I need to know how big of a deal it is to submerge my brand new Foreman ES in a mudhole / lake. The engine died and took on muddy water through the tailpipe, none in airbox. Took about 30 minutes to get it to run afterwards. Guys with me on the tail didnt think it was a big deal, rode another 5 hours. Went to the Honda shop, they made a really big deal out of it. Went home, checked the oil, no gray matter. Changed it once with cheap oil then with new Honda Oil. Changed filter both times. Bottom line, how big of a deal is this? Do I need to plan on an overhaul of some sort in the near future like the Honda guys said? Or are my friends right and it is probably nothing to be concerned about? I have put another 2 hours on it since the oil changes and it seems fine, minus a very slight engine rattle that may or may not have been there before all of this. The bike did not smoke smoked while it was still wet but it quite after we got it running good.

 

You are probably going to be okay with what you have already done. Be sure to also check the differentials on it. THere have been several posts lately about people submerging their rides. Search through some of those because there are several good tips on what to do. I have been in a few similar situations and I haven't had any problems yet. Just keep an eye on the oil in everything!

 

You should be alright. Keep an eye on the oil, maybe change it again after 5 hrs or so just to be sure. Since you changed it right away, there wont be any rust in the engine to worry about, the only problem is how watered out was the oil after you sunk it. If the airbox was empty, you should be ok. Most of it was probably just in the exhaust baffles. Check the diff fluids and blow out the vent hoses with compressed air, maybe drain the gas tank too to get any water out. There might be some water in the brakes, turn the front tires until the rubber plug thing is at the bottom and pull that out and let any water drain out, if there is none you'll be ok.

the worst thing to do after sinking a machine is to let it sit, get it running and go out and ride it a little, as long as the fluids look ok. The heat in the engine will help evaporate any water in stuff, same with the brakes and diff's. any water in the carb will be pulled out with normal riding, maybe turn the gas off and ride it until it runs out of gas to dry the carb bowl out.