Gonna bite the bullet and ask a stupid question.

Haha yeah man what would I know

 

You never ever changes gears submerged in water, there is a whole Host of reasons that would be a thread in and of itself.
-Pulls water up into the clutch, Your tranny-breather, etc..
-google-search, read about it, there is lots of stuff out there about it, its a common, begginer off-roading lesson.
("Manual transmission gear change under water") ("never change gears fording deep water")(manual transmission submerged in water gear changes") shit like that will get you started.

the best practice is to
1. know your route,
2. know the gear you need to get through and when in doubt, BEFORE YOU HIT THE WATER..
3. select low-range, and the low gear and
4.just chug through, NEVER OPEN THE CLUTCH IN WATER.
5. if you need a new gear or cannot make it through, let it stall and have someone drag you out.

This is a common filter of beginners off-road. Next time you will know.

 

How does changing gears pull water into the clutch? You aren't changing the size of the clutch to displace air and replace it with water. And the gears aren't changing size to draw water into the transmission. The only way you will draw water in is from a hot transmission entering into a cold body of water, this cools the transmission to a degree and will potentially suck in water. The way to prevent this is relocating the breathers higher up out of harm. Knowing you line is more important so you don't submerge and suck water into the intake. If that happens then definitely shut it off and get pulled out to prevent engine damage.

 

you also ingest whatever is in the water into the clutch-plates when they open up to switch gears in a manual-transmission. Then you are dealing with not only water intrusion, but gritty, grainy material that is inevitably in water now infiltrating places it should never have been.
Another concern is vacuuming water in through breathers/exhaust that could theoretically cause hydrolock (this is unlikely). Really, opening the clutch submerged in water gets exactly what the OP described. Its not the end of the world, but certainly isnt good, nor something you would ever want to repeat once properly educated.
-Automatics are "sealed" and dont face this issue.
There is like 80+ years of off-road science dating from WWII-today about using the clutch/changing gears in submerged water. Its really as easy as a google search. You will get all kinds of videos, pictures and info in ways that are hard to articulate online about what happens when you do this.

 

Automatics are sealed the same as a manual transmission. They are far from waterproof.

There are rubber boots and plates on the bell housing to prevent as much of this debris penetration as possible. Water will get in. Once in the flywheel and pressure plate are hot and spinning at engine speed and will shed debris away quite quickly. There is a drain at the bottom of the bell housing to drain the water and debris that flows out with the water. That 80 plus years have led to design changes to make the systems better under these conditions. When problems are common are when someone has done work and thrown away the fork boot and the bell housing plates and allow debris easy access into the bell housing.

 

"I cant make this horse drink"

At this point its contrarianism for the sake of refuting fact. Its literally one of the most covered, ubiquitous topics in all of Off-roading. Nothing Im typing is my opinion.
Objectively speaking, the OP opened his clutch underwater, and has virtually text-book symptons of exactly the fate I describe.
There are thousands of examples of new/old/otherwise jeeps, broncos, Fords, chevys dodges you name it, for as long as 4wd has been around, discussing this very subject.


All I can hope is you use google, and see the limitless ocean of discussion this topic has online.

 

We can agree to disagree. Google is a tool that can be useful and misleading. I will use my training and first hand experience. Water can destroy, I am not denying that. But it isn't so rampant as this thread leads people to believe.

 

Jeez. I dont think I was that deep the the tranny was under. Least not when I got stuck. was almost out of it when I lost traction. But yea had no idea. Damn, that's pretty important. Thanks.

 

To sum this thread up -

“it didn’t happen to me so it doesn’t exist”

 

I am simply giving a counter point to the thread narrative that seems to suggest that if you touch water you're done. I have seen failure. Instant and wearing out. I have seen epic failures. My experience has shown me that most water penetration issues are from parts failures ( seal failure leading to water, install failure ) or stupidity on some work performed that leads to failure. If you drive the vehicle into water and have taken proper precautions to prevent water penetration into driveline components you should be fine. I would always recommend hosing down after going through mud and definitely let the vehicle run after fording water to evaporate it off the driveline.

 

I dont see it like that. People have different experiences, levels of knowledge, insights and ideas. They come to forums like this to expand upon those things for sure. But to take internet rando at their word without challenging it would be upsurd. Some people on this thread definitely need a new tampon. But I think on the whole, it's been a fairly successful conversation.

 

Theres probaly a dozen different ways to pack a parachute, but there is one "RIGHT WAY" that the parachuting-industry/years of data has objectively determined to elicit the highest success rate.
This is the case here:
While im sure there are lots of anecdotal instances where "this or that is just fine because john doe did it before", the commonly accepted "right-way" is to not open your clutch during a water-fording event. case closed.

Fortunately, OP I think you will get sorted out, only ever-so-slightly worse for wear, but now empowered by knowledge to think about such abstractions in the future. This was a growth opportunity if nothing else.
LOL you already make good decisions by having a manual truck. This is just taking your licks offroad. I was 18 and drove around with a locked diff on pavement because I was young and dumb once before. part of learning the depth and scale of 'motoring', and the real-actual effects shit has you dont get a taste for on youtube™ videogames™ or through stories online. you lived it and learned it.

 

But also, my problems were with the pulleys. Your info for sure was an ex machina for my future self. And I will put that in the vault right next to not using a locker on pavement. But that wasn't the issue, or really question, at hand. Consensus seems that yes water, mud and wheeling in general will cause wear. Even though experiences are varied. Myself, in one truck no problem, in another, instant problems. But now what I got is a slew of info that I have to wade through and sort out. Will a pulley grenade cus I got a drop of water on it? obviously not. Are pullys actually water proof? Also, no. Can you fuck your pulleys like a cousin in Alabama? Very much yes.

 

You will be fine! You get it.

 

was it the AC pulley? what pulleys were they?

 

Uh... like all of them. Every. single. one. Which leads me to think, that it was the cumulative results of my efforts since I bought the truck, and not any one incident.

 

Also there may have been a margin of the dealer trying to hit toyota for more warrenty work. Who knows.

 

Maaan, anyone who skateboards knows not to get bearings wet, dirty, or sandy.

 

If you’re using cheap, shitty or still have open-face bearings from the early 1980’s? Yes, avoid water and dirt at all costs.....
Back in the day in the Toronto area I skateboarded all year long; for years. My 6 year old son is currently using an old board of mine today. The deck looks like shit, the trucks are a little bent, but it’s still got the original, sealed wheel bearings (an no they’re not perfect, but they’re still totally usable)

BTW: I’ve noticed plenty of people at DIY car washes cleaning their trucks and engine bays after going mudding. I’ve seen quite a few of them cleaning mud and dirt directly off pulleys/bearings with the pressure washer (usually while it was running) Prob one of the worst things you can do to sealed bearings. High pressure water will push bearing shields/seals back and blow the grease out or allow it to be filled with water, killing the bearing real quick.

IMO- Extreme conditions like mudding every weekend will shorten the life of any mechanical parts in the long run, but everyday water and dirt and the occasional trip into the pit aren’t gonna wreck decent parts that are designed to be exposed to the elements.

 

I dunno in my experience even the sealed bearings you skate with do no good when dirty, wet, or sandy. I feel its fairly common knowledge not to let bearings get like that. Just my 2 cents thats all