Thanks for the tips. I'll pull the wheel and make sure the brakes are clean.
It was muddy.

On Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 9:28 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>wrote:

> I would only worry if mud and such got into the brake area.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Alistair Bell
> Sent: Monday, September 06, 2010 11:11 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Rear wheel over half in muddy water. Need to repack bearings
> or
> ???
>
> Last week i got my right rear wheel stuck in about a foot and a half of
> water in a river... gravel and round river rock. I won't go into why I got
> into that position :), but take it as read that I made a bonehead move.
>
> My syncro's viscous coupling is kaput so I didn't have front wheel assist.
> The diff lock was not much help, both rear wheels just dug deeper. But... I
> did have my home made bridging track and a high lift jack. I was able to
> stand in the river and jack one side of van up in the air and put the track
> under rear wheel, then dig a trench for the other side wheels and slowly
> drive out of the river.
>
> The moral of the story, apart from not getting into that situation in the
> first place, is that the high lift jack paid for itself again.
>
> I wasn't worried about water getting into the bearings or the brake drum,
> as
> it was pretty well clear water. But if it was mud I might take the time to
> remove drum and flush out any debris that might have got in.
>
> I would say that the bearings would be fine. Maybe regrease once home if
> you
> like.
>
> alistair
>
>
> On 6-Sep-10, at 7:20 PM, Scott Chapman wrote:
>
> I went adventuring in my 85 Westy today.
>
> Lesson learned:  NEVER try to cross a sizable puddle without inspecting it
> first!  We managed to get the right rear in muddy water over half way up
> the
> tire and it took over an hour to get it out again.
>
> I am wondering if I need to do anything with the brakes or wheel bearings,
> or anything else, as a result of this "abuse" :).
>
> I went to a self-serve car wash and washed wheels out thoroughly on both
> sides but haven't gone further yet.
>
> I'm in Cheyenne, Wyoming and leaving from here to LA on Thursday AM.
> The
> last thing I need is trouble on the trip.
>
> All advice and wisdom greatly appreciated!
>
> Scott
>