Manual transmission water crossing

Renagade119

Renagade119

New member
I was talking to my dad the other day about water crossings and he told me to be uber careful about your speed and gear choice when driving a manual tranny cause once your gearbox and clutch is in water you can't shift because once you step on the clutch water rushes in and completely destroys your clutch. Is this true? Keep in mind he had a run in with this happening when a friend of my dads had to rebuild his Rangers clutch after he went swamping (why he went swamping in a Ranger I have no idea). Can anyone help me out?
 
Renagade119 said:
I was talking to my dad the other day about water crossings and he told me to be uber careful about your speed and gear choice when driving a manual tranny cause once your gearbox and clutch is in water you can't shift because once you step on the clutch water rushes in and completely destroys your clutch. Is this true? Keep in mind he had a run in with this happening when a friend of my dads had to rebuild his Rangers clutch after he went swamping (why he went swamping in a Ranger I have no idea). Can anyone help me out?
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Bump.I would like some details o this as well.. I have heard this before but without facts.
 
Yeah, that is the rule with a manual. Pick a good gear and go slow and steady. You do not want to shift once you're in the deep stuff.
 
Renagade119 said:
I was talking to my dad the other day about water crossings and he told me to be uber careful about your speed and gear choice when driving a manual tranny cause once your gearbox and clutch is in water you can't shift because once you step on the clutch water rushes in and completely destroys your clutch. Is this true? Keep in mind he had a run in with this happening when a friend of my dads had to rebuild his Rangers clutch after he went swamping (why he went swamping in a Ranger I have no idea). Can anyone help me out?
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I think a lot of this "depends".
Your clutch plate is made from the same material as your brakes. Brakes get wet all the time without failing.
Most clutches are somewhat protected. Even the clutch fork should have a boot around it to prevent anything from getting in, however, on some older and/or modified vehicles, the inspection cover and boot are sometimes missing simply because they weren't put back on, or have fallen off.

If water does get in, if it has mud and sand in it, you can cause damage. Just plain fresh water should be of little consequence, however...
After a day out when a water crossing was involved, you should always inspect all of your fluids. Your Diffs, your transmission, your transfer case, and your engine oil should all be checked for water.
 
Yea no kidding. My father would have beaten me with a toaster oven has I called him and told him that I broke the clutch
 
New to the jeep life. I recently got stuck in a rut at a mud hole. I stepped in the clutch to keep from stalling within the water and to try and reverse out of the rut many times. I never let it stall and got pulled out by a Cherokee. Luckily I have no major consequence yet. I am new to manual and did not know these risks.

So basically it would be better to stall and get pulled out if you are in water and get stuck? I don't really enjoy mudding but Washington trails often have ponds and muddy areas to cross with high potential of getting stuck. Sometimes they're unavoidable.

stuck.jpg
 
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Haha. Great picture!

I once heard that you shouldn't change gears mid-river because this allows water to travel up your exhaust and possibly into the motor... Anyone want to call BS on that?
 
As long as the engine is running water won't go up your exhaust due to the pressure within the pipe created by the engine exhaust pressure.
 
I'm not sure here. I'm new to this area too. As for the water up the exhaust thing, as long as the engine is running you should be good
 
I'd call BS on the water getting into the motor as well, not while the engine is running. As far as shifting while in water/mud, I've got an '81 CJ7 with a T5 tranny. I've never had problems from shifting under water. I do have an extended breather tube for the tranny, and a rubber boot covering the clutch fork.
 
If you get stuck don't clutch. Stall it or shut it off. In 4 low you don't need the clutch to start the engine. You can put it in the gear, no clutch, and start it and you will start to move. Try this on dry ground first to see what that is like if you have never done this.
 
Here is the shiznit!!! As long as the motor is running your good provided the air intake is not submerged (the exhaust can be as long as the motor is running). If it stalls, manual or automatic, if the exhaust is under water and you try to start it, the compression will suck the water through the exhaust pipe and into the engine. Not good in any situation! I saw this happen once, the car would not start, so the plugs were pulled and once the car was turned over with no plugs in the cylinders water shot out of them over the roof of a house.:grayno: in other words: dont get froggy in the water because bad stuff can happen!!!!!:D
 
PssdffJay said:
If you get stuck don't clutch. Stall it or shut it off. In 4 low you don't need the clutch to start the engine. You can put it in the gear, no clutch, and start it and you will start to move. Try this on dry ground first to see what that is like if you have never done this.
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When you start like this is it almost like the clutch is dumped and peel out? Im curious to try but and scared of ruining my clutch.
 
It only works in 4L and I'm pretty sure only 1st and 2nd gear. At first the starter motor will be turning everything, then when the motor starts it will be at crawl speed. You don't need to touch the gas. It will be a slow movement. Don't do it on dry pavement though, 4L should be only used off road.
 
Where would I find this tranny breather tube? And how would I extend it? Also is there breather tubes for the axles?
 
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