Wet 3rd Gen Interior

I went offroading in my 2021 TRD Offroad and ended up getting stuck in about 40" of standing fresh water. Winched out just fine and thanks to my lift, 33' tires, and diff breather nothing happened mechanically to the truck.

Water entered my interior which I drained by opening the doors. I then used a carpet extractor and a wet vac to remove as much water from the carpets as I could.

It's been about 24 hours and the carpet is dry to the touch but I'm worried about mildew and trapped water. Do Tacomas have drain plugs? I have two Damprid bags in the truck right now and plan on swapping them out tomorrow with two fresh bags.

I'm also confused why the door seals failed so easily (The water only went about 6" past the bottom of the door, I only sat in the water for about 5 minutes, and my truck is only 14 months old so I figured the seals would do a better job. )

In addition to removing the water does anyone have advice on better sealing the doors for future water crossings?

Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

My suggestion: get a boat if you don’t want water intrusion.

 

The waters too deep for my truck and too shallow for my boat. I can't win! lol

 

Yes there are plugs on the bottom.

 

I’ve been told the door seals are only good for 3”. If I were you I would remove the interior completely. Take out the seats then remove the carpet. Sure it’s dry to the touch now but the padding underneath will still be soaked. The truck does have drain plugs but that requires popping off the inner door trim and lifting up the carpet

 

Pull the carpet out, there is sound deadening and some electrical connectors under it.

 

And this is why I’d never buy a used Tacoma

 

Better check the diffs and transmission and transfer case, I know the latter two have vents that aren't sealed, if it was above the doors it was above those. I'm not sure about the rear diff but I want to say it has a vent too. they have little caps that keep dirt out but if air can get in, so can water

door seals aren't designed to keep standing water out either just fyi

 

Personally, I'd take the entire carpet out. Also the door sills (wiring in there) to make sure all water and dampness has been removed. I really don't think the trucks interiors were meant to get that wet. The door seals were not designed for that type of submersion. You live and learn I suppose.

 

Countless cars suffer water damage every year. At least I went in with the right equipment to avoid REALLY breaking anything haha

 

Ugh, water crossings! I’d recommend checking your rear differential oil for water (specially if you didn’t relocate the breather) and the front diff actuator for water intrusion- the parts inside it don’t do well with water and some of them leak.

 

He's asking about different door seals so he can do this again. Nothing has been learned

 

The factory front diff, transfer case and transmission breathers are located high up in the engine bay. I extended the rear diff breather to behind my tail light with an ARB kit. I checked the diff fluid through the fill plugs and everything looks mint.

 

You're right - I should stick to the mall and let NY winters destroy the offroad parts I installed rather than enjoying my truck as I intended

 

For sure drain and refill the transfer case and rear axle, as the axle cools, it will draw in water if below the surface. Place a piece of plywood on the rear seat or drop it and place a dehumidifier inside, fire it up and let is run constantly for multiple days. You want to dry out the interior air so much that any moisture trapped goes into the air. Tape off the vent behind the seat so their is no in/out air mixing. Personally, I'd run it for a week straight.

 

This, you need to remove the carpet itself and let it dry completely maybe for a few days in a dry area

 

granted I was looking at them from under the truck but they sure seemed about that height, maybe an inch or two higher, I hope you checked them all regardless, especially the transmission

 

I have a breather kit on the rear. I have a custom breather fitting/extension on my actuator as well. I'll probably open it to check my design once I find the motivation to pull the front axels again.