Hydrolocked TB

Ryan S. · August 11, 2022

7 hours ago, diyer2 said:

https://accessories.chevrolet.com/product/engine-air-intake-snorkel-by-aev-associated-accessories-19417719?year=2020&make=Chevrolet&model=Colorado&categoryId=225501

This is a great solution, if Chevrolet made it for the TB. I'll have to check with AEV, they may have something similar.

Ryan S. · August 11, 2022

23 hours ago, jaxcam02 said:

10-15 MPH might have been a bit too fast. Water can and will find its way into almost everything, especially if it is forced upwards in hefty quantities. My guess is that some of the hose clamps in the intake may have been loose or the intake manifold had a gasket that didn't seal completely and a decent quantity of water got splashed around the engine bay. I can't see an easy way that water made its way all the way through the stock airbox (although completely possible) and into the motor though if all the gaskets and hose clamps were within spec and the PCV system wasn't compromised.

Never though that anything could be loose or not sealed properly. Engine is replaced and all is ok for now, so I can't retrace them, but something I should check now that I have it home to prevent something from happening again.

txab · August 12, 2022

My point in my earlier post is that you can actually build a wall of water in front of you higher than your rockers if you're moving at certain speeds. It used to happen in my '80 model truck. i drove in water depths up to my doors, even coming in the door a bit one time. I was pushing a mound of water in front of me. It even bent from license plate all to hell one time. But since air intake wasn't in the grill and quarter panel, I never hydrolocked anything.

Glad you got it all fixed up now

Bikerjon · August 13, 2022

What will you do when your submerged electronics, sensors and wiring connections corrode, turn green and fail? Many vehicles are totalled 4 to 6 months after being submerged.

It's Tim · August 15, 2022

Citizen0135 · August 24, 2022

I just had this happen last Wednesday. What kind of tires do you have. What we found is that the mud tread on my tires was throwing water up around the duct that goes into the air cleaner from the splash guard. The water was getting sucked in around that duct because it's not a sealed connection. I was driving through 6-8 inches of water.

Ryan S. · August 24, 2022

I've been running the stock DuraTracs that came with the truck. I've heard before this isn't a sealed connection which is troubling since water could easily make it's way in from an even lower position with a minimal wading depth. Wondering if anyone has any creative solutions to this issue. Although I suppose I could wrap the connecting joints in something like Gorilla Tape or Flex Seal. Thoughts are appreciated.

Citizen0135 · August 24, 2022

I am planning to seal those connections as well. Extending the fender well liners is also in order.

Ryan S. · August 24, 2022

I've not seen liner extensions so far. Any idea on how you might be doing that?

Citizen0135 · August 24, 2022

Trying to source a similar material to make extensions and rivet them onto the existing liners.

asilverblazer · August 24, 2022

1 hour ago, Shawn Spears said:

What we found is that the mud tread on my tires was throwing water up around the duct that goes into the air cleaner from the splash guard. The water was getting sucked in around that duct because it's not a sealed connection.

I don't understand how water is getting past the fender liner/splash guard. Care to elaborate on your findings or photos of what you are describing?

Citizen0135 · August 24, 2022

We examined another truck with the same air intake configuration that went through the same water I did without issue. The differences between the 2 trucks were that mine is a TB with Mud Tires and his is an RST with street tires. The fender liners on the TB are higher relative to the tires allowing the water picked up by the tread to be thrown/pushed up and forward into the lower engine bay around the air duct. From there the air moving through the duct into the air cleaner acted as a syphon,drawing water into the air cleaner around the somewhat loose fitting duct.

asilverblazer · August 25, 2022

22 hours ago, Shawn Spears said:

We examined another truck with the same air intake configuration that went through the same water I did without issue. The differences between the 2 trucks were that mine is a TB with Mud Tires and his is an RST with street tires. The fender liners on the TB are higher relative to the tires allowing the water picked up by the tread to be thrown/pushed up and forward into the lower engine bay around the air duct. From there the air moving through the duct into the air cleaner acted as a syphon,drawing water into the air cleaner around the somewhat loose fitting duct.

Are you saying the fender liners are different or its because the TB has the factory lift?

A shield in front of the opening into the air box might be simple enough to craft.

Citizen0135 · August 25, 2022

It's because the TB has a factory lift. All configurations of the Silverado use the same liners. Sealing the connection should be enough to mitigate the risk of water intrusion, I just prefer redundancy when it comes to preventing this from happening again. Crafting an extension for the liner should be pretty easy and inexpensive.

newdude · August 25, 2022

On 8/11/2022 at 9:44 AM, pokismoki said:

it came up to the rockers and you hydrolocked it, i think you where deeper than you imagine, the air intake is about headlight level

On 8/11/2022 at 3:21 PM, Ryan S. said:

There's easily a foot or more distance between the rocker and the middle of the headlight.

On 8/11/2022 at 3:25 PM, Ryan S. said:

Never though that anything could be loose or not sealed properly. Engine is replaced and all is ok for now, so I can't retrace them, but something I should check now that I have it home to prevent something from happening again.

On 8/24/2022 at 12:07 PM, asilverblazer said:

I don't understand how water is getting past the fender liner/splash guard. Care to elaborate on your findings or photos of what you are describing?

On 8/24/2022 at 12:33 PM, Shawn Spears said:

We examined another truck with the same air intake configuration that went through the same water I did without issue. The differences between the 2 trucks were that mine is a TB with Mud Tires and his is an RST with street tires. The fender liners on the TB are higher relative to the tires allowing the water picked up by the tread to be thrown/pushed up and forward into the lower engine bay around the air duct. From there the air moving through the duct into the air cleaner acted as a syphon,drawing water into the air cleaner around the somewhat loose fitting duct.

Pics below. These T1 trucks don't draw air in from the fender like K2 and older did. They draw air from the top of the radiator via airflow from the grille and hood area. There is the main inlet hole on the driver's side of the radiator shield. That path opening enters a tube that then interfaces with the air inlet of the airbox. It is NOT a sealed fit, just two pieces of plastic that slip into each other.

I have a pic from behind the wheel well area as well. You can see the ECM is just under this and is mounted directly behind the wheel well liner. The bottom lip of that air inlet on the airbox is only a few inches from the top of the frame rail.

It's pretty clear to me how fording too fast can get water to ingest into the airbox IMO. 5mph might have saved the original motor from ingesting water. Enough deep water flow into the wheel well, its gonna get past that liner all day long. Its bad enough you can see dried salt spray on the bottom of the airbox and all over the ECM (what a "great" place to mount the ECM by the way...)