Post Flood Protocol

[JDWood]

Hey Folks....looking for some advice. Our 2 month new to us 102d/d4000 was flooded last night/this AM. I have not been able to get to it yet and I have many other things to deal with but I would like to know what and how quickly things should be done to reduce failure. I suspect water level was 6-8" above rear tires but again not sure. Temps are falling fast....below 30 by 5 PM. TIA for any insight you all may have!!
Jon

[Zeroclearance]

Jon, sorry to hear..

First would be to shut off and disconnect your batteries.

I would get a case of WD40. and quickly remove your engine ECU which is located on the curb side.   I would also find the B500 ECU and remove/check the water level.

Your brake ABS ECU will also need to be found and checked.   Next is all of your electrical panals.   

All the luggage bays will need to have the inspection covers removed to let out water and debris..   

Your interior A/C fans/motors will need to be addressed.

It's a lot of work...   Sorry to hear.

[brmax]

I would think to take some photos of vehicle and specific measures of water level at the present location.
What is the future location weather, more water? if so a tow somehow I suppose should be in the cards.
Sorry to hear, this is terrible

Floyd

[Iceni John]

Water may have got into the differential through the vent, so you'll need to address that before moving the bus at all.   Do transmissions also have vents?   Was the PS reservoir vent under water?   If so, the PS/hydraulic fluid will need to be completely drained and replaced.   (I had some old Dexron that rain got into, and it became completely milky instead of the water settling at the bottom  -  I was surprised it emulsified so easily.)   You should also pump fresh grease through every Zerk until fresh oozes out.

John

[B_K]

WOW Jon sorry to hear about this!
Did this happen on the parking pad you had me park it on when I delivered it to you?
If so that was a lot of water in your area and sounds like your shop might have gotten water in it too?

Anyway first thing to do when the water is low enough to get around the coach is to check the engine oil, trans fld,  hubs (steer & tags) to see if any off them got flooded enough to take on water.
Also check the air breather housing and filter before firing it up.
If any off these have water on inspection, it needs addressed ASAP before starting!

Then I'd find all the control modules as Mark mentioned. And take them out and place inside somewhere with warm dry air blowing on them. After letting them air dry a few days it should be OK to re-install them. I'd use dielectric grease on all connections.

After doing all that you should be able to fire it up, run it up on some ramps and check the differential for water too. Again if water is found need to drain and refill also. (plus axles will need to come out and put back in to drain water from the hubs)

Hope this is all negative and that the water didn't get time to soak in and cause major issues an a bunch of work for you.

Call if you need any specific tips on any of this!
  BK   

[jmblake]

So sorry to hear about this Jon, I'm sure you'll get solid advice from the board on this just like BK said check everything for water before firing anything up. Hope your home and business is ok also. Good luck Jason

[JDWood]

Hey Folks...thanks so much for all the input! I am sorry to report that it is bad. Water level to top of idler pulley on back of DD60. Mud in each bay, batteries covered in mud, red light still on DC regulator though. I am not able to open all doors due to washed up firewood. I will begin draining fluids ASAP and hunt down the ECM's. Unfortunately this event has also wiped out my shop which houses my lively hood so I will be torn as to how to spend my time. Thanks again for the input....I really would like to salvage this bus!

[Scott & Heather]

Yikes. Please tell
Me insurance will take care of this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[belfert]

Comprehensive insurance covers flooding.  I would almost guarantee a bus flooded that bad would be an instant total by the insurance company.  A car with water that high would generally be totaled.  Flooded cars are usually vehicles nobody wants due to all the issues that pop up over time.

[bigred]

Jon:If you can find it,CRC makes an item called ELECTRICLEAN which works much better at cleaning electrical parts .We used to have a huge manufacturing plant here that was bad to flood .My customer would bay this stuff by the gallons claimed he never last an item to water contamination after using this stuff.Should be available at Industrial supply houses and at better electrical supply houses..   Good Stuff!!!

[eagle19952]

http://c-global.com/ProductPages/Chemicals/chemicals.htm

[JDWood]

I have removed nearly 4 gallons of water from the oil pan....is it over? Should I look for the nearest cliff, deep lake, or arsonist?
Thanks for the thoughts!
Jon

[B_K]

No Jon it ain't the end of the world!
It IS for sure that you need to drain and refill ALL fluids because if that much water got in the oil pan then it got in other places too!

It can be saved and the good thing about it is #1 it happened at home. #2 you knew about it and didn't start and drive it for unknown miles before discovering it.

Water alone in the oil will not kill it.  It doesn't help it, but not as bad as antifreeze. again the good part is you haven't run it. (at least not long if you have! Antifreeze in the oil will ruin the bearings like instantly so atleast it's not a blown gasket or cracked head/block that caused the water in the engine.)
  BK   

[JDWood]

Thanks Bryce....so what I drained ahead of the oil was a fluid the color of ATF with the viscosity of water. No, it has not been turned over since event. So are you saying drain tranny, refill tranny and engine and fire up???

I have removed all ECM's and dried out and washed out and sprayed with lectric clean all other electrical's.

Thanks for the help!

[B_K]

Yes John after you change the oil & trans fld you should be able to fire her up. But before doing so you need to do a couple more little preventive steps.
Like checking power steering fld to see if it got compromised. (if so that will be an easy fix just remove the lines from the reservoir drain put the lines back on, and refill.
Check the fuel tank to see if any water got in there. (local gas station should be able to help you out here. They have stuff you put on the stick they check the fuel level with that shows it water is present. See if they will loan you a little bit of it and smear it on a stick or hose and dip your tank to be sure there is no water in it.

Also after you get it running you need to get it up on blocks and drain the differential and pull both axles out of the drive to hubs. Put new gaskets on and reseal put back together and add about a quart of grease to each hub before driving it anywhere.

Also need to pull the caps on the steer and tag axle hubs and see if there is any water in them too. If so pull the covers off drain reseal put back on and fill to the full line! (do not over fill all the way to the bottom of the hole in the center or it will sling oil and drive you nuts until it gets back to the proper level!)

After all that your ready to take her out and shake her down!
  BK