[Loca’s Mom]

My neighborhood flooded last night and the water was rushing with so much force it ripped a part loose under my Pilot. Do I need to get under my car and find a way to secure it temporarily, or remove it the rest of the way so it’s not hanging down? I really don’t want to crawl under my car in the muck. I would rather just leave it hanging until I can get to a shop. I won’t be able to drive anywhere without going through flood damage. Could I really mess something up if this drags over debris?

No water got inside of the vehicle but the high water line on the doors is just below where black plastic meets the paint. There are a lot of small twigs and other plant parts inside of the wheels and around the brakes. Can I just rinse the whole thing off with a hose and assume it’s good to go or are there things I should get inspected?

 

[aggrex]

Once the weather is calm lay on a tarp in order to inspect what was bent or loose. Zip ties could hold the piece back up so the Pilot could be driven to the shop if you cannot diy.

 

[FASTFJR]

My neighborhood flooded last night and the water was rushing with so much force it ripped a part loose under my Pilot. Do I need to get under my car and find a way to secure it temporarily, or remove it the rest of the way so it’s not hanging down? I really don’t want to crawl under my car in the muck. I would rather just leave it hanging until I can get to a shop. I won’t be able to drive anywhere without going through flood damage. Could I really mess something up if this drags over debris?

No water got inside of the vehicle but the high water line on the doors is just below where black plastic meets the paint. There are a lot of small twigs and other plant parts inside of the wheels and around the brakes. Can I just rinse the whole thing off with a hose and assume it’s good to go or are there things I should get inspected?

Hose it off, pull and twigs and crap off and you should be good to go. Maybe somebody else might want to chime in if their are any breather tubs for the rear diff etc....

Pull up any mats and feel the carpet for any wets spots

 

[cintocrunch]

Personally I would not drive the vehicle like that... even less inclined to if the opening is towards the front, where it would act as a parachute and surely get ripped off. I support a temporary zip tie fix until you can get it to a shop, just to get it out of the air flowing under the vehicle.

 

[Cbayman]

Also before starting the engine, check around the engine’s serpentine belt for twigs entangled that may damage the belt.

 

[Peanutofthedog]

If I'm looking correctly, that is a metal covering is near the catalytic conveverter / exhaust right after the engine area. Agree with the above, remove debris before driving, may cause a fire when the exhaust pipe heats up. From what you said, just hose it off as well and you're good to go. Check the plastic drain tube used for the AC condensation, it's also near that metal covering.

 

[Loca’s Mom]

Once the weather is calm lay on a tarp in order to inspect what was bent or loose. Zip ties could hold the piece back up so the Pilot could be driven to the shop if you cannot diy.

I like the zip tie idea but recently used my last on to rig a broken baby gate and haven’t bought more yet. I’m thinking of using pipe cleaners. Think that would work?

Hose it off, pull and twigs and crap off and you should be good to go. Maybe somebody else might want to chime in if their are any breather tubs for the rear diff etc....

Pull up any mats and feel the carpet for any wets spots

Definitely no water on the inside. Fortunately the water receded quickly and door seals on the Pilot weren’t penetrated. The doors on the house weren’t so watertight.

Personally I would not drive the vehicle like that... even less inclined to if the opening is towards the front, where it would act as a parachute and surely get ripped off. I support a temporary zip tie fix until you can get it to a shop, just to get it out of the air flowing under the vehicle.

The opening is towards the back. Trying to decide if I drive it as is to the nearby hardware store and buy zip ties or if using pipe cleaners will work well enough. Thoughts?

Also before starting the engine, check around the engine’s serpentine belt for twigs entangled that may damage the belt.

Yep, pulled all the twigs. Nothing was stuck too deep. Got really lucky with the car, and could’ve been way worse in the house.

 

[aggrex]

I like the zip tie idea but recently used my last on to rig a broken baby gate and haven’t bought more yet. I’m thinking of using pipe cleaners. Think that would work?
The opening is towards the back. Trying to decide if I drive it as is to the nearby hardware store and buy zip ties or if using pipe cleaners will work well enough. Thoughts?

Check local Harbor Freight or Walmart

 

[cintocrunch]

The opening is towards the back. Trying to decide if I drive it as is to the nearby hardware store and buy zip ties or if using pipe cleaners will work well enough. Thoughts?

Probably fine. I can get to Home Depot and Lowes via 55 mph, 40 mph and 30 mph roads... I'd stick to the slow roads to keep airflow down.

 

[FASTFJR]

Once you get it cleaned up spray the underside (metal) with Fluid Film.... https://amzn.to/3FCuvpn

 

[Loca’s Mom]

I’ve come up with a plan. I’m going to load up the baby and some dirty laundry and take the slow way to a friends house. While the laundry is going I will enjoy a break from the noise of the blowers at my house and her husband is going to jack up my Pilot to reattach that piece and clean out anything I missed from underneath. He has almost everything in his personal shop and will likely be able to reattach it correctly and save me the cost of taking it somewhere.

If I'm looking correctly, that is a metal covering is near the catalytic conveverter / exhaust right after the engine area. Agree with the above, remove debris before driving, may cause a fire when the exhaust pipe heats up. From what you said, just hose it off as well and you're good to go. Check the plastic drain tube used for the AC condensation, it's also near that metal covering.

Yes that is exactly what part it is. I’ll mention the drain tube and have him check it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Probably fine. I can get to Home Depot and Lowes via 55 mph, 40 mph and 30 mph roads... I'd stick to the slow roads to keep airflow down.

I can’t go to any business without getting onto a 45 mile an hour road that everybody goes 55 on.

 

[cintocrunch]

I can’t go to any business without getting onto a 45 mile an hour road that everybody goes 55 on.

You need to move to the highly congested Mid-Atlantic. Crap, that won't work. People do 60 on 30mph roads around here all the time anyway.

 

[scottmachovec]

Its a heat shield that is secured at the two rear corners with nylon push pin/clips. I knocked ours loose like that running over a 4x4 lumber at 80 mph which was better than swerving at the time…

I am not sure what size push clip it was since I found some that fit well in my assortment of those clips.

 

[BCianflone]

Do not drive that vehicle and risk even more damage, or else you will be back on this site asking advice on how to fix the piece of metal that just jammed in your catalytic converter......

 

[Loca’s Mom]

Do not drive that vehicle and risk even more damage, or else you will be back on this site asking advice on how to fix the piece of metal that just jammed in your catalytic converter......

I did drive it very slowly to my friend‘s house the other day and her husband was able to reattach it for me. I did end up scraping just a little bit on two occasions in a section of road that had been washed out. Her husband looked everything over for me and he said he couldn’t see any damage other than the clips that had failed. He also did an excellent job of cleaning every bit of muck out from the underside.