Need help with my flooded disco from hurricane, please!

[chris1863]

helloi hope you guys can help me out on saving my truck...its a 97 discovery..ill try to tell you in detail on the events and what i did and whats going on with truck, so if you have any suggestions or answers, i would really appreciate it...here we go.......

as the water started to rise, my alarm (horn) went off. i went out and disconnected battery..when water recited, i noticed the water was as high as the console...i started it, and starter was still good, but hydrual locked..took plugs out and got water out of cylinders...then couldnt start it..so i started taking apart dash..i noticed the water went about 1/4 up on the gray fuse box under driver side...on the passenger side, it went up to about a 1/4 in the silver computer box(on silver computer box it reads in big letters (wabco amr5557)......so, i replaced the big gray fuse box and fuses, the silver box computer and all the black, green and yellow relays on the passenger side..the relays on the drivers side still look good..i use electrical cleaner on all the relay connections and all the rest of the connections that were under water....also, i put new starter in(that was a pain)...the other computer boxes that i didnt replace yet are the srs airbag in center console, window lift ecu, amp, and the green alarm box(which ill talk about shortly) i also cleaned up the center console area and connections(nuetral safety switch, etc)......also the computer on the passenger side and fuse box(not inside car) under hood didnt get affected..

now here is what happens and the problems....when i turn ignition on, it wont turn over(starter wont engage), dash doesnt light up, but red signal light for alarm is on....what does work is driving lights, radio, dome light, flashers, hood light....when i start by passing relays(relay to relay and relay to fuses), i CAN get the rest of the electronics to work and also the dash to light up, only from bypassing, but CANT get it to start from key....i found two relays bypassing that i can get starter to work (black relay to one of the yellow relays...but i have no spark......is it the alarm that stopping the dash from coming on and starting? any way to totally disconnect alarm? is there an inline fuse of some sort in the wiring harness...did i miss a relay, fuse, computer.......any help, suggestions or what you think, please reply...dont wanna lose the truck..thanks guys, chris

[Spike555]

I didnt even read the whole thread because you need to let insurance total it out and start over.
It was flooded, it is done, end of story.
Your transmission is full of water, so is the transfer case and differentials, all the electrics are done for, if not now once the corrosion starts they will be.
The MAF is toast, the ECU, window motors, seat motors...everything.
If insurance wont cover it then strip what you can to sell, like winch bumper if you have one, wheels and rims, spare tire...anything that cant be ruined by water.
Your truck is D-O-N-E!!

[stb616]

Agreed. Get an insurance check. If you want, you can always try to buy it back from them for parts, but I'm not sure what would be any good. Remember this was saltwater that flooded it.....remember all the issues with MTA and the airports having to replace everything because of the damage saltwater causes? It corrodes and has conductive properties.

Two things-- a)keep good notes of you loss, they usually end up letting people take special losses on their taxes after these disasters b) If you don't carry anything more than liability coverage, learn from the mistake. There are 3 types of coverage normally available. Liability, required by most states. Collision covers you if you're in an accident. Comprehensive, which covers against non-accident related losses ie: flood, fire, tree falling, deer, theft, etc. Comp is very cheap and well worth every penny. For some reason, some agents don't suggest it without collision, but carriers will you add it.

Sorry for you issues, but I think you'd be better off cutting your losses.

[Racer X]

Sorry man, that's saltwater. Your disco is a total loss. I hope you had comprehensive coverage on it, if not, FEMA has a program that can reimburse you for the loss, but it will take substantially longer than going through your insurer.

[ihscouts]

Your alarm is keeping the ground from connecting to the starter. About all you can do is flush with allot of fresh water then let dry completely. Finding another Altai Silver with gray interior is pretty rare. I've been looking for one with cloth seats for a long long time. Hate leather.

[disco biscuit]

I was gonna say earlier i live in texas which had three hurricanes in the past few years you can save alot of stuff most people wouldnt think. Flush it well change out some electric crap and it'll be alright. Diesel and gas is what I have flushed with. Gas cuts water as good as wd40 if you catch it soon. Diesel for the stuff that sat. Then once you rinse with water enough to get that damn smell off it, its all a mechanic problem from there. You can wash and clean your seats and shit if you strip it, rinse well and dry properly. It sounds like alot but i always try to do what i can while the powers still out. Hell what else are you gonna do? No t.v. and internet makes a hell of a workin man out of ya. Dont puss out man. I can tell most people here expect you to have fuckin insurance or something easy. Life aint that easy for alot of people and rubbin it in peoples face after the fact dont help remove the sting.

Sorry to go off a lil, point is dont give up that easy man. I burnt a house down and rebuilt alot of crap without insurance alot cheaper than i woulda given them over the years. Alot of people in this area have realized what crooks they are. They dont give you an answer on it for 6 months and by then its too late. Dont wait on them, try to save what you can. They're not gods...they're flaming crooks. If you couldn't tell i had insurance during Rita and cancelled after getting screwed and aint regretted it since.

[p76rangie]

If water got inside the motor, the water level must have been a lot higher than the centre console.

As it was salt water, I would start by stripping everything out of it and cleaning/hosing everything with fresh water to get rid of any salt.

If the water level did not get above the breathers for the transmission, etc, they should be OK.

The alarm system also controls your central locking and many other things. It is not easy removing it, but it sounds like what is stopping it from starting at the moment. But it also could be the wiring to the transmission that tells the ECU that it is in Park/neutral. Or if you have one that requires your foot on the brake to start, it could be the brake light switch.

After seeing other vehicles that have drowned, particularly in salt water, I would say that it would not be worth the effort to get it going again. Insurance companies here will not even try to repair new cars that have been flooded as there are so many things that can go wrong months down the track.

[John C]

Originally Posted by chris1863

thanks for the insight and help guys, especially disco biscuit!!

Sorry to hear about the Disco Chris. Where in jersey are you?

I had a Volvo wagon under water n the Noreaster of '93 and although I got it running again after 3 months of working on it it still started to rust rapidly because of the salt.

Let me know if I can help.

Good luck.

[John C]

Originally Posted by chris1863

hey john, toms river in ocean county...across the bay from seaside heights

Let me know if you need anything, we are doing a run to the Rockaways this Friday but I can arrange a run to your area if you need anything.

Good luck!

[stb616]

Chris....

I have a couple of cars with hagerty insurance. They just sent an email with a link about how to minimize the damage in a sandy-like event. If this link doesn't work, let me know and I'll forward you the email.

Controlling Car Damages - Water in Your Engine | Hagerty Articles


good luck

[Spike555]

Originally Posted by stb616

Chris....

I have a couple of cars with hagerty insurance. They just sent an email with a link about how to minimize the damage in a sandy-like event. If this link doesn't work, let me know and I'll forward you the email.

Controlling Car Damages - Water in Your Engine | Hagerty Articles


good luck

That was a very good read, and here is my $.02...it's a $2,000 Land Rover not a $50,000 classic Corvette.
It is going to be more work and money getting this truck back on the road than it would be to just replace it.
These trucks are a dime a dozen on Craig's List, if it were mine it would be a Pepsi can by now.
Best of luck to the OP in whatever he does, I think he is chasing a red herring but thats just me.

[stb616]

Originally Posted by Spike555

That was a very good read, and here is my $.02...it's a $2,000 Land Rover not a $50,000 classic Corvette.
It is going to be more work and money getting this truck back on the road than it would be to just replace it.
These trucks are a dime a dozen on Craig's List, if it were mine it would be a Pepsi can by now.
Best of luck to the OP in whatever he does, I think he is chasing a red herring but thats just me.

I completely agree, but he seems determined to try and save it so I thought I'd share it with him.

I wouldn't skip any of those steps if you are going to try and save it.

On a side note....East Coast cars should be given 2nd look now just like gulf coast cars when buying used. Carfax adds a note that the car was registered in a potential flood zone during an event like Katrina. I hope they do this for Sandy too. A lot of flood cars end up getting dumped into the used market after these storms if people didnt' have insurance on them or for some reason decided not to make a claim and later realized it was bad idea to keep it.

[saharatj98]

I guess if you have the time and the truck is that important to you, go for it. Personally, i'd clean it up and use it for parts and buy another one. Cleaning the things you can see is one thing, it's the areas you can't that will create problems later...D1 will rust in salt air without the help of submersion...Your frame will now rust from the inside out as well as all the areas of the body you can't get to. The outer panels are largely aluminum, but the floor, inner structure and roof are steel. If you were to get it running, it's time would be limited anyway. I have a 98 that is rust free and a 96 that spent it's life on the coast and needs a chassis, sills, floor, wheel arches, inner wings ect. I'm not talking surface rust, I'm talking holes...Water will not rust these trucks as my 98 has been in the Pacific Northwest it's entire life and largely outside. The salt rusts out these trucks very quickly... Once submerged in salt water it will be a losing battle...Good luck...
About tossing it, people did this with the RRC and still do and their numbers have dropped to a point that people are starting to restore them...I think the D1 will follow a similar path being the last of the truly capable Rovers. There were many more D1 exported here than the RRC, but they are dropping like flies at a rapid rate. They are at the bottom (core value) now and I bet in a few more years they too will start appreciating like the RRC has... I remember series trucks being given away ten years ago, not the case anymore...