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Just sank it! What now?

17527 Views 19 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  cleang35
My Viking and I fell into a pretty deep creek yesterday, I pulled it out and immediately drained the dry clutch case. When I tried to crank it I either get nothing but dash lights or a buzzing sound. Every once in a while it would make some regular noise but not turn over...
This morning... It just turned over for the first time and then stopped and when back to a buzzing sound when I try to crank it.
What steps should I take from here? Do I just let it dry out more? Any input is appreciated.
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I would like to suggest making sure you did not get water in the engine, air system, etc... I would change the oil immediately and look to see if it has water in it. I am pretty sure that I read in some document, either the user manual or service manual what to do if you went into deep water. I would not try to crank it over anymore until I was very sure it was fully dried out and you were sure no water got into the engine.

Do you know where the buzzing is coming from?
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dont try to start it anymore!!!!!!!!
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Change ALL fluids, remove the plug and make sure you don't have water in the cylinder just for starters
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Like mentioned before..........DON'T EVER TRY TO START AN ENGINE THAT YOU ARE ALMOST CERTAIN THAT IT SUCKED IN WATER. It can get pretty $$$

...and yes, remove spark plug and check to see if there's water in the cylinder.
Check page 7-25 of the user manual for additional actions.
The buzzing is coming from the front most wiring harness where there are 2x 10amp fuses.
That's why you need snorkels! Cheap insurance!
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Make sure all water is gone before you try to start it. I had a buddy that sunk his four wheeler and he didn't drain it properly and now it smokes and burns oil pretty bad.
Well, I drained the oil, looked like milk.
removed the air filter, the enclosure was full to the brim with water.
removed the spark plug and cranked it a few times to dispel the water
Filled back up with oil.
ORDERED A SNORKEL KIT!!!
replaced the spark plug.
cleaned the air filter and it Started right up.

Once I hit about 12-15 mph the engine bogs down and will not accelerate, in neutral it hits the limiter. The air filter was still pretty wet when I put it back in so I am letting it air dry a little more. I hope that it's OK tomorrow, if not I'll post more symptoms.

Thanks for all the input guys!
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Check your display for error codes. There is a thread either here or on the other forum that tells you how to do that. I'm guessing the limiter is on because the computer is detecting a problem and is trying to protect your engine. You should open up and check the whole air induction system, not just the filter.
Drew, this is just my $.02. Before you ride again this is what I would do:
Pull the plug again, check to make sure it is 100% dry inside and replace the plug with a new one
Remove your entire intake system and make sure it's dry
REPLACE the air filter or at least make sure it's 100% dry or you'll be sucking moisture off the filter
Drain and flush the fuel tank, change the fuel filter and flush ALL fuel lines
Change your oil and filter again. Water can find all the little places to hide
Re-grease the sheave
And this maybe a little extreme, but I would open up the wet clutch and make sure no water is in there too while you have the sheave off. When it comes to water in an engine, you can NEVER go overboard (pun intended) on checking everything!! Basically, if you can remove it then do it. Check everything for water. It may not show up now, but what you cant see is the water destroying the inside of your engine. I would probably change my oil after every ride (3-4 times) until it comes out looking brand new. Again, this is just what I would do and I am sure I am missing something. I've sank a few 4 wheelers in my time.

And you should be thankful your bike didn't try and start after you pulled it out of the water, it would have been catastrophic!
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When we drown our CanAm's it usually takes about 6-8 oil changes to get the oil right and 2-3 oil filters to make the best of a bad situation. Cheers


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Well, I think I will change the oil a couple more times, thanks for the heads up!

The reason my viking wouldn't go as fast is cause there was some more water that made it into my air filter box, removed the filter got all the water out and it's hauling ass once again! Thanks for all the help, I will let you know if there are any more hiccups.
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Drew, what did you use in the diffs?
Yamaha, diff liquid.
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I've just seen this thread. I drowned mine out within my first 20 miles crossing a creek. The factory breather had leaks all in it. It never even had clamps from the airbox to under the hood. Worthless
How deep did you get when this happened?
Right over the top of the doors. I had snorkeled the clutch but had not done the breather because I had never planned on going that deep at the time. The 3 maybe different but my 6 came in like 3 pieces and none had clamps so they leaked. I got stuck, it ran for like 30 min under water till it drowned out.
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