Driving through water

[Indyharleyguy]

OK wanted to know how many have driven a stock M1009 through water. How deep were you in and did you do anything afterwards?
I've gone through about 24 inches of water and no issues.

 

[Tinstar]

Did you check your differential fluids after fording.
Perform a grease service on everything?
The original rubber hoses on the diff vents will be old and cracked unless you replaced them with new ones.

Water has a nasty habit of finding its way into everything.

 

[Chaski]

I have my 1008 clone setup with breather vents plumbed to the engine compartment on everything - including the transmission and transfer case.

I still avoid water and mud - I re-geared the axles once, replaced all the seals and bearings, and I would like to avoid doing it again. It does not take long with salad dressing instead of oil to destroy stuff. Whenever I get into anything deep I make sure to change the gear oil. It is actually pretty inexpensive by the 5 gallon pail at Tractor Supply or similar store.
That being said it has been in about 30+” of mud stew.

But the main reason I try to avoid it is that the Dana 60 stub shaft roller bearing isn’t sealed well. It is almost as poor as a felt washer, but it it rubber. I took a really good looking 60 out of a parted M1008 and the grease was 100% gone, the roller bearing was garbage, and the bearing surface on the outer stub shafts was destroyed. I’m not too familiar with the 10 bolt that is in the front of your M1009, but I’m guessing that it is also not fond of water.

Had to get new bearings, seals and outer shafts to the tune of $300+

Basically boils down to the fact I am too cheap to play in the water and mud.

 

[Another Ahab]

Not a new topic here on SS, but always an interesting one.

The take-away from an earlier thread coming to mind now, as noted by some wise sage (clearly not me I'll tell you):

- MV's are built for military necessities, which sometimes can mean fording

- Being capable of something is not the same as something recommended to do

In WWII (reducing the discussion to the deuce), the worry about water in drive components was minimal when industrial output could simply replace needed hardware.

The goal was winning the war, not preserving the vehicles used FOR that war.

That's it. The End

 

[cucvrus]

I was in ridiculously deep mud and water at Trucks Gone Wild in Yankee Lake Ohio. Everything was well after I washed it up and I had no water in any of the axles or crankcase. The worst ting was the mud in the alternators. They both needed rebuilt and the starter was taken apart and gone over also. I also had a lot of mud in the radiator. I do not recommend you do this to a vehicle but it was a true test and it performed all weekend without incident. It also is very hard on brakes. It looked good all washed up and went on a few more off road expeditions. I still see Terminus M1009 on occasion. I sold it and it still lives. Have a Great Day.

 

[fasttruck]

For those with M35s and M54s don't forget to install the fording plug before fording and take it out after.

 

[Sharecropper]

I never drive my M1028 when it’s raining. I don’t like it when my tires get slightly damp. ;D