D Farms
New member
Forded the gila river half way on saturday.
So A buddy and I went down to florence az to do a trail called box canyon, we got all the way there to the end of the trail and headed back, we turned off on the way to a trail that lead to the coke ovens, eventually we saw some jeeps and they were all built up, they told us the trail would be too difficult for us unless we had lockers. they were wrong we both got through the rock parts, scraping our rear bumpers just a bit with our stock 3rd gens. by the time we had found the coke ovens it was really late, about 6:00 the sun had started going down. Ive got my hids and some aux led lights which really helped out, but my buddy had only stock lights, he went in front and it worked out nicely since my lights lit up the sides for him. we tried to find a short cut and he had found online someone had just gone accross the river, so we looked for about an hour in one direction and found what was supposed to be a crossing point on the river, which turned out to be a path 6 feet wide with a huge drop off at one part, impassible by our vehicles. so we turned around back towards the coke ovens it was now probably around 9:00pm.
so we got to a point with cell recption and found someone online who had crossed the river at a point close to the coke ovens, after finding a few possible spots we found the one where he had crossed, the river was mostly less than a foot deep with rocks on top, but the portion close to the exit point was a bit deeper. I decided to try to cross and gunned it accross the river, the water came almost all the way over my hood and then all the sudden I was slowly crawling up out of the river. until I wasnt and the truck was totally stuck with all four wheels spinning and the truck wasnt budging.
the water started coming in through the bottom of the doors, eventually soaking the carpets a couple inches in muddy water. I crawled out the passenger window onto the dry shore, I was so close to getting all the way across. I got out onto the shore and hooked my crappy hand winch to my tow strap and then between my truck and a tree, I cranked the winch but there was not enough leverage, I couldnt crank it any more. I climbed back in the truck and tried to move it, nothing. I climbed back out and felt around under the truck, the front skid plate was stuck right in the mud and the wheels had dug down to the bed of the river. my buddy had some ratchet straps so I hooked those up as well but it wouldnt budge. I had the engine running the whole time, but it was out of the water so no chance of it hydrolocking. eventually the light started dying so I shut off the engine. the alternator must have gotten wet. so we decided at the point we would have to leave the truck and go back out the way we came in his truck through the rocks the jeeps had told us we would be able to get past at night with his stock lights.. this was at 12:30am. At this point I was exausted.
We eventually got back out during the night with only a stock 4runner and stock headlights. and went back to florence to get more gas and my buddy was able to figure out how to get back to my truck on the other side of the river. he drove us back around the other side of the river and after a half an hour of searching we found my truck sitting in the mud on the shore of the river. It wouldnt start because the starter and battery were dead. he pulled it out using the tow strap and then we tried to jump it, but I think because everything was still wet it just wouldnt start. so he turned around and towed me back out the rest of the trail about 4 miles or so, until we found some people camping. we pulled my air filter out, it was wet but the intake was mostly dry, we dried it out the rest of the way and put some seafoam into it. It started up! we let it run for a bit and closed up the intake without the air filter in, I went first down the trail and eventually we all got back home.
So now that the truck is fine and back home the only damage I can see is the starter takes a second to kick in, as in i turn the key a couple seconds go by then the starter turns on and starts the engine. and the carpets are gross.
I went to autozone and got all of the codes. The lights on the dash all are solid, brake, vsc off, vsc trac, abs. earlier today I washed the exterior and sprayed the mud off the control arms and wheels, the brake and abs lights turned off but then the engine light came on, then when I started it again the abs and brake light came back on, then I took it to autozone. keep in mind that the check engine didnt come on until after i sprayed the front suspension and brakes off and the front skidplate.
c0205 c0210 c0215 c1201 c1223 c1224 c1241 c1340
p0335 p0340
any help and experience would be really great.
edit: check engine light went off now.
https://plus.google.com/112866749432716540184/posts/AQjdE6gTpVn
So A buddy and I went down to florence az to do a trail called box canyon, we got all the way there to the end of the trail and headed back, we turned off on the way to a trail that lead to the coke ovens, eventually we saw some jeeps and they were all built up, they told us the trail would be too difficult for us unless we had lockers. they were wrong we both got through the rock parts, scraping our rear bumpers just a bit with our stock 3rd gens. by the time we had found the coke ovens it was really late, about 6:00 the sun had started going down. Ive got my hids and some aux led lights which really helped out, but my buddy had only stock lights, he went in front and it worked out nicely since my lights lit up the sides for him. we tried to find a short cut and he had found online someone had just gone accross the river, so we looked for about an hour in one direction and found what was supposed to be a crossing point on the river, which turned out to be a path 6 feet wide with a huge drop off at one part, impassible by our vehicles. so we turned around back towards the coke ovens it was now probably around 9:00pm.
so we got to a point with cell recption and found someone online who had crossed the river at a point close to the coke ovens, after finding a few possible spots we found the one where he had crossed, the river was mostly less than a foot deep with rocks on top, but the portion close to the exit point was a bit deeper. I decided to try to cross and gunned it accross the river, the water came almost all the way over my hood and then all the sudden I was slowly crawling up out of the river. until I wasnt and the truck was totally stuck with all four wheels spinning and the truck wasnt budging.
the water started coming in through the bottom of the doors, eventually soaking the carpets a couple inches in muddy water. I crawled out the passenger window onto the dry shore, I was so close to getting all the way across. I got out onto the shore and hooked my crappy hand winch to my tow strap and then between my truck and a tree, I cranked the winch but there was not enough leverage, I couldnt crank it any more. I climbed back in the truck and tried to move it, nothing. I climbed back out and felt around under the truck, the front skid plate was stuck right in the mud and the wheels had dug down to the bed of the river. my buddy had some ratchet straps so I hooked those up as well but it wouldnt budge. I had the engine running the whole time, but it was out of the water so no chance of it hydrolocking. eventually the light started dying so I shut off the engine. the alternator must have gotten wet. so we decided at the point we would have to leave the truck and go back out the way we came in his truck through the rocks the jeeps had told us we would be able to get past at night with his stock lights.. this was at 12:30am. At this point I was exausted.
We eventually got back out during the night with only a stock 4runner and stock headlights. and went back to florence to get more gas and my buddy was able to figure out how to get back to my truck on the other side of the river. he drove us back around the other side of the river and after a half an hour of searching we found my truck sitting in the mud on the shore of the river. It wouldnt start because the starter and battery were dead. he pulled it out using the tow strap and then we tried to jump it, but I think because everything was still wet it just wouldnt start. so he turned around and towed me back out the rest of the trail about 4 miles or so, until we found some people camping. we pulled my air filter out, it was wet but the intake was mostly dry, we dried it out the rest of the way and put some seafoam into it. It started up! we let it run for a bit and closed up the intake without the air filter in, I went first down the trail and eventually we all got back home.
So now that the truck is fine and back home the only damage I can see is the starter takes a second to kick in, as in i turn the key a couple seconds go by then the starter turns on and starts the engine. and the carpets are gross.
I went to autozone and got all of the codes. The lights on the dash all are solid, brake, vsc off, vsc trac, abs. earlier today I washed the exterior and sprayed the mud off the control arms and wheels, the brake and abs lights turned off but then the engine light came on, then when I started it again the abs and brake light came back on, then I took it to autozone. keep in mind that the check engine didnt come on until after i sprayed the front suspension and brakes off and the front skidplate.
c0205 c0210 c0215 c1201 c1223 c1224 c1241 c1340
p0335 p0340
any help and experience would be really great.
edit: check engine light went off now.
https://plus.google.com/112866749432716540184/posts/AQjdE6gTpVn
Last edited:
