Maximum water depth?

[willayyy]

Wondering what the maximum water depth for a stock 2011 1500 4X4 is?

plan to go mudding soon and curious as to what my truck can handle.

 

[Ratket]

lots of variables with this question... mudding is good all day.. driving it across open water.... go slow.. if u go to fast you will make a wakethay will rise up against the truck and if it gets high enough u could possibly suck in water.. if the water stays below you're doors.. you should be ok. these trucks have a **** load of electronics.. Not something I would be driving across a river for funn with.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

^^ Yup. One thing to be mindful of as well, watch the duration- mudding or water crossing. Hot bearings and seals shrink really quickly when they are submerged. This is by design, but too much of it can actually draw moisture in, getting into the bearing etc- almost like a vacuum. Especially bad on solid axle units since the water will eventually make its way to the pumpkin.

We usually did a set of bearings and seals at the end of each summer on our hunting/ fishing trucks for this very reason and changed all of our gear oil. We'd slog through creeks and mudholes all day long. At the end of a summer of that- you'd cringe if you saw the oil coming out of those things.

 

[NYCruiser]

I had a rubicon that was rated for 30 something inches of water. I had it through that kind of water several times without incident. The problem was the accelerated rust and problems with bushings and suspension that started to show up later on. By 70K miles it was like driving a flood car and I had to trade it in.

 

[freddyx844]

To go deeper than the axel you should really seal off the fill hole on the diff and have a breather high up. Otherwise you risk water contamination.



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[smurfs_of_war]

I had a rubicon that was rated for 30 something inches of water. I had it through that kind of water several times without incident. The problem was the accelerated rust and problems with bushings and suspension that started to show up later on. By 70K miles it was like driving a flood car and I had to trade it in.

30 plus inches? I actually didn't even realize until you just posted it that they even rated that scenario. Learn something new.

So to rate it at that, do they include the snorkel and the engine compartment treatment?

The snorkel on my '78 consisted of a laundry detergent jug skillfully cut and heat formed, a lot of duct tape, some door sealent foam and a clothes dryer vent hose. My truck looked like a rusty 1970s episode of Dr. Who but the old girl got the job done. I did end up making a rubber seal to go around my oilpan gasket too since I couldn't make that damn thing seal to save my life.

 

[NYCruiser]

30 plus inches? I actually didn't even realize until you just posted it that they even rated that scenario. Learn something new.

So to rate it at that, do they include the snorkel and the engine compartment treatment?

The snorkel on my '78 consisted of a laundry detergent jug skillfully cut and heat formed, a lot of duct tape, some door sealent foam and a clothes dryer vent hose. My truck looked like a rusty 1970s episode of Dr. Who but the old girl got the job done. I did end up making a rubber seal to go around my oilpan gasket too since I couldn't make that damn thing seal to save my life.

No snorkel, but the Rubicon comes with diff vents routed high, no wiring in the floor and alternator mounted high, etc. Submerging the moving parts of the suspension and the chassis, exhaust components, etc turned out to be a bad idea that they don't mention in the "trail rated" specs. LOL

Jeep Trail Rated - Explore Off-Road Jeep Capabilities


Click on the "Water Fording" link at the bottom of the linked page and then the capabilities link at the bottom right of the next page. It shows you the water depth rating for the various jeep models.

 

[Stangshcky12]

I don't think Ram gives an actual spec for the 1500 but recommends not traversing through higher then 20"
I believe the pre '14 Powerwagons are rated at 24" and are now 30"

The diff vent hose on my 2500 are run up to the top of the shock tower, I've been meaning to see where the rear goes

 

[csuder99]

Do 1500s have diff breathers at all ? I kinda doubt it but the weather is not conducive to looking under the truck.

The breathers on my 03 Rubicon end up near the top of the radiator and fuel filler, I think the manual said bottom of headlights for maximum depth. Which are about 6" higher than stock by now

 

[7777xm]

This is from the manual. I havent look physically at the details under our trucks, but I have brought my 2010 through creeks about 18" deep with no issues.


Shallow Standing Water
Although your vehicle is capable of driving through shallow standing water, consider the following Cautions and Warnings before doing so.

WARNING!
Driving through standing water limits your vehicle’s traction capabilities. Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving through standing water.

Driving through standing water limits your vehicle’s braking capabilities, which increases stopping distances. Therefore, after driving through standing water, drive slowly and lightly press on the brake pedal several times to dry the brakes.

Failure to follow these warnings may result in injuries that are serious or fatal to you, your passengers, and others around you.

CAUTION!:
Always check the depth of the standing water before driving through it. Never drive through standing water that is deeper than the bottom of the tire rims mounted on the vehicle.

Determine the condition of the road or the path that is under water and if there are any obstacles in the way before driving through the standing water.

Do not exceed 5 mph (8 km/h) when driving through standing water. This will minimize wave effects.

Driving through standing water may cause damage to your vehicle’s drivetrain components. Always inspect your vehicle’s fluids (i.e., engine oil, transmission, axle, etc.) for signs of contamination (i.e., fluid that is milky or foamy in appearance) after driving through standing water. Do not continue to operate the vehicle if any fluid appears contaminated, as this may result in further damage. Such damage is not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Getting water inside your vehicle’s engine can cause it to lock up and stall out, and cause serious internal damage to the engine. Such damage is not covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

 

[arod412]

If you are looking at max depth, you might start thinking about some kind of lift.

 

[Stangshcky12]

Do 1500s have diff breathers at all ? I kinda doubt it but the weather is not conducive to looking under the truck.

The breathers on my 03 Rubicon end up near the top of the radiator and fuel filler, I think the manual said bottom of headlights for maximum depth. Which are about 6" higher than stock by now

I believe they have too
As the diff fluid heats up it would create pressure inside of the case without them

 

[HarryN]

Thanks for this water depth question and insights.

I am thinking about how this applies to a more modern, normal truck.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Pretty sure deep water has contributed to the electric steering controller / actuator failures