So I will try to explain everything the best I can... someone please read and enjoy my horrible weekend. But more importantly...weigh in on your opinions....please......
Got stuck in a river last Saturday. Water filled up the inside, not quite to the CD player, but pretty decently. The first thing that happened was the horn went off (and stayed on for the next few hours while I try to tie ropes and chains under the front end...fml) I am pretty sure the 'factory security system' got activated or shorted out...From my limited knowledge of hydrolocking I left the truck running to prevent water from going back down the exhaust. The airbox never got fully submerged so it kept running for a while...but meanwhile the lights on the interior slowly died and at some point the dash quit out. Buddies Jeep couldn't pull me out and we ended up waiting for about 4 hours (while I tried just about everything in the freezing water to free her). The 4runner was low on gas when we first got stuck and either ran out of gas or the battery died around hour 3. Hour 4, another jeep with winch shows up and pulls me to dry land. (it is dark now and I am shaking uncontrollably while trying to stay warm)
Let it sit overnight and we towed her home in the morning. I thought the engine would be fine but wanted to be 100% sure before I went to try and crank it so I pulled the plugs and tried to turn the engine over. Battery was dead so we had it jumping off another vehicle. (Note: security system is now excited to have more juice and sings the song of its people. until we unplug the horns...then just more high pitched siren.) Turning key, no click from starter, silence. (well...there is the siren..) Unplug battery to save eardrums, scratch head in confusion. Fuses looked good. We ended up plugging the battery again and measuring current at the starter when I turned the key, so we decided to pull the starter and clean it. (it was disgusting. muddy stuff all inside, we cleaned, regreased and replaced.)
After cleaning it we still had same issue of no clicking, nothing. (hmmm...alternator time??) At this point I am running out of time and source a ride back home (4hours away) for work on monday. Last ditch effort we do a roll start with the spark plugs out and let that clear the cylinders. We put plugs back in, hook everything up and roll start it. Cranks up!
Let it idle in the driveway for a bit before limping to the gas station. Put 50$ in, and messed with some door plugs I have exposed. At this point I notice a bundle of wires going up under steering column. Moving these causes my instrument cluster to come back on momentarily (and the alarm system cuts off) Its a miracle!!! But wait, no its back to bad. And the lights begin to dim as I drive away. Suddenly I've got almost no power, and end up having my friend tow me back to my buddies house again. This time we cannot pull start it (behind his jeep and slowly letting the clutch out into 2nd gear)
(update about the annoying security system short...so as time progressed, when it was idling at the house eventually the system turned off when the doors were closed and the lights were turned off. Lights on, or door open, WHEEEEEEEE goes the siren)
The drive to the gas station made me think the TPS was off. Poor driving...sputtering and just no power...Time to research more about TPS...
Question #1: Does the security system keep the starter from functioning properly or is my starter fried? (After some searching I have found that people do have problems cranking when their systems are in alert mode, so is it possible that my starter is good and just the security issue?)
Question #2: Should I just go ahead and buy a new Alternator? (the power seemed to be dying off pretty quickly and if it is anywhere near as clogged as the starter...mmmmyeah.) But then again I am no expert on electronics.
Question #3: Should I go ahead and grab a used ECU or should this dry out and be ok? I mean, the engine ran...which makes me think the ECU is ok?
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After I figure out these issues I am obviously going to be swapping some fluids, but my primary concern is to get the engine running again! So this weekend I have to drive 4 hours south to hopefully fix her and drive her home!
---------------------------------
UPDATE!!!!!! My old roommate in Valdosta (that house) called and told me he unplugged the alarm brain from under the seat and now he can plug the battery up without hearing whining....now if I can just bypass this system....
2 1/2 inch susp lift with 265/75 16's (apparently you should 'winch it before you lift it')
Got stuck in a river last Saturday. Water filled up the inside, not quite to the CD player, but pretty decently. The first thing that happened was the horn went off (and stayed on for the next few hours while I try to tie ropes and chains under the front end...fml) I am pretty sure the 'factory security system' got activated or shorted out...From my limited knowledge of hydrolocking I left the truck running to prevent water from going back down the exhaust. The airbox never got fully submerged so it kept running for a while...but meanwhile the lights on the interior slowly died and at some point the dash quit out. Buddies Jeep couldn't pull me out and we ended up waiting for about 4 hours (while I tried just about everything in the freezing water to free her). The 4runner was low on gas when we first got stuck and either ran out of gas or the battery died around hour 3. Hour 4, another jeep with winch shows up and pulls me to dry land. (it is dark now and I am shaking uncontrollably while trying to stay warm)
Let it sit overnight and we towed her home in the morning. I thought the engine would be fine but wanted to be 100% sure before I went to try and crank it so I pulled the plugs and tried to turn the engine over. Battery was dead so we had it jumping off another vehicle. (Note: security system is now excited to have more juice and sings the song of its people. until we unplug the horns...then just more high pitched siren.) Turning key, no click from starter, silence. (well...there is the siren..) Unplug battery to save eardrums, scratch head in confusion. Fuses looked good. We ended up plugging the battery again and measuring current at the starter when I turned the key, so we decided to pull the starter and clean it. (it was disgusting. muddy stuff all inside, we cleaned, regreased and replaced.)
After cleaning it we still had same issue of no clicking, nothing. (hmmm...alternator time??) At this point I am running out of time and source a ride back home (4hours away) for work on monday. Last ditch effort we do a roll start with the spark plugs out and let that clear the cylinders. We put plugs back in, hook everything up and roll start it. Cranks up!
Let it idle in the driveway for a bit before limping to the gas station. Put 50$ in, and messed with some door plugs I have exposed. At this point I notice a bundle of wires going up under steering column. Moving these causes my instrument cluster to come back on momentarily (and the alarm system cuts off) Its a miracle!!! But wait, no its back to bad. And the lights begin to dim as I drive away. Suddenly I've got almost no power, and end up having my friend tow me back to my buddies house again. This time we cannot pull start it (behind his jeep and slowly letting the clutch out into 2nd gear)
(update about the annoying security system short...so as time progressed, when it was idling at the house eventually the system turned off when the doors were closed and the lights were turned off. Lights on, or door open, WHEEEEEEEE goes the siren)
The drive to the gas station made me think the TPS was off. Poor driving...sputtering and just no power...Time to research more about TPS...
Question #1: Does the security system keep the starter from functioning properly or is my starter fried? (After some searching I have found that people do have problems cranking when their systems are in alert mode, so is it possible that my starter is good and just the security issue?)
Question #2: Should I just go ahead and buy a new Alternator? (the power seemed to be dying off pretty quickly and if it is anywhere near as clogged as the starter...mmmmyeah.) But then again I am no expert on electronics.
Question #3: Should I go ahead and grab a used ECU or should this dry out and be ok? I mean, the engine ran...which makes me think the ECU is ok?
-------------------------------
After I figure out these issues I am obviously going to be swapping some fluids, but my primary concern is to get the engine running again! So this weekend I have to drive 4 hours south to hopefully fix her and drive her home!
---------------------------------
UPDATE!!!!!! My old roommate in Valdosta (that house) called and told me he unplugged the alarm brain from under the seat and now he can plug the battery up without hearing whining....now if I can just bypass this system....
2 1/2 inch susp lift with 265/75 16's (apparently you should 'winch it before you lift it')
