In the water.. concerns?

[Skid51]

For a number of reasons (new trailer glitches; big boat; shallow ramp angle) my ‘24 PW spent 15mins idling with the back end well into the lake and deep enough for water to be part way up the tailgate, and with rear bumper, hubs, axles and exhaust well under water, front doors just out but rear door lowers underwater. Rear sensors, camera and taillights still seem to work. Seemingly no water through the door seals but the bed flooded part way up. Should I be concerned about water ingress into rear diff and/or tranny air vents? Anything else?

 

[dieselscout80]

The axle vents are not supposed to let water in due a Gortex type fabric to keep water out and still allow venting.

There are threads about these vents.

Post in thread 'Breather Locations Requiring Extensions'

May 9, 2022

I have been kind of torn on the breather issue. I have the tubing and clamps to do it, but haven't done it yet. There are quite a few people that have routed the 5(?) items needing breather tubes up under the hood and behind the taillights. But, after some research, it turns out that the new models have Gortex membranes in the breather valves to allow hot gasses to escape while keeping water out. I have done a few water crossings with mine and never had water intrusion.

Really appreciate you dropping this, was concerned when I saw that short tube on the front diff given some of...

• JamesEvan

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

If the power wagon is the same as the 2500 then the rear diff breather is not gore tex. It is a traditional breather hose with cap and it terminates near the top of the coil spring.

The front breather is very short and has a gore tex breather cap.

Hope this helps.

 

[PhishWagon]

You’re probably OK. I’d be having a panic attack if it was saltwater

 

[wrvond]

If the rear axle was under water the safest thing to do is drain and fill the differential. Transmission is probably safe but pull the dipstick and check for water.

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

What wrvond said.

 

[Crusty old shellback]

If the rear axle was under water the safest thing to do is drain and fill the differential. Transmission is probably safe but pull the dipstick and check for water.

What tranny lipstick? There is none on the PW.

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

What tranny lipstick? There is none on the PW.

Lipstick???? LOL

 

[wrvond]

What tranny lipstick? There is none on the PW.

I guess if you remove the dipstick you are left with a tranny with lipstick…
:O

Then the most practical action would be to inspect the vent tube, if there is one, to verify the end of it is well above the highest point that got submerged.

 

[Ramasaurus]

This is a problem people don’t realize, for example, after a storm floods the streets and you see people driving into water so deep it’s above the bumpers…. It’s not a problem (they think) since they have disc brakes instead of the old drums their grandads had….. But…Their axles (Front/Back), transmission, transfer case, U-joints, wheel-bearings…and on SOME vehicles, ..their Alternators, and “body-builder-junctions”…are ALL subjected to water for which they were never designed.

If your boat ramp submerges your rear axle…you place it at-risk….and that doesn’t disappear because your axle has a “Gore-vent” or a common cap-vent. Why? Because when you drove to the ramp your axle was warm/hot. When you submerged it in cool water…. the axle atmosphere “shrank” or contracted….and that cheap plastic “Gore” isn’t up to the task for complete submersion. It was intended to “splash” protection…. not for submarine use.

Find another boat ramp…. or risk addt’l maintenance on your axles, etc.

(I’m not a lawyer, and I didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn since I bought an Airstream…. but I did retire from working as a rear-axle-technician for Toyota)