Possible long/short term damage from minor mudding?

Hello TW! I am not new to tacomas and ive owned a 2019 in the past and recently got back into it with a 21'. This weekend i was eager to do some exploring and i ended up in a situation where I already took it thru a pair of mud puddles (with only 400 miles on the clock) not by choice but since it stood in the way between me and my desired destination. It was a moderate puddle with your usual brown coloration and standing water (in the sierra nevadas) and i figured I would be fine since i got thru both puddles in 2wd but I did however sink alot into the puddle as it was quite muddy (water line came up to the frame/ halfway up the wheels). But when i got out and checked the majority of the engine bay was covered in droplets of muddy/silty water, needless to say I was pretty upset since the truck is so new. alternator, serp belt, fan assy, wiring, battery, and the eng bay walls were all covered. The underbody as well had been coated in mud.

I did clean it the next morning with an electric powered pressure washer that i used to clean my former 2019 alot with and i was able to remove a majority of the mud from the underside and the engine bay. However some of the dried out droplets have left behind deposits of dried silt and muddy water that will not come off unless i get super close with the washer nozzle. The droplets do however come off easily with a damp rag but the water spray just doesn't do it. I plan to keep this truck for awhile and i want to know if it will cause long term effects like the alternator frying or corrosion on the frame and undercarriage. I also still have stock axle breathers so im worried those might have been compromised. I have attached some photos i took AFTER my cleaning attempt with power washer for reference.




This is about as dirty the outside got despite how muddy it was.

 

I think you'll be fine. Doesn't look like that'll come off without some elbow grease.

 

Softened water is a Big help. Detergents really work best with it.

 

You should be fine. Just make sure that there is no mud build-up in the radiator fins.
Eventually you might want to do the rear axle breather extension mod. There is a lot of info here on TW regarding that mod.

 

I alway use the 4x4 off road. I have learned it works way better at getting Ya through spots than getting Ya out, after you are stuck.

 

Wipe off what you can with a damp rag.
I wouldn’t worry about the the rest.

Other than looking “dirty”. I don’t see any long term damage occurring.
What little muddy water water dis get in there, abs already done what it’s going to do.
Which isn’t much, you’d know by now.

I understand wanting to keep it clean since it’s a new truck.
If it were my truck, I would probably close the hood and call it good (mine is 14 years old)

 

Aw heck! Don't you just hate it when you drive in the dirt and it gets dirty?! You done ruint 'er now son!

It's a truck home skillet, don't think to hard about it, it was made to get a little dirty.

If you're concerned about appearances well, too late now, mud spots never really go away first time I went offroad with my nice gleaming silver powder coated headers they turned into red clay magnets and have been permanently reddish-brown ever since.



That's as clean as she gets and even wet you can still see dirty areas, and the hoses? Forget it, those little muds spots you got will just keep coming on back no matter how many times you scrub them or what you put on the hoses might as well just leave them.

In spite of my best efforts something like this happens about once a month and she ain't caught fire and flipped over on her back yet.





Now I see you got yourself a trud-gen so I can see why you're understandingly a little more concerned, as you should be, them things are made out of TSB's Recalls and paper machete... But it looks like you barely had any fun this time so you probably only took 10k miles off the lifespan of your equipment.

 

You’re good man. It’s nice when it looks pretty and new, but now that you’ve dirtied it up, get out there and put another coat on.

 

First scratch and dent are the hardest, after that you can let loose and have some real fun! Remember everything is replaceable on the truck, your time and memories aren't, go play hard.

Also what you did was drive through a dirty water puddle, that ain't mudding, you ain't mudding till you're good and stuck in thick peanut butter up to the frame with the suspension completely bottomed out and you can't tell what color your truck is from any angle!

Might as well go hit the bedside somewhere with a key in hand and get it over with.

 

You should go to jambo

 

Toyota Jamboree?

 

I try to keep my truck clean (meaning I wash it when I get home after getting it in the mud) and still I've found old chunks of dried mud up deep in the fenders when I put in factory bed lights and changed out my cold air intake. Doesn't seem to cause any issues and just reminds me of prior trips. My third gen seems to have more nooks and crannies for the mud to end up than my '90.

My advice, don't worry about it, mud is fun, trucks are fun, both combined are even better!

 

I got BC pin stripes the first week I had it and then exploded a tail light by tapping my garbage bin at -40F (-40C) driving 1km/hr and haven't cared as much since. Dirt won't do a whole lot to a vehicle with sealed systems, just brush or wipe off what you can or use Simple Green in your pressure washer detergent canister.

 

The previous truck I had (2019) I got alot more dirtier and the engine bay definitely was way worse but that being said it cleaned off alot easier. Im just more worried about corrosion and it holding up long term, appearances come second for me.

 

Maybe try something like this: https://www.chemicalguys.com/tough-...y-wash-shampoo/tough-mudder-offroad-wash.html

 

I am not a fan driving thru mud. Mud is no one's friend. It messes up everything.
clothes, motorcycles, mountain bikes, and Tacoma's.

 

should be okay. just make sure there isnt any thick mud on important components. Also, highly recommend doing the Rear diff breather mod.

 

If you wanna take your new truck swimming , there are a few mods that will help . Sealing your transfer case switch motor and your front add motor would be a good start . Use the google search feature

 

You should be, at the very least, rinsing the dirt off your truck after a mud run. NO vehicle is exempt from this...none. Just go to the car wash and spray it off good after a run, preferably before it dries and you'll be fine. Obviously don't spray water into the intake and don't high pressure your electronics. Leave the engine running as you spray it too.

 

I washed my truck at least 5 years ago. Now, I do take it to the car wash and try to get the chunks off in the wheelwells and undercarriage if I need to work on anything. Otherwise, I'm in the mud and dirt too often to worry about it. Trucks are a lot tougher than many imagine. I figure by the time the frame rusts in two, I've used up just about everything else on the truck anyway.