I sunk my 96 in a swamp last fall the hole engine was covered in water and stalled. I had it pulled out and changed the oil 3 times to make sure all the water was out of the system. Replaced all the spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor. I dried out the fuse box and also replaced all blown fuses. The truck starts great but runs ruff at low rpm, under load it backfires out of the hole it has a lot of small backfires in till i reach a higher rpm. The truck also has only half the power it used to. Any ideas of what my problem might be?

 

Was the engine running when it went in the water hole? If so then you bent or broke rods, pistons, or valves so you likely need a rebuild or replacement engine.

 

Yes it was running when i hit the hole. The truck has no knocking or ticking at any rpm it just backfires and lacks power at lower rpms and runs ruff. At high rpm it does not backfire and seems to run good.

 

Pull the plugs and do a compression test on all cylinders.

 

I know how that is, my whole state's a swamp and I've seen a few trucks turn into submarines haha.

You probably done fried the computer. Maybe the PIP and ICM too. They're all right up there in front. It ain't that electronics don't like to get wet (most chips are sealed), it's just that they don't like to get wet while they're energized!

How far in did the truck go, just the nose? Did it go in far enough that you might have water in the fuel tanks? Did you happen to make a note of which fuses were blown?

 

Conanski i will try the compression test next along with a new coil i picked up. Dixie460 it was just the nose. The fuel tank was above my head so it was dry as for the fuses i did not make a note. There was one relay blown that i know of, a lot of the fuses may have been blown before i hit the hole. It has only been used as a bush truck for the last couple years, now i want it back on the street.

 

Thanks for the help so far, i would appreciate anyone else's ideas as well!

 

If she sank last fall, there could still be a lot of moisture in the electrical connectors and relays. There's probably half a dozen underneath the engine and w/ the. xmsn alone, brakes, etc.. They will short out and corrode and cause all kinds of grief for years. Be inclined to to get a can of WD40 and flush everything good. Do this before expecting anything to work right, and importantly before applying power.

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Check the pip. Check the connections on the injectors. Does your truck have the maf sensor if so clean it.

 

Keep in mind, the WD40 will remove any remaining water that may linger but it won't remove any corrosion or mineral deposits that form on the metals. It's a good first step. A different type of cleaner is needed for that. Would probably be best to replace the relays if it gets down to this.

 

Just asking the simplest question...

Have you checked for codes?

 

Yeah, exactly. Didn't want to write a novel on that but you are right. There's some interesting US navy procedures that I ran across in a radio repair book that explains the details of rescuing submerged or soaked electronics.

It is manageable, even saltwater soaked stuff, provided it's washed and rinsed and thoroughly dried before applying power. They were using strong chemical soaks with acetone and distilled water, rinses to displace all the salt and brine. Hopefully in this instance flushing the connectors will at least keep him on the road and go from there.

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Well thanks for all the help everyone but it was none of the above. #2 and #3 plug wires were mixed up in the mess of things. The truck is running great and should be back on the road with in the week!