Oops! Surf sank on Salisbury

[NeilT]

This is almost certainly a cautionary tale - Went for a surf around Salisbury Plain last weekend and went a wee bit too deep.... Drove into a puddle/pond i hadn't checked out all going well until it suddenly got much deeper, especially on the passenger side, my memory went a bit hazy soon after that but i think the engine didn't stop itself but i did lose all power and thought (later) it might have been fuel starvation (?) I tried a bit of throttle and i think the revs rose with it but we weren't going anywhere anyway so i turned off the engine. Well that might be what happened but to be honest i was fairly freaked out when i lost the power, and there was a lot of gurgling noises, so the engine might have been off before i turned it off. Apparently my face was something else as it all went quiet and water started filling up the foot wells, I grabbed everything that didn't want a bath and threw it into the back closely followed by me and my new to off roading but loving it friend, not much we could do other than watch the water come up until it stopped a little over the seats. The interior electrics kept going so i got the back window down and as if by magic a Mod Plod landy drives past. In the end there were 4 landys, 2 mod plod and 2 land wardens. Would they help? No, guess why anyone? Two hours before dark on a wet and cold November day. They left with the cheery words "if it's not out before 7:30 tomorrow you'll have to leave it there until next weekend, but it'll probably have been run over by a tank by then." Not really civil servants then Luckily after they left another 4x4 came along and towed us out. Just a bit grateful!

Well it was bone dry in the air intake after the filter which has to be good. The immobiliser box and ECU were underwater for half an hour so it wasn't going to start anyway, Especially not when i didn't have any tools :****: i did what any normal British person would do, joined the AA and got a piggy back home How lucky we are....

Not sure exactly what the damage is yet, I disconnected the batteries and started on the interior electrics, the ECU, 4 wheel drive control computer (didn't know i had one of those!) and immobiliser box have had the mud washed out, WD40'd and dried, all the electrical connections under the carpet and in the foot wells have been WD'd. I stripped out the seats (jet washed with shampoo twice) and the carpet (jet washed and under felt binned) Need to get a heater in there for a few days after i can spare it from drying the seats in the bathroom. Until i refit it all i won't know if the engine works but my fingers are crossed.

If someone's had to do this before and can give me some advice I'd be glad to hear it!

I was wondering as I've got it all apart can i give any long term protection to the connections under the carpet by spraying liberally with lithium grease or something. While I'm there. Is that a good idea??

Happy surfing
Neil

[da SLUG man]

doesn't look too deep... probably nothing in the air box... but shouldn't switch off with exhaust submerged!!

most likely water in electrics will be the problem!

[TonyN]

I recognise that puddle! We bailed there and reversed out, always leave a little traction to get out again.

[TonyN]

Gav with a little less water....

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

This is almost certainly a cautionary tale - Went for a surf around Salisbury Plain last weekend and went a wee bit too deep.... Drove into a puddle/pond i hadn't checked out all going well until it suddenly got much deeper, especially on the passenger side, my memory went a bit hazy soon after that but i think the engine didn't stop itself but i did lose all power and thought (later) it might have been fuel starvation (?) I tried a bit of throttle and i think the revs rose with it but we weren't going anywhere anyway so i turned off the engine. Well that might be what happened but to be honest i was fairly freaked out when i lost the power, and there was a lot of gurgling noises, so the engine might have been off before i turned it off. Apparently my face was something else as it all went quiet and water started filling up the foot wells, I grabbed everything that didn't want a bath and threw it into the back closely followed by me and my new to off roading but loving it friend, not much we could do other than watch the water come up until it stopped a little over the seats. The interior electrics kept going so i got the back window down and as if by magic a Mod Plod landy drives past. In the end there were 4 landys, 2 mod plod and 2 land wardens. Would they help? No, guess why anyone? Two hours before dark on a wet and cold November day. They left with the cheery words "if it's not out before 7:30 tomorrow you'll have to leave it there until next weekend, but it'll probably have been run over by a tank by then." Not really civil servants then Luckily after they left another 4x4 came along and towed us out. Just a bit grateful!

Well it was bone dry in the air intake after the filter which has to be good. The immobiliser box and ECU were underwater for half an hour so it wasn't going to start anyway, Especially not when i didn't have any tools :****: i did what any normal British person would do, joined the AA and got a piggy back home How lucky we are....

Not sure exactly what the damage is yet, I disconnected the batteries and started on the interior electrics, the ECU, 4 wheel drive control computer (didn't know i had one of those!) and immobiliser box have had the mud washed out, WD40'd and dried, all the electrical connections under the carpet and in the foot wells have been WD'd. I stripped out the seats (jet washed with shampoo twice) and the carpet (jet washed and under felt binned) Need to get a heater in there for a few days after i can spare it from drying the seats in the bathroom. Until i refit it all i won't know if the engine works but my fingers are crossed.

If someone's had to do this before and can give me some advice I'd be glad to hear it!

I was wondering as I've got it all apart can i give any long term protection to the connections under the carpet by spraying liberally with lithium grease or something. While I'm there. Is that a good idea??

Happy surfing
Neil

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

That's a familiar puddle, there's a fair few of us who know it well, and searching on here will find many a picture !!!!

I would suggest you contact another attacker of that puddle, Danno, for details of drying out techniques - he's taken his car swimming on the plains a few times to test out the door seals.

A few tips for you
a) Take care with Land Wardens - they have plenty of powers
b) Never play offroad alone
c) It's unwise to stray off the beaten track at Salisbury - see point (a)
d) Enjoy a pint in the pub round the corner from where you took them pics

Trev

[NeilT]

Yeah I've seen pictures of surfs as deep as that, it makes we wonder if it was something to do with the immobiliser fitting, fuel pump and ignition, which would explain why it seemed like fuel starvation. Anyone had problems with getting wet and shorting the immobiliser? It's been very wet many times before though so i don't know why it would be different.

No choice about the exhaust being under, I'm just hoping the water wasn't up to the exhaust ports. I'm going to crank it first time with the injectors out just in case, and I'll be changing all the fluids and flushing if needed. Not sure what else i can do!

cheers

doesn't look too deep... probably nothing in the air box... but shouldn't switch off with exhaust submerged!!

most likely water in electrics will be the problem!

[TonyN]

doesn't look too deep... probably nothing in the air box... but shouldn't switch off with exhaust submerged!!

most likely water in electrics will be the problem!

The headlights are well underwater, any sort of throttle will swallow plenty of water.

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Does you foray mean I have competition for the title of having the cleanest engine bay ?



Trev

[TonyN]

c) It's unwise to stray off the beaten track at Salisbury - see point (a)

Trev

Isn't that puddle the offical byway, the cut though on the otherside of the trees where its not so deep isn't really the trail.

[da SLUG man]

The headlights are well underwater, any sort of throttle will swallow plenty of water.

ah.. didn't realise the 2nd gen intake was quite that low!...

hmmm... come to think of it... i'll have a look where mine is... not sure where it goes after the inner wing!

[That Ruddy Squirrel]

Isn't that puddle the offical byway, the cut though on the otherside of the trees where its not so deep isn't really the trail.

Not sure Tony, but where a wheel has been put wrong elsewhere the Land Wardens have descended like vultures and hovered afterwards.

Do you mean this cut through ?




Trev

[Medieval Dave]

Neil,

Well done mate. and look at it this way. even if it costs you a couple of quid and a few weekends, you just cant buy a pub anecdote like that. You'll be telling that story at bars when you are 70, but by then the water will be 7 foot deep..

I never get tired of telling the one about getting in a fight in a brothel in frankfurt on company time when I was 19, although it wasn't even a bit funny at the time

Loverly photo.

Dave

[NeilT]

Thanks for the replies and the photo's, thought it looked a familiar place.

The headlights are well underwater, any sort of throttle will swallow plenty of water.

There's no distinct line in the engine bay, it was all covered in mud already but I'm thinking it might have been nose down enough to look worse than it was, but it's a close thing. I'll know soon enough i guess...

We thought it was the byway but you know how hard it is to be sure on Salisbury. One of the mod plod said he was going to give me a £30 fine for being there so i guess he didn't think it was.... Didn't give me the fine though, or a tow, he could of had the £30 if he'd have given me a tow, cash, no receipt asked!! The bugger

It's no bad thing in one way though, it's forced me to get out there and find out what does what in my car. I was being very slack but now I've ripped it apart and spread it around my house where i can look at it I've ordered some new tools and everything

[TonyN]

Not sure Tony, but where a wheel has been put wrong elsewhere the Land Wardens have descended like vultures and hovered afterwards.

Do you mean this cut through ?




Trev

Yeah, thats the one!

But looking at the OS Explorer map, the whole woods is off limits, the lane from the plains stops at the carpark, then starts again at the south end of the woods, from the road.

[Danno]

aaaah, the bustard run claims another victim! Sorry to hear the bad news mate. Officially that one is a grey area. Having spoke to a number of Land Wardens, MOD Plod and the Area Controller some allow it, some dont. The area controller (land wardens boss) didnt say it wasnt a byway and didnt tell us to keep out. That was the day of the camp out when those walkers were coming thru. The only time I've been asked to vacate is when the red flag is flying on the vedette (gate house thing) on the north road from that carpark.

The woods, and the large area behind the woods are no-go areas. But no one so far has said anything to me.

Heres my attempt at it, but it was a little drier and still blew the turbo, killed the brakes, filled rad with mud (therefore overheating) etc etc...