New to Dodge, flood truck, what to do?
#11
01-27-2007, 02:44 AM
RE: New to Dodge, flood truck, what to do?
Having known someone who bought a "new" flood car like this all I can say is good luck. I wouldn't touch one with a 40 foot pole no matter what the deal was. You'll be replacing various electronic/computer compenents every now and then and they are not cheap so get ready. I think the part it out idea is a good one.
#12
01-28-2007, 05:43 PM
RE: New to Dodge, flood truck, what to do?
Purchase a service manual for your truck, invest in good electrical test equipment, especially important for trouble shooting electrical problems.
The "Mold Problem" may not be a factor if you can find a way to get the truck down to the Bakersfield or Las Vegas area for a week or two in the summer. A week at 100 Deg. F @ 10% humidity will pretty much kill the mold issue.
Electronic parts are another story, it all depends on how long the truck was Under Water,and Salt or Fresh Water, and how much water and silt got into the connectors.
If your truck was flooded with salt water, you will have a LOT of electrical trouble, but if the truck was flooded with fresh water, your prospects are much better. Remember everything except the inside of the cab is designed to get wet and stay wet. You can drive 10 hours in heavy rain and everything will still work with no problems.
If your purchase price was low enough, and you are close to a good CTD shop, that knows what to do with the electrical system, you can probably get a reasonable service life out of your truck. Also, once you change out the electrical bits, there should be no further problems with the part changed. You may want to have a good "Auto Electric" shop seperate and clean each and every connector. I believe the problem of connector corrosion over time, may be your biggest risk.
Again, it all depends on how much you paid for the truck, and how handy you are with electrical repair and was the flood in fresh or salt water.
Rember to pull the inside door panels and check out the electric windows, door lock and mirror switches, and clean out any silt and debris from the inside of the doors.
How did your transmission respond to the flush and fluid change over? Have you pulled your exhaust yet to check for blockage of the cat converter?
Good luck with your truck?
Ralph
The "Mold Problem" may not be a factor if you can find a way to get the truck down to the Bakersfield or Las Vegas area for a week or two in the summer. A week at 100 Deg. F @ 10% humidity will pretty much kill the mold issue.
Electronic parts are another story, it all depends on how long the truck was Under Water,and Salt or Fresh Water, and how much water and silt got into the connectors.
If your truck was flooded with salt water, you will have a LOT of electrical trouble, but if the truck was flooded with fresh water, your prospects are much better. Remember everything except the inside of the cab is designed to get wet and stay wet. You can drive 10 hours in heavy rain and everything will still work with no problems.
If your purchase price was low enough, and you are close to a good CTD shop, that knows what to do with the electrical system, you can probably get a reasonable service life out of your truck. Also, once you change out the electrical bits, there should be no further problems with the part changed. You may want to have a good "Auto Electric" shop seperate and clean each and every connector. I believe the problem of connector corrosion over time, may be your biggest risk.
Again, it all depends on how much you paid for the truck, and how handy you are with electrical repair and was the flood in fresh or salt water.
Rember to pull the inside door panels and check out the electric windows, door lock and mirror switches, and clean out any silt and debris from the inside of the doors.
How did your transmission respond to the flush and fluid change over? Have you pulled your exhaust yet to check for blockage of the cat converter?
Good luck with your truck?
Ralph
