Drowned DR

[Ralph SmithMember]

Hey, how y’all doin?

I’m fairly new to off-road riding and I’m not all that cluey when it comes to mechanical issues.

On 2 occasions recently I’ve come really close to drowning my DR.
One was a creek crossing and the other a puddle on a dirt track that turned out to be way deeper than I’d thought ( yeah I know I should’ve checked it first! ).
Luckily both times my trusty bike got me to the other side wetter and muddier than I’d intended but otherwise unscathed.

So, my question is, what would I have to do if I’d gone underwater and sucked water in through the air box? And is that the only place water will get into the engine? If the bike stalls will water also enter the engine through the exhaust?

I’ve been looking through this site and others and haven’t found this question asked before. I found a couple of You Tube clips that referred to 2 strokes, but nothing more.

From what I can tell you should:

1. Stop the bike straight away if it’s still going
2. Remove the spark plugs
3. Tip the bike over so water in the engine will run out the spark plug holes
4. Crank the bike with the spark plugs out so that as the engine turns over any water still in the engine will come out the spark plug holes
5.Dry your air filter
5.Put it back together and hope like hell you got all the water out.

Can someone please verify if this is the correct thing to do, or if I’ve left out any steps.
Also, if there is still water in the engine what will happen? From what I’ve heard the water will boil, expand, and completely stuff your engine. Is this the case?

Thanks for any answers you might have,

Ralph

[Nick JacksonMember]

Looks like your all over it Ralph !! It’s not something I’ve had to do but TB is an expert in the dewatering process , every good rider has there Achilles heel , water crossings was his !! I’m sure he’ll fill you in on the finer details mate !!

Best bet , keep her upright at all costs in the water

Nick

[usiMember]

That looks like some solid research nothing to add there

There is a mod you can do to relocate the DR carby vent

Its been a few million beers but you put a T piece in the thin line that ends up hanging down between the swing arm and relocating the other end up on top of the airbox it can save the engine from starving and shutting down for a swim.

Haven’t managed to drown a bike yet, But id be dropping the oil first chance i have.
Ive drowned plenty of 2 stroke outboards and you need to drain the carb bowls out along with all the above steps. Then i just ran the things till they went bang

[Luke CharlesworthMember]

You have it pretty much sorted based on what I saw Demus do to a watered DRZ that went deep at Lake Bollocks a while back. The only thing Demus did which I would like to know why was before removing the spark plug he left the bike in gear and pushed the bike backwards a few times. Not sure what this did?? In the end, pull the filter, pull the plug, drain the carb bowl, tip the bike up like its doing a 12’oclock wheelie and turn the motor over a few times to get out any sucked in water. On this occasion the bike ran but ran very rough and fouled a plug. Got it home and drained the oil which now looked liked a shitty choc milk, new spark in and fresh filters. The old drz has done another 1000km since and no troubles.

[GregMember]

They have all covered it Ralph. read the link below and you can see what we did when Dejay drowned his DR

Good Luck

Click here for link to ride report

TB

[Ralph SmithMember]

Thanks heaps for the advice gents.
Had a look at your videos Trailboss, really helpful thanks. Made me realise what a complete pain in the arse it would be to actually drown the thing and have to go through all that to get it going again!
At least I know what to do now should it ever happen.
Thanks again, Ralph

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