Thread: Taking a P38A Rangie for a swim - advice please

This is the progress I've made today after visiting the auto shop to get a couple of Torx drivers for the seats, engine oil and some storage/organiser boxes to keep all the removed bits sorted:

• all seats removed. a little damp at the bottom but I think they will dry out fine. Not so confident about the motors and memory for the front seats;
• BeCM removed from under driver's seat;
• EAS, Gearbox and Transfer Case ECU's, plus some chunky relay removed from under passenger seat;
• rear carpets and underlay all removed
• subwoofer and (unused) CD stacker removed from rear;
• door panels, speakers, amps removed
• plugged sump and filled with fresh oil;
• couldn't remove oil filter so punched a hole in it to drain - no water evident there - good news I guess;

Front carpets a being a real pain. Looks like I need to remove underside of the dash and centre console all the way to the front. By midnight I'd had enough so I've propped up the carpet/underlay with blocks to let them drain a little until I can get back at tomorrow.

Tailgate is totally useless. I have found no way to open it. If I can figure out which wires operate the solenoid I might be able to apply a small volage drop to operate the button. A task for another day...

I'll make some calls in the morning to see if I can send the BeCM and ECU's off somewhere for a health check. Any suggestions for the Canberra to Sydney region please? If further away, someone who is really good and reasonably priced?

Originally Posted by Scouse

Sorry to hear that it all went pear shaped Paul but I would never have expected driver training to involve over a metre of water, especially when they know the car doesn't have a snorkel.
Were they trying to see what would stop your car deliberately ?

If you went through insurance with this repair, it'd be a write off IMO.

Hi Scott - I've had a closer look at the water line on the car and I reckon it's about 3 inches below the door handles and just above the wheel arches. I reckon the car nose dived to the left (rock, log, hole?) which caused the water to air intake problem.
I don't blame the instructors at all. They were making allowances for less capable vehicles in the water crossing by moving to lower and higher ground - a Kia Sportage even made it through - how embarrasssed am I? The only other vehicle that had trouble was the Rodeo that towed me out of the water. His push button 4WD-2WD selector got stuck - probably due to water soaking the solenoid while waiting to hook me up.

BTW: the water crossing was approx 200m taking an S curve up and down stream.

I'm pretty sure my insurance won't cover recreational 4WD'ing although I do have full comprehensive insurance with NRMA. The tow truck driver reckons I would be insured if it was on a road but it would be written off since water entered the cabin.

Originally Posted by 81stubee

I'm impressed:
1. That the P38 lasted up to the top of the wheel arches.

2. Somebody had the balls to try that deep a crossing in a P38

Stu

Cheers Stu - the Rangie had no problems at all with the 3 previous crossings. I've got to wonder if water was slowly getting thrown up in the the air filter box until it got too much for the filter to handle, and the 4th crossing was the point that the filter gave up.

Originally Posted by 81stubee

I'm impressed:
It doesn't sound right that a Training course would allow a Non-Snorkled car to cross something that deep, I bet they were just trying to see what would stop it, and let me guess the response was "Bloody Rangerovers have too much electronics, unlike my Nistoy that never breaks down!"
Stu

Not much of that went on - well, in front of me and to my knowledge anyway. They are a good crowd and everyone pitched in to try to get me moving again.

If and when this P38 swims again, it will be with a snorkel and the EAS on bypass mode.
Cheers, Paul.

Originally Posted by PaulP38a

Tailgate is totally useless. I have found no way to open it. If I can figure out which wires operate the solenoid I might be able to apply a small volage drop to operate the button. A task for another day...
I'll make some calls in the morning to see if I can send the BeCM and ECU's off somewhere for a health check. Any suggestions for the Canberra to Sydney region please? If further away, someone who is really good and reasonably priced?

I'm pretty sure my insurance won't cover recreational 4WD'ing although I do have full comprehensive insurance with NRMA. The tow truck driver reckons I would be insured if it was on a road but it would be written off since water entered the cabin.

Tailgate: 'andrew_e' had success I believe with a small 10mm spanner to remove the striker bolts through the panel gaps.
Also, if you can send me your email address, I'll send down a copy of the wiring diagram for the tailgate.

BECM repair: LAB Electronics in Mittagong (Lee Bourgeois) will be the man to talk to.
LAB Electronics Electronics for the Automotive Industry

Insurance: I know one member on here suffered a very similar fate with an Explorer that was covered by insurance. Hopefully he'll be here soon & able to help with more info on his circumstances.

Originally Posted by PaulP38a

I'm pretty sure my insurance won't cover recreational 4WD'ing although I do have full comprehensive insurance with NRMA. The tow truck driver reckons I would be insured if it was on a road but it would be written off since water entered the cabin.

It would be worth try to ring up (not giving your name) and asking. If worst happens it would be written off and you are given first option of buying it back. NRMA are one of the best insurances to have in terms of not stuffing you around when you make a claim (even off road).

Andy

Haven't been lurking here much in the past few days, most evenings spent pulling stuff out of the Rangie and tonight piling it all back in after drying it out. It is being towed to Canberra Motor Works in the morning for assessing.
NRMA have agreed that the car is covered for off-road use as I was using a gazetted road/fire-trail - that is some good news.

We are yet to see if the Ray at CMW and the NRMA Assessor agree that it can be repaired or if it will be written off. I'm hoping they repair it as I've spent way too much time and money on it over the past few years to let it go for a lousy $12.5k payout. Examples:

• engine replace/rebuild in 2004 = $12k
• misc cruise control, climate control and electrical issues = > $5k
• GME UHF radio in Feb 2008 = approx $1k
• 5 x Cooper ST tyres in April 2008 = $1.5K
• crank position sensor, engine and exhaust issues in past 6 months = > $3k
• Arnott Gen III airbags and Bilstein shocks in past 3 months = > $2k
• custom rear bar and tyre carrier last month = $2.5k
• DVD/MP3/iPod stereo in 2006 = > $1k
• hand made sheep skin seat covers, floor mats, water-wading blind, wind deflectors, 3rd roof bar, EAS emergency override system, additional front recovery points, and misc "stuff" off eBay = $LOTS

Anyway, I guess I'll get a verdict in the next couple of days and then make a decision about what to do if it is a write-off. If it is a reparable write-off I may buy it back and get Ray to fix the bits he can and I'll do the rest as a project (it's got NSW rego until Aug-09 but I suppose that's worthless if it is written off). If it is not reparable, I'll salvage what I can and look to buy another one.

I'd really like a RR Sport (2nd hand of course) but I don't think there is much in the way of aftermarket off-road stuff for them yet, so I guess I'd be looking at another P38A or even getting another RRC.

Cheers, Paul

BTW: I've attached a pic of the Rangie dead in the water as it was about to be towed out. I'll also try to get a vid-cap of the shot where the nose dove in to the water just before it stalled.

Paul, I would say that the NRMA would write the car off, especially with the electrical dramas.

Talk to the assessor though - hopefully they'll be agreeable to you buying the car back rather that having it go through auction, especially now that you've started getting parts for it.

Also, where the recent accessories added to the policy?
If not, remove them quickly !!

Originally Posted by Scouse

Paul, I would say that the NRMA would write the car off, especially with the electrical dramas.

Talk to the assessor though - hopefully they'll be agreeable to you buying the car back rather that having it go through auction, especially now that you've started getting parts for it.

Also, where the recent accessories added to the policy?
If not, remove them quickly !!

I agree with Scouse, repairable writeoff, and you will have first choice of buying it back. However, what ever you do, DO NOT let them take it away to their yard/holding center if you want to buy it back, as their employees quite often remove accessories and radios (i have even heard of cases where they swapped mags with new tyres, with stockies and bald tyres).

I agree though, remove that rear bar if you can, before the assessor sees it, because if it is bolted on the car they can claim it as theirs (they have also been known to write cars off with minor damage, as they can get alot more money for the wreck with accessories).

Most of the accessories you mention can be removed/swapped if it is a writeoff though.

Good luck,
Andy

I'm not surprised NRMA covered it. A guy in our club rolled his Hilux in a private pay to enter 4wd park up here. Absolutely destroyed it. NRMA paid out.

If it was me I'd want that to be a write off so long as I could get the wreck back. Then take the money and buy another one for stuff all and swap the stuff over and have a heap of spares.
Otherwise you will be forever fixing niggling problems and electrical faults.

As said though. Remove anything that isn't on your policy as a precaution. Plus it would bring down your buyback price.
Take a heap of photos before it is taken too (after you've removed stuff). Just in case stuff does get knocked off.

As for not having a snorkel. I've had both my Rodeo and Discovery (petrols) over the bonnet in water without snorkels or blinds and never had a problem. The Rodeo showed signs of light spashing into the airbox but that was as far as it got. They were never more than about a 15m crossing though and I didn't stop.