Something hit the underside of my truck in high water.

meh…could have been worse.

 

Could have been something floating When truck and driveway dry out check the ground for leaks oil , trans fluid etc.. look underneath with flashlight Probably all good

 

Sounds like you got lucky. Phew.

Your sharing here is a friendly reminder why driving through high water (even one foot) is not a good idea. Here's a funny analogy below.
Ron White - Hurricane - YouTube

 

That was a south texas gator out looking for lunch in the new flooded buffet they call houston.

 

Hmmmm

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=p_NS2H55dxI&pp=ygUJTGFuZHNoYXJr

 

One of my all time favs!

 

Drove the wrong truck, multiple options on the market..

 

I didn't make it through all the comments but if not suggested, I definitely would get it up on a lift to inspect thoroughly. I'd also drain all the fluids, especially front and reaf diff just to be sure you don't have a milkshake in any of them.

 

Really? He said he drove through a "foot or so" of water.

 

On topic, if the differential breather is a one way valve how does water get in? I guess if it get worn out? I'm not sure I was in water deep enough to submerge the breather anyway, but I'm glad I know about it now.

 

I'd be safe and take it one step further, disassemble the entire truck and inspect each and every part with a magnifying glass and/or microscope just to be sure there's nothing wrong.

 

That is genuinely scary and why I don't live in gator country. Shit.

 

Shark?

 

They can move really fast when they want to.

 

Couple ways presumably. In this situation, I don't think it would apply because I don't think the difs were completely submerged long enough. This mainly applies to the rear one because it is right on top of the dif. The 2 front breathers (one for the dif and one for the actuator) are routed higher up in the engine bay.

Obviously, the first way is if the check valve were stuck open. Dirt gets in those things and can seize them up. Oddly, when I got my truck, I checked mine for some reason and it was actually stuck closed. I removed it when the truck was warm and the release of pressure was somewhat significant. People that are putting all this rust prevention really should be mindful of this little valve when applying their undercoating. I know on my 3rd gen 4Runner, it may have been the culprit of leaking rear axle seals. Many others had the same issue.
The second way is science. If you cool liquid that was hot (dif oil) it contracts and creates pressure equalization or even a slight vacuum . If the dif is submerged, the check ball in the valve could get hung up in suspension of the outside fluid and water could leak into the differential. But this mainly happens when fording deeper water and the dif is submerged longer. This is why I don't think water would get in in this situation.

 

Obviously, I care about my trucks more than some of you seeing the smartass comment. If I drove through more than a foot of water for more than a creek crossing and heard/felt a loud noise like gravel was in my transmission, I would definitely make sure I didn't get water intrusion. But YOU DO YOU! LOL. Me, I take care of my junk!

 

Floating junk, probably zero damage.