Here's Why Not to Drive Your Big Rig Through a Flood
Posted on: 3 January 2017
Just because your rig is big and heavy doesn't mean you should attempt to drive through a flooded roadway. Even though you may reach dry ground at some point, your truck may give you problems further down the road. Here's why your rig may need towed after driving through a flood.
Water can get into the transmission
While you are driving, the transmission reaches high temperatures. One of the roles of transmission fluid is to regulate the temperatures in the transmission; however, the temperatures are still considerably higher than those of flood water. Water can get inside the transmission through vents. The extreme temperature difference between the transmission and flood water can shock the transmission and cause it to fail.
Your engine may have power, but the transmission will not be able to regulate the power to turn the wheels. You may experience some slippage of the transmission or be unable to shift gears. In this situation, the safest thing to do is to park the rig and call a truck-towing service.
Water in the engine causes no combustion to start the engine
Water can easily get in the engine through air-intake filters and any cracks in the fuel lines. You may not notice anything is wrong until the next time you try to start your engine. When you turn the ignition, one of the processes that occurs is the compression of fuel. The compression causes fuel to combust, which causes the engine to be able to power the transmission to turn the wheels. The compression and combustion takes place in the cylinders. If water gets into the fuel, combustion cannot occur.
Water in the cylinders can cause them to lock up before the engine can turn over, and this will cause your truck to stall. This is called hydrolock. If you continue to try to start the engine when it is hydrolocked, the block could crack. That means the engine will need to be rebuilt or replaced altogether. One way to avoid this (besides not driving through a flood) is to stop trying to start the engine after it stalls and call a truck-towing service.
Whether you have an owner-operator business or drive a company truck, your income may be affected if you are unable to continue on your way due to a flooded roadway. However, finding an alternative route or waiting for the flood to recede could end up saving you a lot of time—and money—in the long run.
Talk to a towing company to learn more about situations you should avoid.
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