Almost Halfway Submerged

[T4R06]

Last Friday night, when it was raining heavily, me & my wife was on our way going to a friend's party. The GPS lead us on a way which is kinda very rural and really, really dark. So dark that we weren't able to notice the sign "Water over Road"...as we we're travelling along the road, we didn't notice that we are about to approach the said water (mainly because the color is blending with the color of the road...). And then it happened so fast, the next thing we knew was we're submerged almost halfway in the water. Good thing I still have my presence of my mind and next thing I did is to immediately back-up the truck...fortunately, we we're able to take out ourselves on the said water but when we are already driving our way back out of the said road...a very screechy sound was coming below and it smelled like something was burning...We stopped on the first lightpost that we saw and checked what happened underneath our truck. And it was the metal plate just below the center of the driver and passenger seat. It was very very bent...so bent that it was hitting the road that produces the screechy sound and might be the one producing the smell too...when I actually looked at it, it made me curious as to what's its purpose??? why is that kind of plate placed there???

Anyways, I was able to bent back to its place and on the next day we had a long drive from CT to MA and back to CT again on the same day...everything seems to be fine with our truck...I hope!!!

I think the plate got bent because of the water current while I was backing up...maybe, I backed up so fast and the position of the said plate was so against the current thatmade it bent so much...

My truck is a V6 Limited Forerunner...galactic gray 2006...good thing it was that truck I'm driving during that night or else I might have been stuck in the waters in the middle of nowhere...lucky me!!!

4runner rocks!!!

 

[TeryT]

I haven't been able to determine exactly what that hanging plate is for!! Last time we were offroading, a fellow told me one of my skid plates was falling off!

 

[Thai]

I would check all your fluids (tranny, rear axle, engine).

 

[TeryT]

But what does that plate do/protect?

 

[ironadrenaline]

i dont know baout the plate except for scaring the crap out of me after off roading a bit and seeing it when i got to my gf's house. needless to say the next day i was on all fours at the nearest yota dealership just making sure they all had it

 

[nh00gts]

Most of the roads i have travelled down today are flooded out. I had the wife take the 4Runner and I took the Tundra and the water is up to the doors on both vehicles in some places.

 

[AlexJet]

Are you talking about this piece behind cross-member. I don't know if Toyota made it from metal on 2006, but my 2005 V6 Limited has it in plastic. It made to prevent blasting from road obstacles like small stones to transmission. But Toyota never thought that the truck can be backed-up while stuck off-roading or, as in your case, in high stream water. In those scenarios you just bend metal brackets which fix this plate to cross-member and engine skid plate. You can even rip it off. I was always worrying about it and lucky I didn't have a need to be recovered backward. Anyway, I think it has to go and be replaced with some aftermarket skid which will fully protect transmission. If you had an issue with this plate, don't worry, it can be bend back by hand or you can completely remove it.

 

[T4R06]

@alexjet-just checked it, youre right. it was a hard plastic.

 

[T4R06]

I would check all your fluids (tranny, rear axle, engine).

@thai-went to my salesman (toyota superstore @hartford) he told me that if they checked my truck there has been a cost for it.. where did my warranty went? or its not part of the warranty for the rear axle and engine?

by the way were neighbors.. im from philippines

 

[pokerface]

T4R06 - hi there

I was told that it was rainiing quite heavily in Manila over the last several days. It must have been quite a torrent to even submerge a big beast like a 4Runner.

It definitely would not be part of the warranty.. flood damage? Ok I hesitate to use the word 'damage' but you were in a flood.. not the fault of Toyota technically. But I would definitely advise to make sure everything checks out.

Any chance that flood waters will enter the differential / tranny?

I remember we had a vehicle submerged once back in the Philippines years ago.. it never ran the same after that!

 

[RL Lemke]

I was "washing" my 4Runner in deep water one day. When accelerating backwards thru the water, my little plastic bit bent down. A quick bend and it is good as new. Not that new is all that good. Now I keep an eye on it to see when it needs to be repositioned.

 

[sharp4runr]

I was told that it was rainiing quite heavily in Manila over the last several days. It must have been quite a torrent to even submerge a big beast like a 4Runner.

I doubt he's actually in the Philippines as I don't think the 4th gens have made it there. I did not see one 4th gen while I was vacationing there a few months ago. I saw lots of the new generation diesel powered Tacos and a couple of Fortrunners, but no 4th Gen Hilux/4runner.

 

[T4R06]

it happened here in Rocky Hill, CT

 

[pokerface]

yeah, I thought about that for a second but wasn't too sure!

 

[boston_kevin]

After this past rain storm, I was very happy to have the breather extensions completed... Went through a couple of puddles over the height of the tires (after 14" of rain in 48 hours they weren't hard to find)...

 

[DarksideSurf]

Was it as deep as this ? I thought I would flood the car after this trip to Santa Barbara...

 

[rdist]

Good job getting out of a sticky situation! Rock on Pinoy!

 

[AlexJet]

Was it as deep as this ? I thought I would flood the car after this trip to Santa Barbara...

I did deeper water crossing and I was OK.
As far as water level not exceed your bumper, you should be fine, but better do the rear breather mod to be safe.

 

[DarksideSurf]

I did deeper water crossing and I was OK.
As far as water level not exceed your bumper, you should be fine, but better do the rear breather mod to be safe.

It got pretty deep as I continued on. Refresh my memory...what does a rear breather mod do ?

 

[AlexJet]

It's extend your rear breather.
See this write-up: Breather Install