I'm wondering what Toyota did to keep water out of the air intake. On the Tacomas up to '04, there is a snorkel strategically placed (and shaped) high inside the fender. So it gets cool air from the fender! And, in theory anyway, they did some testing to make sure water won't be easily ingested.
I haven't seen what the re-designed '05 Tacomas have inside the fender.
I took mine through about 2'6" deep and 40' long trough and crossed a running river that may have been a shade more shallow. I had one of the trails guys with me when I did it. Second gear (L), pushing a wave in front of us that was about as high as the top of the headlights.
He said not to let up and keep up with the wave because it pushes the water away from the sides so you don't fill up with water. The water mark was about to the top of the tires.
Sure enough, when we got out later, the water seeped maybe 1/3 of the way in under the door.
No problems in either crossing, but this thread has made me nervous about going any deeper than that. I guess the key is to know how deep the water is before you jump in.
ALWAYS know how deep the water is before just plowing in. Im sure the toyota stated spec is low for liability reasons, however, I dont plan to find out what the REAL fording limit is lol.
Just thought I would share, since I would rather read this than experience it again.
The first weekend I owned my FJ I took it off-roading. At the area I was operating at, there was a river/stream that cris-crossed the whole area. Most of the water crossings where marked, but there were plenty of areas to ford w/o following other lines.
Anyway, long story long. After doing many crossings going out w/ water no higher than probably around 15" I figured most everything out there was pretty low. Coming back I took a totally different approach and hit water that was probably way too deep for recommended FJ use. The crossing was about 20 yard across and about 3/4 of the way through I hit some really deep stuff that brought the water over the nose...sustained. "Oh $hit!!!" I'm thinking, but since I was already committed and so close to the other side I kept my foot in it and made it across...the whole time water was over the hood (& no, I'm not talking splashing over...but flowing over).
Once I got on land I keep driving to keep it hot and burn off any water...the whole time I'm just waiting for it to start to sputter and shut down. Good news was it never missed a beat and I'm still having no problems. Again, I wouldn't recommend you trying this out yourself...but just so you know, in case you find yourself in this situation all might not be lost. For me it was just the start of my already high confidence in the FJs durability that seems to grow stronger every time I get it off road.
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'63 Corvette Split-Window (5 spd MT)
'67 GTO (4 spd MT)
'72 K5 Blazer (Malibu (aka 'Chevy Voodoo') Blue/White Top, 4 spd MT w/ Granny Low)
'04 Mazda3 Hatchback (wife's, 5 spd MT)
'07 FJC (Voodoo Blue/6 spd MT)
Recently Sold (Gone But Not Forgotten):
'97 Viper GTS (Blue/white stripes, 6 spd MT)
'71 Bronco (4 spd MT w/ Granny Low)
'65 Mustang Fastback (4 spd MT)
YES...My left foot gets sad if it doesn't have a clutch pedal near by...
I haven’t crossed the local river yet with my FJ but I sure have sprayed it out with the garden hose. I’ve done it about five times in the front, a good 2 inches or so. I use the air compressor to blow out the big stuff and the water to clean out any mud or food (kids). I haven’t had any problem yet but I think I’ll move to a damp towel.
I haven’t crossed the local river yet with my FJ but I sure have sprayed it out with the garden hose. I’ve done it about five times in the front, a good 2 inches or so. I use the air compressor to blow out the big stuff and the water to clean out any mud or food (kids). I haven’t had any problem yet but I think I’ll move to a damp towel.
I have not had the need to spray out my FJ yet, but that was a big selling point for me seeing as I have two dogs and want to get them dirty w/ the FJ. But, I must say I was a little disappointed with the integrity of the rubber flooring when I got a chance to really check it out.
Has anybody else noticed the holes in the rubber (you can see the color of your FJ coming through)? Mine is VB so it was pretty obvious. To me, I see that as an easy area for excessive dirt & sand to build up over the years and scratch the hell out of the paint. I don't care what it looks like under there, but I'm concerned if you start sanding off the paint under the flooring and then spend years spraying out your FJ...it's only a matter of time before I rust the heck out of my FJs floorboards. Seeing this phenomenon develop in many old trucks, I was kind of hoping the rubber flooring was sealed a little better than it appears to be. Am I worrying for no reason?
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'63 Corvette Split-Window (5 spd MT)
'67 GTO (4 spd MT)
'72 K5 Blazer (Malibu (aka 'Chevy Voodoo') Blue/White Top, 4 spd MT w/ Granny Low)
'04 Mazda3 Hatchback (wife's, 5 spd MT)
'07 FJC (Voodoo Blue/6 spd MT)
Recently Sold (Gone But Not Forgotten):
'97 Viper GTS (Blue/white stripes, 6 spd MT)
'71 Bronco (4 spd MT w/ Granny Low)
'65 Mustang Fastback (4 spd MT)
YES...My left foot gets sad if it doesn't have a clutch pedal near by...
'92 Pathfinder '02 ML55 AMG '07 FJ Cruiser 
Linear Mode
