is in a bolt at the highest point on the trans (total pain to extend) and the transfer case extends out on top of the transmission. Learn something every day.

Banshee · 08-31-2008, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverback07

Well I stand corrected. Neither of those vents under the hood go to the transmission NOR the transfer case. One is for the front diff and one is for the locker actuator that runs all the way from the back of the truck. Apparently the trans breather is in a bolt at the highest point on the trans (total pain to extend) and the transfer case extends out on top of the transmission. Learn something every day.

Well,

I just finished extending all of my breathers. I'm not sure about the Tacoma's but on my FJ the Transmission, transfer case breathers were attached on the backside of the engine and a total PIA to get to and I mean a real PIA. My rear diff and e-locker actuator breathers were very low The rear diff being on the 3rd member and the e-locker one was attached to a cross member. The front diff and another breather were extended into the engine compartment, well not anymore. They are now at the same height as the transmission and transfer case breathers. My water traversing depth is now limited by my intake height. Looks like a snorkel is in order...

BrunesDoesTRD · 08-31-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

Well,

I just finished extending all of my breathers. I'm not sure about the Tacoma's but on my FJ the Transmission, transfer case breathers were attached on the backside of the engine and a total PIA to get to and I mean a real PIA. My rear diff and e-locker actuator breathers were very low The rear diff being on the 3rd member and the e-locker one was attached to a cross member. The front diff and another breather were extended into the engine compartment, well not anymore. They are now at the same height as the transmission and transfer case breathers. My water traversing depth is now limited by my intake height. Looks like a snorkel is in order...

I like where your head is at!!

silverback07 · 08-31-2008, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Banshee

Well,

I just finished extending all of my breathers. I'm not sure about the Tacoma's but on my FJ the Transmission, transfer case breathers were attached on the backside of the engine and a total PIA to get to and I mean a real PIA. My rear diff and e-locker actuator breathers were very low The rear diff being on the 3rd member and the e-locker one was attached to a cross member. The front diff and another breather were extended into the engine compartment, well not anymore. They are now at the same height as the transmission and transfer case breathers. My water traversing depth is now limited by my intake height. Looks like a snorkel is in order...

I've already extended my rear diffs... just need to work on trans and transfer case. Whereabouts on back of engine where they? From what I've read (cant verify without some serious time spent under the truck.. I've looked just can't verify) the trans and t-case are way under the transmission between trans and floorpan. Is this the case on FJ's?

beastlytaco · 08-31-2008, 07:58 PM

i almost bought a tacoma with a snorkel. it was a 97 and had 235,000 on it. 4x4 with a shell but i decided not to buy it. i figured that the thing had seen to much abuse .

silverback07 · 08-31-2008, 08:03 PM

I've been looking into a snorkle (hey you never know right?)... but they dont make a kit for it.. you have to fab your own with a kit from a Hiliux. Its close to being a "next mod". I just dont see that much water. http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tec...o_snorkel.html

Banshee · 08-31-2008, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverback07

I've already extended my rear diffs... just need to work on trans and transfer case. Whereabouts on back of engine where they? From what I've read (cant verify without some serious time spent under the truck.. I've looked just can't verify) the trans and t-case are way under the transmission between trans and floorpan. Is this the case on FJ's?

Ok. This is what I determined on the FJ. The transmission breather starts off on the passenger side of the transmission and comes up to a 90 degree bend (maybe 1" off the trans) then heads towards the front of the rig. It ends up on the drivers side of the rig bolted to the head (see attached pic). The transfer case breather is located further down behind the engine and you can reach it with some skinny arms. Pop the hood and climb up on the drivers side, reach back behind the engine. If you have an inspection mirror get it on the passenger side and look around for a breather and have a friend or yourself feel around for it while the other tells you where to put your hand. Let me tell you I had a hard time reaching it but I did and it was just clipped in to a little clip. I unclipped it and it slid down quite well to the drivers side I was able to pull the breather and feed the extension tube down from the top. I was able to get them both connected under the rig and pull it buck up. The transmission one was a bitch to put it mildly. I was able to reach in behind the engine and get the clip undone with one hand (again not easy). The hard part was getting the tubing off the fixed nipple and reconnecting it to and extension.

derekabraham · 08-31-2008, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverback07

I've been looking into a snorkle (hey you never know right?)... but they dont make a kit for it.. you have to fab your own with a kit from a Hiliux. Its close to being a "next mod". I just dont see that much water. http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tec...o_snorkel.html

That's a nice looking Taco!

chris4x4 · 08-31-2008, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverback07

but they dont make a kit for it.. you have to fab your own with a kit from a Hiliux. Its close to being a "next mod". I just dont see that much water.

You cant do much worse than mine:

Exhaust is home made, as is much of the intake.

derekabraham · 08-31-2008, 09:08 PM

What are the dimensions on that thing?

08-28-2008, 11:08 AM	#1
Finsterino Junior Member Joined: May 2008, #6343 Location: Florida Posts: 28 07 TRD 2007 Access Cab Automatic	Water Depth? On a later model Taco, the air intake seems to be above the wheel well. But besides not wanting to suck water in, how is the rest of the engine for water intrusion? Are the plugs and high voltage circuits sealed with something like silicone goop? Should I be able to drive thru water that reaches the top of tires without stalling? What is your experience? TNX __________________ Support our Troops!

08-28-2008, 11:44 AM	#2
silverback07 Senior Member Joined: Jul 2008, #7986 Location: Austin Age: 40 Posts: 1,131 07 TRD OR DC 2007 Double Cab Automatic 4.0 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4	I've been through water that came to about the top of the tire. It didn't have an issue, but I don't think I'd want to try any deeper. Since you can't see whats on the bottom I kept thinking I might hit a hole, drop a tire and suck in some water. __________________ 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4, Leather OME 886/140, OME Dakars/182, TC UCA, TW CV DS, 285 Destination MT, Spidertrax, Goodridge SS lines Rocktec & AllPro bumpers, Shrockworks sliders, Grillcraft, C2C struts, AllPro & BudBuilt skids, PIAA 510's, HID's, Warn M8000, MP Superline, HiLift Extreme, Oasis On-board Air, Dual Batteries, A-pillar pod w/ Autometer, ScanGauge II, Midland CB w/FireFly, Alpine/MB Quart/ID

08-28-2008, 12:31 PM	#3
Janster Pre Senior Citizen Joined: Mar 2007, #1138 Location: Lancaster, PA Age: 41 Gender: Male Posts: 2,607 2007 4.0L 4x4 TRD Sport Access Cab A 2007 Access Cab Automatic 4.0L Advantage Torza top (tri-fold), Husky floor mats, RuffTuff seat covers, C2C hood struts, Homelink mirror, Ipod2car (80gig Classic/4gig nano), Garmin Nuvi 660, Protecta Bed mat, Pop-n-lock, TSB Springs, Scangauge II, Heated drivers seat, Fumoto drain valve, Aries pushbar, PIAA 540 fog lights, Hood scoop grahics, Flowmaster 50 series dual catback exhaust.	Since the truck wasn't designed to drive in water, I doubt Toyota took anytime to consider totally waterproofing the engine or electronics. That's why it has a hood on it..... The items that really need to be protected (computer) are inside the cab. If you find yourself wanting to drive in water a lot - then you're only asking for trouble either immediately (hydrolocking the engine) or down the road (worn out bearings, leaking seals, smelly carpet, electronics corroding, etc). I don't think there's anyway of totally waterproofing everything....and if you could, is it really worth it? Just stay outta the water! Like Silverback07 already said.... depending on the terrain, you could easily drop a tire into a hole and you can easily splash water up into the intake at any given moment depending on how you're driving. It only takes a little bit of water to get into ONE cylinder to hydrolock the engine. If you do stall when fording water...DO NOT TURN THAT KEY!!! __________________ Our Homepage http://www.lieblweb.com/ My truck photo gallery http://www.lieblweb.com/cpg/thumbnails.php?album=16

08-28-2008, 03:07 PM	#4
Banshee In the Top Ten! Joined: Sep 2006, #7 Location: Seattle'ish, WA Age: 31 Gender: Dude Posts: 932 2008 FJ Cruiser. Sandstorm/White Off Automatic 1GR-FE Maint:Scangauge II. Comms: Cobra 75WXST, Bandi mount, Firestik 3footer. Cargo: Custom storage box for rear cargo area. ARB CKMA12 High Output air compressor (OBA). ARB Winchbar. Warn M8000 Wench	Another thing to consider is extending the breathers on both diffs and the transmission (if an auto). Get some water in there and you'll end up with a nice milky mess and your gears will really dislike you. If water gets in your transmission you'll potentially be looking at a very expensive repair, in upwards of $6000 for a new tranny is what I've seen. __________________ http://www.treadlightly.org/

08-28-2008, 06:09 PM	#5
chris4x4 Western Aliance: Fix it Division Joined: May 2008, #6497 Location: Tempe ,Az Posts: 4,270 2007 PreRunner 2007 Double Cab Automatic 1GR-FE (4.0 V6) OME 885's, OME shocks, Total Chaos UCA's, TSB springs with AAL, 5100 rear shocks, custom built fuel tank skid plate	I was in my friends Tacoma ( he has a snorkle) and the water was lapping up onto the windshield. We were kinda freaked, but no damage was done, the truck made it accross, and all he did later was change out his fluids. __________________ The simplest solutions are often the most clever..............they are also usually wrong.

08-31-2008, 07:58 PM	#12
beastlytaco Doomsday Squad Joined: Jun 2008, #7660 Location: north carolina Gender: Dude Posts: 1,782 08 tacoma standard cab 2008 Regular Cab Automatic 2.7L 4 banger 15% tinted back window, 25% on sides. Jardine catback exhaust system. horn modification, AFE pro dry S filter and secondary filter removed.	i almost bought a tacoma with a snorkel. it was a 97 and had 235,000 on it. 4x4 with a shell but i decided not to buy it. i figured that the thing had seen to much abuse . __________________ Ted nugent 2012

08-31-2008, 08:03 PM	#13
silverback07 Senior Member Joined: Jul 2008, #7986 Location: Austin Age: 40 Posts: 1,131 07 TRD OR DC 2007 Double Cab Automatic 4.0 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4	I've been looking into a snorkle (hey you never know right?)... but they dont make a kit for it.. you have to fab your own with a kit from a Hiliux. Its close to being a "next mod". I just dont see that much water. http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tec...o_snorkel.html __________________ 2007 Tacoma TRD Off Road 4x4, Leather OME 886/140, OME Dakars/182, TC UCA, TW CV DS, 285 Destination MT, Spidertrax, Goodridge SS lines Rocktec & AllPro bumpers, Shrockworks sliders, Grillcraft, C2C struts, AllPro & BudBuilt skids, PIAA 510's, HID's, Warn M8000, MP Superline, HiLift Extreme, Oasis On-board Air, Dual Batteries, A-pillar pod w/ Autometer, ScanGauge II, Midland CB w/FireFly, Alpine/MB Quart/ID

08-31-2008, 09:08 PM	#17
derekabraham Doomsday Squad Joined: Jul 2008, #7822 Location: San Diego Age: 17 Posts: 3,220 08 PreRunner V6 SR5 TRD Off Road 2008 Access Cab Automatic	What are the dimensions on that thing? __________________

08-31-2008, 09:08 PM	#18
timmer Off-road enthusiast S.W.region Joined: May 2008, #6655 Location: Las Vegas Age: 46 Gender: Male Posts: 676