Jeep 2009 Wrangler Owner's Manual page 295

designated and approved. You should tread lightly and
avoid damage to the environment. You should know
your vehicles abilities and be able to recover it if some-
thing goes wrong. You should never stop or shut a
vehicle off when crossing deep water unless you ingested
water into the engine air intake. If the engine stalls, do
not attempt to restart it. Determine if it has ingested
water first. The key to any crossing is low and slow. Shift
into 1st gear (manual transmission), or DRIVE (automatic
transmission), with the transfer case in the 4L (Low)
position and proceed very slowly with a constant slow
speed {3 to 5 mph (5 to 8 km/h) maximum} and light
throttle. Keep the vehicle moving; do not try to accelerate
through the crossing. After crossing any water higher
than the bottom of the axle differentials, you should
inspect all of the vehicle fluids for signs of water inges-
tion.
CAUTION!
Water ingestion into the axles, transmission, transfer
case, engine or vehicle interior can occur if you drive
too fast or through too deep of water. Water can cause
permanent damage to engine, driveline or other
vehicle components and your brakes will be less
effective once wet and/or muddy.
Before You Cross Any Type Of Water
As you approach any type of water you need to deter-
mine if you can cross it safely and responsibly. If neces-
sary, get out and walk through the water or probe it with
a stick. You need to be sure of its depth, approach angle,
current and bottom condition. Be careful of murky or
muddy waters, check for hidden obstacles. Make sure
you will not be intruding on any wildlife and you can
recover the vehicle if necessary. The key to a safe crossing
is the water depth, current and bottom conditions. On
STARTING AND OPERATING 293
5