Okay, tell me how to fix this...

So, I'm on vacation in Avon, NC. Had a ton of rain the past few days, and a lot of roads are flooded. Went to go off road at Cape Hatteras to scout surfing spots. I had to drive through some really deep water to get onto the beach. My Tundra started sputtering and idling really rough. I looked into my air filter box and the filter was soaked with a bunch of sand sitting in the box. I had never noticed this before, but the air intake is in the right front wheel well. It looks like this:

Is this intake normal? Anyone think some kind of cover is missing? I could address this by adding a snorkel, but was wondering if someone had a different idea. It's basically a straight open hole to the air filter box. I think I sucked some water into my supercharger as well. Truck is throwing a mass air sensor code and a control module performance code. It's running rough too. This intake can't stay like this if I want to off road. Can't believe I never noticed it before. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

try letting everything air out and dry completely. you may have gotten water on your MAF throwing the code. if she didnt lock up completely on you, you got pretty lucky. ive had close to the same thing happen on an old xterra. got all the sand out, dried out the filter in the field (changed it out when i got home) and let everything sit in the sun for a bit to dry it up. after that, she cranked back up and kept running like nothing happened. the water actually shut my engine off. as for the fender intake, thats not too abnormal for vehicles, but i havent taken mine apart to see how tundras do it. the old xterras was about the same though.

 

Ya got a better pic or angle of that. Definitely pull your maf sensor and clean it with electrical spray. I would clean throttle body too.
How deep of water were you in?​

 

Couple of feet of water. I have a 4 inch lift and it came up to the bottom of the doors. Electrical spray is a great idea. I was planning on doing that.

 

a dirty MAF will make her run rough. thats a good idea to get it cleaned off. start cheap and work your way up is usually how i start.

 

There should be a fender liner there to cover that area, I’m guessing you have an aftermarket bumper and the installer just threw the liner away

 

That's shitty.
Wondering if there is a aftermarket diversion piece besides going with a full snorkel?

 

Yep that would be my guess

 

I just looked at the profile pic, yep, Either the trimmed liner got ripped off in all the rainy weather they’ve had, or the installer took the high road and said no liner is easier than a trimmed liner

 

LT problems, we all struggle with it I just avoid water and mud, and only run Toyota filters, everything else lets stuff pass. You do have the TRD air intake accelerator thing, doesn’t help. I put a K&N pre filter over the inlet for a minute, tire ripped off and gone. I know 2 people that moved it to the cowl area, good idea but not easy.

 

I think the only real way to avoid it would be a snorkel. But he is missing the liner.

 

Hopefully no sand got past the filter and into the duct leading to the throttle body.

 

Snorkeling will solve your problems below approximately 6ft........?!?

 

6ft? lol. Not necessarily......people forget that our alternator is located at the "bottom" front of our engine. The alternator and associated circuitry is not waterproof at all. A snorkel will not help too much for that potential disaster.....snorkels provide minimal protection if there are critical parts like an alternator that could fail with excessive prolonged water intrusion.The last thing you want to have happen is a stall out in deep water. Are all the breathers at 6 foot too? Doubtful. My 3 cents

 

This method will work then. Lol
https://youtu.be/icp2Pb5uoME

 

Yeah, the fenders are OEM Toyota fiberglass fenders with an SDHQ bumper. There are no liners because of the 37" Nittos, ICON remote reservoirs, and bumper attachment. Liner needed to go. I do think the missing well liners is part of the problem, though.

 

Fingers are crossed. Where is the throttle body if you have a supercharger? I was planning on removing the top of the SC to investigate. Just not sure where the throttle body is in relation to the filter box and SC.

 

If you are wheeling it that hard, should I assume you have the breathe mods on the diffs and the trans?

 

Honestly, I'm not sure, and I'm not familiar with breather mods. All of the suspension, diff, and trans mods were done by the previous owner who owns Nitro Gear and Axle. I could ask him.
I usually try to avoid deep water as best I can, just couldn't this time. But, I do wheel it pretty heavy, especially on the beach. Never had an issue before. I'm starting to think that a snorkel is the best route to minimize water, dust, and sand intrusion into the filter.

 

Sorry to hear this man.

I go to Hatteras and Ocracoke several times a year, never seen flooded roads or beach really as bad as you described. But we time things so the weather will be good supposedly, and it has always worked out for us luckily.

If you drove through standing water more than about halfway up your tires, at anything more than a crawl you sucked in water and sand to places you should not. Never ever water ford in a vehicle not designed for it, bad things will happen.

As was stated our alternater is down to low, and as you see, we have factory cold air intake in the Fender, also diffs have breather vents. It's bad all around man.

You might get lucky and dry out the maf and throttle body sensors but you probly did some minor internal damage to the engine, since it's still running that's a good sign but who knows...

You need a full clean out, dry out, oil change, diff fluid change (they are exposed via the breather that was mentioned) , and a prayer.

Best advice, learn from this and next time stay out of the water unless your vehicle is built for it.

Please don't take this post as me being a jerk, but I am a bit shocked you didn't know better, the Tundra is not a boat, or swamp buggy, and a supercharger does not deserve that abuse, most of us would kill to have one lol. You are very lucky, take more care and pride. Surfing, aka shark feeding, is not that important dude

Good luck and let us know how it turns out please.

 

Oh yeah!

 

Okay, don't really need a lecture. It is heavily modified for off roading, including height for fording standing water. It wasn't intentional, and the solution isn't "you really should know better." That's about as helpful as a rubber crutch.

 

Sorry man, I wasn't trying to be a dick, but you made a bone head move, there's not really any other way to say it. Tundras, including yours, are not designed or modified properly to go swimming. Very few people do this and usually with older non electronic everything vehicles, or beaters they don't care about. Your lucky you didn't destroy the engine completely. You took water up to the doors, you know those hurricane flood damaged tens of thousands of cars you read about? That's what you just did, on purpose.

Dry it out and change all the fluilds asap, then pray, or don't, and let it ride, it's your money bro.

Sometimes people need tough love, but I was trying to be nice about it. It's clear your pissed, but it's self inflicted. I just got my Tundra after saving and dreaming for almost 20 years, never thought I could afford it, then my employment situation improved beyond my expectations.. My dreams came true, albeit used, and slightly under the exact year I would want, but still awesome.

I would never even consider doing what you did with a non water modded modern truck, let alone a Tundra.

Your truck is awesome BTW, you are blessed.

Live and learn bro.

 

This a pic from here, Magnuson but close enough. MAF is circled in red, Throttle body in blue. I would pull the MAF electrical connector, 2 hoses that connect from the rear, clamp holding rubber intake hose to throttle body, then the air box lid and hose can be removed allowing you to inspect the throttle body.

Also noticed your AIP intake is completely open, no good. Hopefully everything is fine, but might of spent some $.

 

This is what stock looks like, runs up behind stock inner fender well, the OP is missing the duct part circled in red it does not clear the tires. You loose the inner fender with fiberglass fenders, so it’s wide open. Most I know just relocate it with some fittings, hose, and pair of filters. SDHQ has a kit to relocate also.


Pics of mine

 

What does the engine oil look like as far as color?

 

If I were a betting man I would bet on delicious chocolate milkshake colored.

 

Sorry to hear this man.

Definitely dry out the MAF like @rons23 suggested. Best starting point.

I live up in KDH and while not a mechanic if you need anything just PM me.

When I checked on Tuesday the NPS had several access points closed due to high water. Definitely been rough surf and LOTS of rain.

 

Didn't @KevinK make a "snorkel" that was really just an intake extension that ran into the cowl area? I'll see if I can find the post.

 

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll get on fixing that as well.