Water crossing the XLT Ranger

[kranzeh]

My brother came to town, which basically meant overlanding was mandatory. Back to the Gosling Lake area for round two, except this time i had a spotter, and apparently a little more confidence. We cleared some obstacles that turned me around before, found some sweet water features along the way, and somehow made it home without needing a tow. Already counting down to the next trip.

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[HighDesertRanger]

Looks like an awesome time!

And these trucks are far more capable than most people realize.

 

[pablo94sc]

Very controlled bow wave. Great job. Got a little dicey near the end.

 

[mrmike7189]

Shadow Black Rangers look so cool.

 

[cb4017]

Looks like a fun time.

After looking at the wire bundles under my Ranger though, I'm not sure I would want to submerge them.

 

[kranzeh]

That’s a totally fair concern. For what it’s worth, I’m an electrician by trade, so I’m fairly comfortable with electrical systems. While I normally work on 13.8 kV equipment, 12 V DC automotive systems are relatively straightforward by comparison.


That said, I’m not trying to encourage anyone to drive through deep water or suggest vehicles are waterproof. I just wouldn’t be overly concerned about brief water exposure. Most automotive wiring is well protected with sealed connectors, heavy insulation, loom, and, where repairs have been made, properly staggered butt splices and sealed coverings. There’s generally very little opportunity for an unintended path to ground.


Could water eventually cause corrosion or electrical issues if it sits in connectors for an extended period? Absolutely. But for a short duration water crossing, the likelihood of water creating an immediate line-to-line short or catastrophic electrical failure is very low. It’s always good practice to inspect the vehicle afterward, but I don’t think a brief crossing like that is likely to damage the electrical system on its own.

 

[John E Davies]

Thanks for posting, was that an official ORV park?

In my limited experience with water and wires, what will cause real headaches are non-waterproof butt splices (or those horrible Tee Tap ones), for example an aftermarket trailer light converter, and red rock dust in the US Southwest. That stuff is up to 2% iron oxide, and when it gets into those unsealed joints, add some water and some electrical current, and you get a corroded mess within a couple of weeks. That happened to me:

Sorry for the thread hijack.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[kranzeh]

Thanks for posting, was that an official ORV park?

Hey thanks for the feedback, it’s just a crown land PLUZ(public land usage zone) lake area here in Alberta Canada, gosling lake.

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