Flood damaged Disco. Is it worth repairing?

[Disco524]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post in this forum.

Having already done three engine overhauls and all types of repairs with other Disco's - I recently bought a TN flood damaged 2004 Disco at an insurance auction. Thought it would a nice present for my daughter in college based on what I can afford. Call me crazy, but it has low 20's original miles, no dings or dents, pretty much showroom condition except for electrical water damage so far. I'm trying to get a hold of the insurance adjuster or former owner to find out how bad water exposure was. Right now, I'm on an information gathering trek before starting to repair. Your experience and input it is so much greatly appreciated.

Here's what I have encountered at the surface:

Dashboard instrument panel does light up.
Radio, p/ windows, p/ locks, p/ seats, sunroof do not function. Doors cannot be opened from inside or out, only driver's side.
A/C blower does turn on and a/c panel lights up.
Car will not start, nor do you hear starter motor cranking.
Headlights work. No turn signals or emergency flashers though.
No water inside engine, very clean oil. So it looks like engine may not have been running when flood occurred.
Water in air filter. I'll probably have to clean out injectors just in case.
It does look like water level inside car when up to fuse panel under steering wheel.

I'm able to get ABS codes read thru Bearmach Hawkeye scanner, but getting "data link" connection error to EMS. It may be fried.

I may be able to get computer units, SLABS, SRS, tranny control unit, radio amp, ign key s/w, door key s/w all matching from a 2003 Disco. If I do so, theoretically, there is no need for dealer programming?

I'm not much worried about engine except for MAF, O2, CPS, etc. sensors.

Once again, all input is most welcomed!

Thanks and hopefully I'll have a good end story to share.
__________________
Joe
2001 Disco II SE7
2004 Disco II SE

 

[alzerom]

Definitely worth repairing. The current problem is probably more central than peripheral. It's the fuse box of the pugin locations for things with lots of pins. It all can be cleaned. I have taken hand held radios that have been in salt water and washed them well with fresh water, dried them with a hair dryer and gotten them going. A Disco is much simpler. You are going to have to dissassemble everything but I doubt you will be buying any new electrical parts. Sooner you get going the better, if the date of the flood is less than 60 days you are probably in pretty good shape. Good luck, take some pictures, and post your progress OK?

 

[Disco524]

Definitely worth repairing. The current problem is probably more central than peripheral. It's the fuse box of the pugin locations for things with lots of pins. It all can be cleaned. I have taken hand held radios that have been in salt water and washed them well with fresh water, dried them with a hair dryer and gotten them going. A Disco is much simpler. You are going to have to dissassemble everything but I doubt you will be buying any new electrical parts. Sooner you get going the better, if the date of the flood is less than 60 days you are probably in pretty good shape. Good luck, take some pictures, and post your progress OK?

Thanks for your positive reply. I tracked down the owner today and found out the vehicle was parked (engine not running) when a TN flash flood occurred. Water when up to ceiling for about four hours and then drained out. It makes me wonder as car was closed, so maybe water level reached roofline outside and then creeped in through firewall, tranny at a lower level than on the outside. Owner may have seen water five feet high outside, but not how high it was on inside. It sat on a LR dealer for about a month before insurance paid total loss. So give or take a few weeks, this happened about 60 days ago.

I did check all fuses in interior fuse box and none were burnt. You feel that by taking down fuse box and cleaning with dielectric cleaner/grease may bring some life back?

 

[alzerom]

The water inside was the same as outside. A small hose can fill up a landrover in an hour so don't get your hopes up!

You need to get the salts out with plain water, then get the water out with forced air, THEN you can use dielectrics/greases/ etc. The salt residue needs to be washed out completely. This means everything electrical needs to be disassembled, washed with a jet of lots of clean water then dried.

If any salt remains, it will cause an electrical short every time the humidity goes up. You really have no method to determine the salinity of that water in the flood, but all the crud on the road, upstream, industrial stuff, and cow pastures were washed into everything.

It will be VERY labor intensive. I would open all the doors, hatches, covers, lids and screws immediately. No matter how small or how remote, it needs to be opened and inspected. Connectors opened and washed. A good air compressor will help. Go for the expensive stuff first. The ECU and circuit boards under the dash etc. Even the radio needs to be dissassembled if it got wet and inspection will indicate if it got wet. Incidentally there are no components on circuit boards that can be damaged by water any more, but water inside things like volume pots (things that move) can prevent them from working until blown out. A big table, zip lock bags, marking pens and a camera are definitely in order. Good luck and congratulations if you got it for under $400.

Another good point is probably your headliner survived! heh!

Don't go "testing it" before everything is done. Sending juice into a shorted board can damage the board electrically. In other words, don't just clean the fuse box and fire it up. You might have a suprise. That Land Rover dealership already tried the simple stuff.

 

[Disco524]

Pictures

The water inside was the same as outside. A small hose can fill up a landrover in an hour so don't get your hopes up!

You need to get the salts out with plain water, then get the water out with forced air, THEN you can use dielectrics/greases/ etc. The salt residue needs to be washed out completely. This means everything electrical needs to be disassembled, washed with a jet of lots of clean water then dried.

If any salt remains, it will cause an electrical short every time the humidity goes up. You really have no method to determine the salinity of that water in the flood, but all the crud on the road, upstream, industrial stuff, and cow pastures were washed into everything.

It will be VERY labor intensive. I would open all the doors, hatches, covers, lids and screws immediately. No matter how small or how remote, it needs to be opened and inspected. Connectors opened and washed. A good air compressor will help. Go for the expensive stuff first. The ECU and circuit boards under the dash etc. Even the radio needs to be dissassembled if it got wet and inspection will indicate if it got wet. Incidentally there are no components on circuit boards that can be damaged by water any more, but water inside things like volume pots (things that move) can prevent them from working until blown out. A big table, zip lock bags, marking pens and a camera are definitely in order. Good luck and congratulations if you got it for under $400.

Another good point is probably your headliner survived! heh!

Don't go "testing it" before everything is done. Sending juice into a shorted board can damage the board electrically. In other words, don't just clean the fuse box and fire it up. You might have a suprise. That Land Rover dealership already tried the simple stuff.

Although I firmly believe it was freshwater, you have a valid point about salinity. I just took out column panel that houses ECU and everything is dried and could not find any cables burned out, or any water/humidity. I did see like "mud dust" residue around those areas. Ironically storage pockets in back of front seats still have water in magazines, paper that were there. How "sealed" are ECU/BCU's as I'm not sure if I can pry them open once I take down?

Also, I can get none of the doors opened except driver's side. It makes it much more difficult to work.

I added pics below.

 

[Disco524]

Pictures added

Here are some pics so you can appreciate. 26K original documented miles, no accidents!

 

[alzerom]

Nice headliner!
They cleaned it very well at the dealership. You only have half the work I expected.
How much did you pay? Looks like mine!

 

[alzerom]

to open the doors

get inside and push with your feet. There is no magic bullet. If the gasket tears you can replace it. Three stuck doors? probably one will have a gasket tear. You can see a tear because it's right on the surface.

Interesting the bozo that owned the Disco didn't even open the doors to dry it out! What a ****!

 

[Disco524]

The water inside was the same as outside. A small hose can fill up a landrover in an hour so don't get your hopes up!

You need to get the salts out with plain water, then get the water out with forced air, THEN you can use dielectrics/greases/ etc. The salt residue needs to be washed out completely. This means everything electrical needs to be disassembled, washed with a jet of lots of clean water then dried.

If any salt remains, it will cause an electrical short every time the humidity goes up. You really have no method to determine the salinity of that water in the flood, but all the crud on the road, upstream, industrial stuff, and cow pastures were washed into everything.

It will be VERY labor intensive. I would open all the doors, hatches, covers, lids and screws immediately. No matter how small or how remote, it needs to be opened and inspected. Connectors opened and washed. A good air compressor will help. Go for the expensive stuff first. The ECU and circuit boards under the dash etc. Even the radio needs to be dissassembled if it got wet and inspection will indicate if it got wet. Incidentally there are no components on circuit boards that can be damaged by water any more, but water inside things like volume pots (things that move) can prevent them from working until blown out. A big table, zip lock bags, marking pens and a camera are definitely in order. Good luck and congratulations if you got it for under $400.

Another good point is probably your headliner survived! heh!

Don't go "testing it" before everything is done. Sending juice into a shorted board can damage the board electrically. In other words, don't just clean the fuse box and fire it up. You might have a suprise. That Land Rover dealership already tried the simple stuff.

Passenger doors would not open as BCU got wet with alarm on, so alarm CU was dead set on lock-out.

GOT IT WORKING!!! - 26K miles engine purrs better than my other Discos.

A good friend sold me matching BCU, ECU, fuse panel and instrument cluster from a 2003 parts Disco he owns. I also bought a used Tranny CU and rebuilt starter motor from Auto Zone ($91 w/ my old starter as core). I want it to use his instrument panel in order to keep my original 26K miles odo panel in order to show dealer along with all pertinent documentation as to original mileage in the event at time of flood hoping they can reset original miles along w/ FOB and VIN programming into BCU.

Mind you, it was an extensive labor of love quite lengthy for me to type now. But everything you mentioned was done and then some...

Only two issues remain:

1. Radio, amp & CD changer fried. Money I would spend to replace with used units can better be utilized getting a DUAL receiver that includes a pop-out GPS navigation system, mp3, ipod, cd, dvd player for about $550 from crutchfield. It will fit into my radio opening w/ slight modification. I think I'll let a pro handle installation due to not having to figure out Disco's wiring.

2. A/C is blowing warm air. I got some type of a/c switch DTC fault code in my scanner and accidentally erased it and Hawkeye does not store fault codes. Only if found again, then it will show historical and then present. Also, it blows it mainly thru floor and rear of center console. Vent selector will not enable it to blow from top vents. I sprayed CRC electronic connectors cleaner/lubricant to all connectors in engine and interior. No blown fuses either. Freon pressure if on the high side of blue (normal charged).

Any idea what switch would cause this?

Once again, thanks for all of your well-taken advice and support I needed to take on what seemed a lost cause. Alzerom, you were right on the money and I tip my hat to you!! - You know your stuff.

 

[Disco524]

The water inside was the same as outside. A small hose can fill up a landrover in an hour so don't get your hopes up!

You need to get the salts out with plain water, then get the water out with forced air, THEN you can use dielectrics/greases/ etc. The salt residue needs to be washed out completely. This means everything electrical needs to be disassembled, washed with a jet of lots of clean water then dried.

If any salt remains, it will cause an electrical short every time the humidity goes up. You really have no method to determine the salinity of that water in the flood, but all the crud on the road, upstream, industrial stuff, and cow pastures were washed into everything.

It will be VERY labor intensive. I would open all the doors, hatches, covers, lids and screws immediately. No matter how small or how remote, it needs to be opened and inspected. Connectors opened and washed. A good air compressor will help. Go for the expensive stuff first. The ECU and circuit boards under the dash etc. Even the radio needs to be dissassembled if it got wet and inspection will indicate if it got wet. Incidentally there are no components on circuit boards that can be damaged by water any more, but water inside things like volume pots (things that move) can prevent them from working until blown out. A big table, zip lock bags, marking pens and a camera are definitely in order. Good luck and congratulations if you got it for under $400.

Another good point is probably your headliner survived! heh!

Don't go "testing it" before everything is done. Sending juice into a shorted board can damage the board electrically. In other words, don't just clean the fuse box and fire it up. You might have a suprise. That Land Rover dealership already tried the simple stuff.

Just in case, I drained gas tank, pour in half a bottle of Lucas gas stabilizer and half of seafoam along with 15 gallons of premium fuel prior to turning over engine. Also greased prop shafts. I'm thinking about also changing axle's gear oil too.

Hawkeye scanner is now reading NO DTC's found. I still have to test drive it once I put seats back in. But I have tested engine about 7 times for 30 mins.

Oddly enough on earlier response I mentioned about A/C issue, on my first start - I heard what appear to be a broken serpentine belt sound coming from front cowl and proceeded to immediately shut down engine. I took cowl cover out to listen to it again and it was water from A/C radiator being blown by fan into water radiator. That was water that was there from a fresh water hosing I did into water radiator fins and thru front grille. I used a leaf blower afterwards, but I guess water was still trapped. It is odd and I'm sure related to a/c problem as this would probably happened again if I'm out driving in the rain coming thru front bumper grille.