Got Stuck....Got Out...Now What?

Hi, TacomaWorld! First post but long time lurker. I got stuck in a muddy ditch this weekend. I was trying to be nice and let an oncoming vehicle pass and the passenger side just sunk in immediately. After about a half hour of shoveling, moving traction boards around, and making the ruts bigger and getting deeper, a guy in a modded Rubicon passed by and winched me out. Hero!

After it was pulled out, I drove a few miles back on that dirt road to a gas station to air back up and inspect it. The truck drove fine and wasn't making any odd sounds. I stopped by a touchless car wash on the way home just to see if the undercarriage spray would help (it didn't). Stopped at a manual car wash after and got all of the exterior mud off with the pressure washer. Woke up early the next morning and spent 2 hours cleaning the undercarriage (sprinkler, garden hose, fingers cleaning out muck/stones from skid plates, etc.).

Here are some pics which, since it was the passenger side, don't look as bad as it was. The water level on the passenger side got up to the running boards but not to the bottom of the doors or inside. I drove it later that day and today and it seems fine. Reading through a lot of the same threads on here, I'm wondering what I should do. Change rear diff fluid? More? Also, I know now the front recovery point is on the passenger side. I inspected that driver side tie down point and it appears to be fine.

Thanks in advance!

 

Just curious, crawl-control and locking your axle wasn't able to get you out of that? I'm guessing the truck was probably high centered or the street tires just couldn't find traction. Your truck is fine, people do a lot worse in them than that. Just clean it off like you've already done and you'll be good to go.

 

Lol you’re fine man

 

Hose out the wheel wells, suspension, and make sure you get the mud out of the wheels as it can cause an imbalance. Check CV and tie rod boots, make sure no rips/tears. Other than that, it should be perfectly fine.

 

What tires do you have?

 

There is a little junction box on that side of the frame. Take the 2 bolts (10mm socket) off the cover then clean it out. Change the rear diff oil if you like but I doubt you got water up to the level of the breather.

 

The fear of water in your rear diff is exaggerated beyond all common sense in this forum. The breather valve is just that, a valve. The biggest issue with this valve is not water ingress, but it becoming clogged with dirt, which can pressurize your diff as the lube warms up and blow the oil seals. Make sure the breather valve cap is “loose”. It should lightly rattle.

You have no worries. Just make sure to give all the nooks and crannies a good clean.

 

Dude it’s fine.

 

Someone better take an inclinometer to that patch of road while we're at it.....

 

new tires.

 

He has the stock tires, maybe should swap them out for OR ones...

 

Exactly. It’s gets blown way out of proportion. I have never changed the rear diff fluid and I do crap like this regularly

 

New tires and a rear diff breather

 

Gnarly!!!


Yeah.....guys wheeled hard in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and they had never hear of diff breather extension kits. It’s not as big a problem as people make out.

I read a compelling argument that diff breather kits, in a temperate climate (IE not the deserts of Australia) actually add more water to your diff from condensation by the free-breathing design of most of the extension kits. You end up with a cup of water in your diff anyways from water vapour condensing on the cool surfaces of the axle housing.

 

Cool, but isn’t that a ‘09? They make Tacos so much more ‘delicate’ now.

 

Clean it then I would highly recommend doing it again and enjoy the truck.

 

Very true,
I change my advice OP. Since it's a 3rd gen it's now probably totaled. You need to trade it for a 1st or 2nd gen

Welcome to TW

 

Search TW for “rear diff breather relocate” mod. It’s simple and cheap.

 

Thanks, everyone! Again, the pics don't make it look as bad as it was since the pics were taken toward the end of the recovery and from the driver side. The water on the passenger side was up to the top of the running boards and the center caps of both wheels.

To answer some questions: Stock wrangler tires w/ 20k miles. They already looked pretty mild but when caked with mud, they looked silly useless. It's a manual trans so no crawl contro. Used ATRAC and locked the rear diff but the tires just spun. I could go back and forth a little bit but couldn't get back up to the road.

 

Next time send it.