Deserthawk is not a river hawk

Discussion in 'Renegade Tales & Trails' started by Kevin Gaare, Jun 16, 2017.

  1. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    So, have you ever had one of those moments where you do something and then shortly after you think to yourself "God damn that was pretty f*kin stupid." ?

    Well, I had one of those moments, after trying to pass through a water crossing approx. 2 feet deep in my desert hawk. The renegade's air intake dips down and sucks in air right at bumper level, so therefore water that really doesn't look like it should be an issue, turns out to be quite a stopping force to the renegades.

    The Jeep stalled out mid crossing, got it towed out. Let it sit and drain overnight thinking a sensor may have just got wet and prevented the Jeep from starting. Went out the next morning, still wouldn't even try to start. Took the air filter out and it was completely soaked. Took the plugs out and saw water on top of the cylinders. To make things worse, the electronic parking brake would not disengage so I had to get a flatbed out to tow it to the dealership.

    It's still at the dealership waiting for the insurance agent to assess the situation. Thankfully, insurance will cover it and I'm only out the $500 for the deductible. I'll post updates as I hear back from the service tech's as to what extent the water damage is.

    Let this be a lesson to myself and any of you who are thinking about crossing water in your renegade: Know your vehicle's air intake and water clearance, Don't cross water in the dark when you can't see exactly how deep it is, always have a buddy for a tow. And lastly, a desert hawk is not a river hawk.
     

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    Last edited: Jun 19, 2017
  2. Thomas Duryea

    Thomas Duryea Active Member

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    Sorta funny lol, for not being.

    Sounds like and engine and some electrical work is on order.

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  3. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    Yeah, once I found out insurance would cover it I got a good laugh out of the situation.

    At this point, I'm kind of hoping they just total it.
     
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  4. agentlossing

    agentlossing Member

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    I don't make driving decisions when I've been drinking 0_0
     
  5. Smokin Irishman

    Smokin Irishman New Member

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  6. latinbandit

    latinbandit New Member

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    Funny story but that has to suck as well
     
  7. glennuk

    glennuk New Member

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    I have read this about renegade doing this on a couple of sites now .some were 2 wheelers so I didn't think much about it as in the hand book it does only give water depth in 4x4 section but what I find worrying is most companies in Europe give a similar water depth to the renegade but there's normally a safety margin and most will cope with a lot more than stated but in the renegade the 19 inch seams to be the death row limit for it and the way we seam to get flash floods nowhere days I think 19 could easily be reached from the photo I would have thought that was easily passable in a small 4x4 .at least you insurance covers you in uk I think you would struggle to get them to pay out if it happened on the street unless your car was parked then got swamped


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  8. JustinBalboa

    JustinBalboa Active Member

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  9. Jimmy Lee Smith

    Jimmy Lee Smith Active Member

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    I've seen some photos and a video on the install of an Italian one, looked good. They must be available somewhere.

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  10. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    Another thing to consider other than the air intake, is the location of the alternator. I'm not a mechanic or an electrician, but the alternator does sit pretty low and I'm assuming you wouldn't want it submerged underwater.
     
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  11. Thomas Duryea

    Thomas Duryea Active Member

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    You can get some silicone base spray that will allow it to operate in water, but idk if I trust it or not.

    You could always just have it rebuilt waterproof- yes waterproof electric motors exist. But it would be expensive.

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  12. Robot Penguin

    Robot Penguin Active Member

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    Not something I try to do regularly, but when I have had no choice (poor drainage on city roads), I have gone through puddles where the water depth gets up over the top of the tires. I'm pretty sure that the alternator is submerged those times and I haven't had any issues. I don't have a snorkel, but my inlet for my short ram intake is just above the passenger side fender, under the hood where the stock airbox is supposed to sit. My bet would be that mud/sand would be a bigger problem for the alternator because open spinning parts and lots of grit aren't a good combination. My old Escape had the alternator on the bottom of the engine and that would get submerged in those same puddles and that alternator made it 200k miles before I traded in the Escape. Still not something I would do on a regular basis.
     
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  13. Jimmy Lee Smith

    Jimmy Lee Smith Active Member

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    Alternators have a weather resistant design, they'll handle splashes and quick dips...

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  14. Haseebinator3

    Haseebinator3 Active Member

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    This sucks man! I'm pretty sure there's water in cylinders and since water can not be compressed your engine is done. You're going to have rust inside. There's no going back unless insurance says they'll pay to take the engine apart and replace parts. Also, for anyone looking to go down a river with their renegade. This car is only rated for 19" of water. please be careful before going skinny dippin ;)
     
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  15. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    Sucks it does. Luckily insurance is covering it, so whether that means new engine and whatever else or totaling it - time will tell. They're still waiting for a new starter to finish diagnosing. Honestly, I'd rather have them just total it.

    I think the key word of your warning about the water clearance is "car"... I traded in my 08' rubicon for this renny, and I tried to do wrangler type things in this "car" and well, you all know what happened.
     
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  16. Haseebinator3

    Haseebinator3 Active Member

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    Hahaha, touche. I personally wouldn't have traded a wrangler. But this is my first Jeep. <--- even though it really isn't jeep AT ALL! lol. Fiat engine, 9 speed trans, and Made in Italy sticker :rolleyes:
     
  17. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    If you were in my shoes you would have traded the wrangler, or kept it and bought something else to drive to work (heinsight what I should have done). 1500-2000 highway miles per month strictly for work, gets pretty tiring in a wrangler.
     
  18. Haseebinator3

    Haseebinator3 Active Member

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    Well I hope you turn back to a Renegade. My first SUV if you can call it that. and I love this thing.
     
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  19. moises

    moises Member

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    That's odd...I crossed a river that was a few inches under my door handle... No problem. Ran/runs like a champ. All stock

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  20. Kevin Gaare

    Kevin Gaare Active Member

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    Pictures or it didn't happen ;)...... seriously though, how the f*ck? Maybe it's just my bad luck.... Quick, someone else attempt this and let us know how it goes ^.^
     

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