scare of my life

[alex dougherty]

o im not really sure how to start this but lets just say i had the scare of my life trying to get two seadoos in the water. today i was gonna take out my seadoos for the first time by myself and with a friend( im only 16). we decided that we were gonna launch them on what we thought was the "easiest" ramp; nobody else, end of road, smooth into the water. ya no. when we got there i backed it up to the waters edge and unhooked the seadoos and everything your supposed to.so i was backing it in and when i looked out my window the water was up to the bottom of the rim and the seadoos wernt touching the water yet. i didnt think anything of it until the water was up to the bottom of the hubcap and i suppenly had almost no power. i checked the exhaust and it was under water, i was like ****, so i go to pull them out well the tires just spun which put it even lower in the water and when it was in 4x4 high it had no power so i was stuck.:btddhorse: i was freaking out because this was my first car and i just got my license a coulpe weeks ago. anyways my step dad came over with his toyota rav-4 and i had to disconnect the seadoo trailer so he could pull me out. so now my trucks out...but the seadoos and seadoo trailers still in the water so then we hooked up my truck to the seadoo trailer with a tow strap only to find out that my truck still had no power, it couldnt climb up the easiest hill, it didnt even spin the tires, we disconnect the tow strap and i moved mine out of the way and we hook the rav-4 up and all tires are spinning **** everywhere but the trailer still didnt come out. we had to call our neighbor who had a f150 to finally pull it out after we took the seadoos off. and btw one of them wasnt running so i had to tow the other one back to a different launch. all in all ive lost my faith a little in my sport trac, after it was all done i was seriously considering selling it and getting a chevy ;p not really but i was considering selling it. so thats my story how i almost lost my truck and seadoo trailer. so thats my story how i almost lost my truck and seadoo trailer. this was how i felt after wards: :smack::banghead::btddhorse:

 

[Mark Price 2]

Sorry about your day.

I am no expert in 4x4 or boat ramp stuff. But, did you happen to shut off the engine at anytime when the exhaust was submerged?

4x4 low will give you more torque. Also, maybe lower the tire pressure and get some people in the back of the bed for better traction.

If you had the ST running the entire time. I have no idea why you would lose power. Doesn't seem possible to me. What exactly is happening when you say you "almost had no power" and "had no power"

It is o.k. to submerge the tailpipe in water as long as the engine is running.

 

[Dean Kolar]

I would also like to know what you meant by losing power, we tow our 19 ft ski boat no problem. Always put it into four wheel just as a precaution, but tire pressure is definitely one issue that people mess up.

 

[Robert Thomas]

"Boating always gives the test just before the lesson""



As you now know, if possible get the load off the trailer as soon as you get in trouble. Sounds like the water was really low and you might have gotten the wheels off the end of the ramp. I never liked float on and off trailers, I like to crank things on so I can keep my truck tires out of the water.



"Breath in, breath out, move on"

 

[alex dougherty]

i kept the motor running the whole time and when i would floor it it would rev up but only to about 2500-3000 rpm's. and i found out at that moment that 4 low doesnt work only 4 high. i couldnt get the seadoos off of the trailer by myself, it took me, my friend, and my step dad to get them both off because they wernt even touching the water yet

 

[H D]

Did you try putting it in 4Lo with the truck in neutral and foot on the brake pedal? 4Hi is good in loose stuff and general 4x4 use but if you need some power, you'll need low range.



Why would you go buy a Chevy when it was a Ford that ultimately saved you?

 

[Bill V]

How high up does your trailer hold the jetskis that you can have the Sport Trac that deep in the water on a "ramp" but still not have the jetskis touching the water?? Something about that part of the story doesn't sound right.



Sorry to hear about your experience--but even when things go that bad, try to keep the profanity off the board here. You may want to go back and edit your first post in this thread.

 

[Bill V]

 

[Bo Loo]

Most of us who tow watercraft have had similar experiences.



I try to avoid boat ramps where I have to back so far in the water that my rear wheels are more than 1/4 in the water.



Not sure why your truck lost power...I've driven a Ford Ranger in hood deep water and had no problems...just keep the engine running.



My worse day with my current PWC was a few months ago. I was jumping waves in the ocean and came down in water that was too shallow. I broke my venturi, thus losing steering.



The waves were about 4 feet, and there was a quick northerly current that would have drifted me into a rock fishing pier, so I had to beach the ski to save it.



I called SeaTow and they came to get me, but couldn't get that close to the beach due to the shallow water and 4 foot waves. I had to swim out 1000 feet to the tow boat and swim the tow line back to shore.



I eventually got towed in, but by that time, it was dark and I was the only truck left at the ramp. Should be no problem....but I backed in too far into the sandy ramp and started spinning my rear tires. I thought, this is all I need after today...I was eventually able to slowly tow the ski out of the water.



[Broken External Image]:



Click the link to see a guy having a really bad day...

 

[Doctor CAD]

Geez...my 2 wheel drive Trac launched and retrieved my boat hundreds of times with never a slip of the wheel.



If you "have no power" and 4 wheel low doesn't work, something is WAAAAAY wrong.



A tow vehicle needs to be in better-than-new condition.

 

[Doctor CAD]

Geez...my 2 wheel drive Trac launched and retrieved my boat hundreds of times with never a slip of the wheel.



If you "have no power" and 4 wheel low doesn't work, something is WAAAAAY wrong.



A tow vehicle needs to be in better-than-new condition.

 

[Jackson Ellis]

Alex,



Don't throw your ST away just yet. We've all been 16 with car problems. I learned my way around on a Firebird, and started out basically knowing how to put gas into it. I had to swap out the engine (great story involving a girlfriend and a lower radiator hose), make my own shift linkage (great story involving an idiot - me - trying to get a firebird down to the river), and the list goes on.



I'll have to make some assumptions based on your description, but the first time you said you had "almost no power" could have just been wheel spin. With your tires several inches deep in the water, and the skis not floating yet, it sounds like you were on a very shallow ramp, or maybe not even on a ramp but just a place on the edge of the lake. The trailer might have hit a steeper spot, causing you to slip backwards. When you start spinning your tires on a slick boat ramp, going backwards is normal. After putting it in 4WD, it should have been easy to pull out, but you said you then had no power and couldn't even spin the tires. You also couldn't get 4Lo to work. If you're not getting locked into to 4WD, then the symptoms you listed could happen. There are a number of mechanisms going on to get the truck transferred into 4Hi and then locked there, and then another whole set to get into 4Lo, which is a different differential gear. You also have to follow a specific procedure to get into 4Lo. It's a lot easier locking into 4Lo before you actually need it, and sliding backwards is not the best time to do it.



I suggest you get off the pavement somewhere safe and get familiar with getting into 4Hi and 4Lo. If you don't have your owner's manual, someone here can definitely give you the procedure. You may actually have have an issue that could be as simple as a fuse, and as complex as a differential or transfer case. Or it may work fine, and you were just doing it wrong. Good luck and let us know when you figure it out.

 

[swshawaii]

Not the first time. Sounds like operator error to me.

 

[alex dougherty]

hugh,

technically it was a toyota that pulled me out but the f150 pulled the trailer out. also i didnt know how to put my st into 4 low until after the post when i searched it on google.



Bill,

the ramp was more of a dirt road that lead down the the water where a break in the seawall was, next time i drive by there ill take a picture so you get a better idea of what i mean, and thanks for the heads up, ill keep that in check.



Bo, you got a nice trac there and that guy sure was having a bad day.



Packer, thanks for the suggestions. as i told hugh i didnt know how to turn 4 low until after i pposted and what i think im gonna do is either re-route the exhaust or get a plastic pluming elbow pipe that fits snug onto the exhaust tip so that the air can escape.



also i think i might have gotten water in the muffler and thats why i couldnt spin the tires in 4 high

 

[Robert Thomas]

This should make you feel better.

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Are we having fun yet?

 

[Jackson Ellis]

Alex, if water got into your muffler (which it shouldn't if you never stopped the engine), then it could've cost you some power. Some mufflers have that "hairy" noise reduction stuff that can trap a lot of water like a sponge and cause enough back pressure to reduce power. As for your plumbing idea; I'm pretty sure your exhaust tip gets too hot for anything plastic. I've been burnt by exhaust tips before...

 

[Bo Loo]

Go to youtube and search for boat ramp fail if you want a few good laughs.

 

[H D]

I'm betting 4Lo would have pulled you right out of there. The "4Lo doesn't work" comes up a lot and many times it's because it's not being done right, no big deal.



I've also had the truck up to the doors in water many times and as long as it's still running it's not an issue. Just keep an eye on the rear differential fluid if the axle goes under water often or for a long time.



Don't give up on the ST just yet. It's been a surprisingly capable and reliable vehicle for me.

 

[alex dougherty]

redfish,

thanks haha i laughed when i saw that.



Packer, im not really sure either, i have a aftermarket exhaust tip on it but that shouldnt change anything right? its a 3 inch diameter if that helps.