It's really not that bad of an issue. Couple things to deal with is try to ensure your vent lines are intact as possible. Like fit on the differential fitting and tight as can be. The diff cover seal, typically RTV, is in decent condition.

This still will not guarantee water from entering. It can still get past axle tube seals. If you run at high speed then you can get the diff temperature up hot enough that will actually suck water in through the diff cover seal.

So what to do? After a healthy submerging, get some gear oil (which is not that expensive), pull the diff covers to empty out and replace everything. Done.

Mechanical fan will probably run fine. It's the splashing inside the bay that would present an issue. Like getting water to the distributor. Coat of vaseline or similar on the underside is good idea, among some other typical locations.

Example

 

Carrying a can of WD-40 is a good to do. It's a big help in drying out wet ign. systems. Haven't done it in my Dodge yet, but have wet down other vehicles. Can only envision what a royal PITA it would be to be in deep water and having to pull and dry out a Magnum dist. cap.

 

Look at it this way, if you have to swim to it, it would be easier to get to......

 

I drove through this

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water was coming up over the hood.. I only did it once.. fan threw some water around but other then that it wasnt to bad. No problems either

 

So the next question is how far down the interstate your boat will go?

My own rule is easy: The outboard ends of the axle tubes stay above the surface or I don't go. I tell my buddies that I'm a big old pu55y who's really afraid of messing up his limpdick truck, which turns their macho up to eleven so I can ride with them. We take my truck the next day to the parts and beer stores. He who laughs last laughs longest.

 

I should have added that I only went through once and wouldnt do it again lol.. Just showing ya what kind of stuff i went through with no issues

 

my limited experience has been this:

with front axle seals that were leaking oil out, they allowed water to leak in, and i had some water inside my front diff.

with new front axle seals that don't leak oil out, they also held the water out, and i had no water in the diff.

in both examples, we're talking about a brief creek crossing with water up to about the bottom of the bumper. we're NOT talking about sitting there stuck for several hours, nor grinding the axles through abrasive sand or mud while stuck...

my advice is that if you drive through water deep enough to enter a seal or vent or dipstick or opening of any kind - then its your responsibility to check the fluids for water. this means check the oil on the dipstick, drain/refill the diffs since there is no dipstick to check, and most importantly and expensively - check the auto transmission dipstick. but here's the problem - if you find water on your transmission dipstick, it might already be too late to save the trans.

drive through deep water at your own risk.

 

i just noticed the other day that someone stuck a bolt in the the hole where the vent line should have been on my 81.

i figure if i can't see the road i will avoid driving on it unless i know the area good.

 

I drove through a fairly deep crossing at the river, twice actually, as I had to cross it again to get back on dry land.

It was DEEP, came up to the hood, with a 14x3 air filter too, had enough force to push back the plastic inner fenders. I tell ya, I was scared sh!tless that she was gonna stall, had gas pedal all the way to the floor and had NOTHING, she was going steady, but had nothing else to give...

Then once out of the water she was perfectly fine again.... I was actually shaking a bit after we got parked, it was intense!

 

Had a buddy put a a measly 3 inch lift on his '99 and some 35 inch boggers, figured we'd go boggin. Found a good swampy ditch, that I'd been mudding through with my stock height truck a week previous (also 3 inches of flood rain previous, being near the river, so about 7-8 inches deeper), and it looked deep, so I decided against it, but there was no stopping him. So I sat on the side road, with my tow strap, just in case, and the water was inches below his door handles. He threw 30 ft rooster tails, and covered all the surrounding area with mud, and made it through, and back up to the road, and then.....his truck wouldn't rev high enough to get outta second gear. Sucked water in through the intake tube. Limped it back to my house, drank for a few more hours, and by the time he was leaving, it started up fine, drove fine. He never cleaned it out, nothin. To this day it drives fine. Probably not clean, but it drives, lol. He's a bit more weary about watery mud nowadays, but it was damn near to his door handles. Awesome, but coulda messed his truck up pretty good.