Drove through mass water...HELP!
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From: Fayetteville, NC
Drove through mass water...HELP! ok so on my way back from my physcial theropist, we had sudden flash flooding everywhere, I turned around on a few roads cause they were so badly flooded, last road I got on had least amount of water and I HAD to get home to my daughter so my wife could go to school, anyways...heres what its doing...
I drove slow and biggest flood on the road was maybe 10 inches and about 1 light pole length. The TA was sluggish and felt a huge power decrease, before I parked it, I cut it off a few times, it will start right back up, had some smoke coming out. Smoke was as if It was mid-winter and cold start type. I popped the hood when I got home, engine looked dry ( doesn't mean it didn't get wet ). Anyways I'm alil concerned that I may have gotten water in the motor? I'm scared it will hydrolock...what can I do? change oil immediately? I'm really concerned...before I parked it, it was running alil better than before, so that was a small relief...all advice is appriciated!
thanks in advance
I drove slow and biggest flood on the road was maybe 10 inches and about 1 light pole length. The TA was sluggish and felt a huge power decrease, before I parked it, I cut it off a few times, it will start right back up, had some smoke coming out. Smoke was as if It was mid-winter and cold start type. I popped the hood when I got home, engine looked dry ( doesn't mean it didn't get wet ). Anyways I'm alil concerned that I may have gotten water in the motor? I'm scared it will hydrolock...what can I do? change oil immediately? I'm really concerned...before I parked it, it was running alil better than before, so that was a small relief...all advice is appriciated!
thanks in advance
Probably soaked a bunch of sensors. If it didn't hydrolock when you drove through the water, it's not going to do it after the car's been sitting. Let it dry out for a couple days, and see how it's running.
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phew that makes me feel better knowing hydrolocking occurs during the inncodent...thnx man, that was my main concern..
Let is dry out in the garage take the covers off all your engine electrical **** and take a hair drier to it if need be. Some of your allweather plugs I would take apart and check because if any water got in there it won't get out happened to my Vette during last years monsoons started getting codes, reduced power flashing everywhere, and **** took me 2 days to figure it out.. For peace of mind i would also just take your plugs out crank the engine a few times and put them back in. That little bit of inconvenience will seal the deal and its a good CYA u know.
Good luck
Good luck
Even tho the weather is not as bad in Dallas then other citys I still won't drive my car till it drys up. Wether is crazy now of days u'll never know when ur going 2 be In a situation like you.
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Mine was flooded in my driveway back in Nov last year, nothing got into the block, but the sensors got soaked. Prob went slugo when your O2 sensors got hit. Also, watch the lower pullies such as the AC ones, and your alt. I had to replace the lower one after mine got flooded, started whining after the flood, and it went away after I replaced it.
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not being a smartass or anything like that, but other than said above (driving through flooded water to where the entire intake is submerged or similar), how do you hydro lock an engine from driving through water/rain? People run water/methanol injection all the time without issue, but I see people talking worrying about driving through rain and similar with a CAI? Is this really that serious of an issue? I ask, because every car I've ever owned (NA/Turbo/etc) has ran a cold air intake, and I've never had an issue or seen this happen bad weather/rain/whatever. It just blows my mind, people pay hundreds to thousands for simple-complicated 3d mapped water/methanol/etc injection systems and then there are people afraid of just heavy rain and such. I am running my first LS1 and wanting to put a cold air intake on it of course (as I am pretty sure like most cars), it runs an IAT based ign/fuel adjustment so having 80-100 (ambient) temp intake vs 150-200 degree (engine bay mixed air) could really affect performance from a tuning standpoint. i am just curious is all.
PS - I have seen where the #7 injector grommet or something will hold water and let it leaked into the cylinders and puddles up while the car is off. Making a huge puddle in the cylinder, then break crap when you try to start it, i understand that too, so im not saying "hydrolock is impossible", just trying to understand how its as serious as I read through threads (when driving in the rain and similar).
PS - I have seen where the #7 injector grommet or something will hold water and let it leaked into the cylinders and puddles up while the car is off. Making a huge puddle in the cylinder, then break crap when you try to start it, i understand that too, so im not saying "hydrolock is impossible", just trying to understand how its as serious as I read through threads (when driving in the rain and similar).
Last edited by RS777; Jul 27, 2010 at 02:01 PM.
not being a smartass or anything like that, but other than said above (driving through flooded water to where the entire intake is submerged or similar), how do you hydro lock an engine from driving through water/rain? People run water/methanol injection all the time without issue, but I see people talking about worrying about driving through rain and similar with a CAI? Is this really that serious of an issue? I ask, because every car I've ever owned (NA/Turbo/etc) has ran a cold air intake, and I've never had an issue or seen this happen bad weather/rain/whatever. It just blows my mind, people pay hundreds to thousands for simple-complicated 3d mapped water/methanol/etc injection systems and then there are people afraid of just heavy rain and such. I am running my first LS1 and wanting to put a cold air intake on it of course (as I am pretty sure like most cars), it runs an IAT based ign/fuel adjustment so having 80-100 (ambient) temp intake vs 150-200 degree (engine bay mixed air) could really affect performance from a tuning standpoint.
Big difference in an injected mist, vs sucking up standing water. I don't personally worry about driving through rain by itself; it's the possibility of either hitting a big puddle, or having someone else hit a big puddle and send a veritable wave of water up the car's nose, that would have me worried.
Depends on the depth of water, speed, highest intake point, etc. The water flew over my hood and right through the ram air into the intake instantly locking it up.
Last edited by RS777; Jul 27, 2010 at 02:27 PM.
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From: Pembroke pines FL
my understanding is that if your car sucks up enough water to over fill the combustion chamber, then the piston will not be able to compress the liquid since liquids are incompressible, and it will either lock up, if your at low enough RPMs or if your RPMs are high enough then you might snap a rod, at which point your FU*KED.
If this happens to you, you should immediately remove the spark plugs and start the car. if theres any water inside, it will come out the spark plug holes as your motor turns the crank to try to start. IF YOU MUST DRIVE THOUGH A FLOOD, DO SO AT LOW RPMs, that way, should your car suck up water, it should only stall up and not destroy any internals, then do the process i stated before to clear it up.
If this happens to you, you should immediately remove the spark plugs and start the car. if theres any water inside, it will come out the spark plug holes as your motor turns the crank to try to start. IF YOU MUST DRIVE THOUGH A FLOOD, DO SO AT LOW RPMs, that way, should your car suck up water, it should only stall up and not destroy any internals, then do the process i stated before to clear it up.
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Let is dry out in the garage take the covers off all your engine electrical **** and take a hair drier to it if need be. Some of your allweather plugs I would take apart and check because if any water got in there it won't get out happened to my Vette during last years monsoons started getting codes, reduced power flashing everywhere, and **** took me 2 days to figure it out.. For peace of mind i would also just take your plugs out crank the engine a few times and put them back in. That little bit of inconvenience will seal the deal and its a good CYA u know.
Good luck
Good luck
Mine was flooded in my driveway back in Nov last year, nothing got into the block, but the sensors got soaked. Prob went slugo when your O2 sensors got hit. Also, watch the lower pullies such as the AC ones, and your alt. I had to replace the lower one after mine got flooded, started whining after the flood, and it went away after I replaced it.
... which pully? and why did you have to replace it? rust or something? my understanding is that if your car sucks up enough water to over fill the combustion chamber, then the piston will not be able to compress the liquid since liquids are incompressible, and it will either lock up, if your at low enough RPMs or if your RPMs are high enough then you might snap a rod, at which point your FU*KED.
lol. Kinda like those EFI videos on detonation with the clear blocks. Last edited by RS777; Jul 27, 2010 at 03:15 PM.
The orange and green seals make it difficult for anything to get in but if it does they also make it difficult for anything to get out.
Lower pulley, the one lowest to the ground. At first, I thought it was the belts, so I replaced then, but it continued, and then I took the main belt off and cranked the car, it continued, so I knew it was a pulley, just replaced that one first, and it was fixed. The pulley was submurged, so rust or bearings were bad after. It may have been goign bad, and that was just the final straw. Belts will squill some after getting wet, but it should go away, but some dressing may help or even time to replace them.
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Let is dry out in the garage take the covers off all your engine electrical **** and take a hair drier to it if need be. Some of your allweather plugs I would take apart and check because if any water got in there it won't get out happened to my Vette during last years monsoons started getting codes, reduced power flashing everywhere, and **** took me 2 days to figure it out.. For peace of mind i would also just take your plugs out crank the engine a few times and put them back in. That little bit of inconvenience will seal the deal and its a good CYA u know.
Good luck
Good luck