• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Curious on driving through water..

fearthisinc

Full Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Messages
75
Ok.. so I have seen numerous videos of vehicles driving through water on and off road.. I was actually curious how much water an avalanche with 6 inch lift could safely go through.. I know it is not the smartest idea to be driving through water but figured some guys that may take their trucks off road may know the answer.. someone told me that you could pretty much drive up until the air intake but not really feeling that lol.. thanks for any input..
 
In the old days when there was very few electronics on vehicles you could do just a couple of things to "waterproof" the motor and drivetrain so that as long as the intake was dry and you kept water out of the exhaust you could drive in some water.
Now with modern vehicles there are so many sensors and electronic controls I wouldn't try to turn an AV into a watercraft.You may flood things out and spend thousands to get it to run right, then you could develop mold and bacteria in the air vents, carpeting  and upholstery etc.
Not to mention the life threatening position you could quickly find yourself in if the vehicle gets caught in a strong current or a deep sinkhole.
Good safety rule is to not drive through a water area on the road if you can't see the pavement markings.
 
If you take a look at the pic in my sig, you'll see my AV fording through a pond, given the pond in most places was only 3 ft deep, but that pic I do believe the water was at the door cladding. So with the proper height you canget through a good amount of water. But this was at an offroad park, and we had 5 AVs going through the pond, so if anyone got flooded out (and someone did) there were others around to help out. Never go wheeling by yourself. And I do agree with the previous poster, don't drive into flooded areas on the road, the current could take you away, and the road may already be gone underneath the water.
Stay safe.

James.
 
I can say myn at stock height went through tone that it spleshed water up on the hood however it went to about the power bar it had got about about 4" deeper than the week before and was a scary surprise
 
This was 2 years ago, last year we took this same road in the mtns and the water came up above the hood. The design of the 5.3 in our trucks doesn't handle this well because of placement of the knock sensors. They sit in a cup on the top of the motor underneath the intake manifold and they retain moisture causing them to short out. I no longer go on a road like this one without seeing someone else go first or walking it. (Btw the inside stays drier if you roll the windows up  :laugh:)
IMG_1299.png
 
Bad idea, the front and rear diff have vent tubes, if it's too deep water will mix with the lube then real bad news.
 
MS03 2500 said:
Bad idea, the front and rear diff have vent tubes, if it's too deep water will mix with the lube then real bad news.







Totally agree here. I used to belong to an off road club here in Oregon. I had a 73 Blazer that was a purpose built rig for wheeling. Had the big tires. If I had to go thru water that was high enough I would drain the axle(s) fluid and refill. Way cheaper than the gears and bearings. Newer rigs electronics can get messy, fan running and throwing water all over under the hood. If you absolutely must cross thru water then be prepared for the mess and clean up. 
 
Back
Top