Isnt there a way that you can double seal the doors to stop water from commig in? I have had water about half way up my doors with my snorkel setup but am allways worried about flood damage.

 

The problem is not just the doors. The problem is that there are other components that are placed in a bad position for water fording. Also, I don't see how the doors can be sealed on these trucks short of completely welding them shut, but the body is not watertight, either. Jeeps (dare I say that name) are designed for offroading only. They have higher placed air intakes, electronics are placed higher up and have fewer parts, wiring is probably higher quality or placed where it can't get wet. My neighbor has a Jeep and he takes the doors and roof off on a regular basis and he has mud all over the outside AND inside with no ill effects. He doesn't have to worry about water in the interior because any electronics are tucked away under the dash where water can't get to and there is no 4x4 module to worry about. He does have other problems with it (he has ~100k on it), but those are not water related.

EDIT: I agree with whoever mentioned removing the seats and carpets. All that water can lead to mold, which can lead to serious health problems (not to mention the smell). The mud only adds to it. I strongly recommend ripping the seats and carpets out and cleaning up under the carpeting, making sure all the mud is completely gone and the wiring is still in good condition. I don't know if this is advisable (if anyone disagrees, please say so), but you should get a huge bag of rice (or even try silica packets if you can get them) and put a bunch of it all around in the interior (especially around the wiring) and let it sit for a couple days. Then take a shopvac and vacuum out all the rice. Shampoo the carpets and replace the backing if necessary before you put them back in the truck. Make sure the airbag module wasn't hit by the mud while you have the center console removed. If you replace the TCCM, you might want to remove the TCCM, take a ziploc bag with some rice in it and stick the TCCM wire harness/connector in the bag and seal it with electrical tape for a few days to make sure all the water is gone. That was alot of water in that truck. The TCCM (it is probably bad, if not your encoder also on the transfer case) and carpeting might not be your only problems. If you have any future electrical problems, you might want to check anywhere there was mud/water and up to 2 inches higher than that because that could have caused hidden problems with the wiring. After you check everything out and fix the damage, I would strongly advise against water fording that is high enough to cause this again.

 

I stuck my '87 very similar to yours. Had wht muck inside too.
I parked my truck on the side of a hill, opened the doors, hosed the inside out until all the water came out clean, then shop vac'd the entire floor, closed and the windows and doors and parked in the sun. It was like a suana for a few days, however it dried out nicely, without a smell.

Jeeps and no more capable off-road than our Blazers. The same mud hole I got the '87 stuck in is the same hole a Jeep sucked in enough water to kill his engine and he pad to have the truck trialered back home, $300 bill. Then he paid someone to pull his intake manifold and clean all the mud out. The point is, the Blazers air intake is as high as it can be, located gehind the drivers side headlight. All of the exterior electrical connections are water proof. Your axles both have breather tubes, the rear axle runs up to the bottom of the body, the front runs inside the engine compartment. The t-case also has a breather tube and it also runs up into the engine compartment. The tranny has a breather tube, unfortunately it is about 4" long on the older models and hangs down on the newer models. It should be extended into the engine compartment too. The doors are water proof, provided the door seal is in factory condition. My '00 has been in muck half way up the door, and no leaks into the cab.

Id have to switch puters to post up picutre evidence.

 

I didn't think these trucks were so robust when it came to water. I stand corrected. Even in heavy rain, I am careful when it comes to hitting tall puddles (I have a Spectre CAI also). The mold thing I was talking about: I had the carpeting just under the floor mat just behind the passenger seat (NOWHERE ELSE. It was ONLY under the mat. All 4 sides surrounding it were dry. The door weatherstripping was intact with no leaks.) soaked and I ripped the rear seat and the carpeting up and found green mold (but no visible rust anywhere. The paint looked brand new.) everywhere. I tried to soak up all the water and spray Lysol to kill the mold but I think it came back. This was 2 years ago. I haven't checked if there was water under the floor mat. I just assume it is there and I don't store anything electronic on the floor in that area.

 

Any luck with getting all the mud out? What about the 4WD?

 

The last few weeks have been 80's to 90's temp-wise, so everything has dried out pretty nicely. I ordered a new TCCM from ebay, and then while it was being shipped, the TCCM must have dried out, because its back to working normally. In fact, everything is pretty much back to normal, there's no smell (or maybe I'm used to it now) and the 4WD works, all I've really had to do was change some fluids, and run with my windows down. I do still want to check for potential mold, but so far, so good! Thanks for everyone's help.

 

Very nice. That is weird how the 4WD started working again especially since the module was under water. Have you pulled the carpet up yet? You might want to make sure everything under the carpet is dry. Worst case scenario the water would get trapped under there and cause it to rust. The carpeting has a rubber backing as far as I know. It might protect the area under the carpet, but it also traps moisture under the carpet and the backing acts like a sponge to hold the water.
With the fluids, there is a way for water to get into the differentials, transfer case and oil pan? They aren't sealed units? Just curious.

 

Glad to hear you got it dried out.

 

Happened to me once (not as bad) cause I left the door cracked and it rained. Scraped the water out, waited a hour, scraped again, on and on. I used one of those scrapers you use in the winter to get ice off your car (because it was handy, worked well) also left the window/door open so the sun could dry it. took over a week

 

I got another crazy, but clever idea. If you have a garage to park the truck in, try putting a dehumidifier inside the truck and closing all the doors and windows. Do it overnight for a couple days. That could help if there is any remaining moisture.