Boston was just hit with a lot of rain and I accidently went through a 4.5' puddle. The water went over my hood and I think my engine locked up...how would I know whether the engine is gone? When I try to start it the engine sounds like its struggline to ignite, kind of like the sound of a locomotive coming to a stop.

Anything I should know about a hydrolocked car and how to deal with it?

Thanks...

 

The first thing you should do is check the oil and see if there is any sign of water in the crank case. Also check the airfilter, if there is water in the box or if the filter itself is wet that is a sign that water got into the engine.


My car is being reparied now from flood damage. My engine locked up as a result of flood waters. Before I started my car (after the flood) I checked the oil and it wasn't milky or overful, so I thought I was going to be okay. I was wrong my engine did get water in it and it locked up. When I tried to start it, it did nothing... almost sounded like the battery was dead... It would just make a "wuuuh" sound.


I wish you good luck in gettng your car fixed / totalled. My sympathies go out to you.

 

Sorry, PAK, I was there. Your engine didn't turn over at all. It was locked...frozen...immobile...dead. Sounds like Jigga just needs to let his engine dry out. If it's turning over at all...you may be allright.

Mark

 

Not sure if a car would follow the same rules as a jet ski but if it is hydro-locked then it won

 

My dad's 240Z was stolen in Boston about twenty-some-odd years ago and wound up submerged in a salt water tidal pond. It was subsequently recovered, totaled and repurchased by him. He drained the lubricants, flushed out the engine and then replaced the lubricants. The engine started and was none the worst for wear. He spent the remainder of the winter in his drive-in basement restoring the car. Dad eventually sold it to a friend of my brother's who drove it for years.

 

Definately remove the plugs!!!!. It takes very little water in the cylinder to lock the engine at top dead center and the torque of the engine when running will bend the connecting rod pretty easily. I would actually recommend a compression check before I put the plugs back in as well. You also have to make sure the engine intake and air cleaner are clear of water as well. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

I didn't mean to imply that it did turn over.
Mine was totally dead...sounded like a dead battery. (I was convinced it was just a dead battery... ... thanks for switching batteries with me BTW... I still had hope ... )

 

update: My car is now at Herb Chambers Honda in Boston, MA. They checked out the engine and said it definitely has to be raplaced. We are pushing to have my insurance company deem it a total loss. I know Honda wants to do it so they can sell me another car and I want to do it so I can buy a white one! Seriously though, I don't want to have the engine replaced because I'm sure the car will lose a lot of its value if that happens. What my insurance has to decide right now is whether they should deem my car a total loss which has a book value of over 30k or replace the engine and all of the damaged electrical components. The thing with fixing it is the insurance company takes on liabilities like if I ever crashed my car and the airbag never went off because the airbag sensor was damaged by the water and they never caught it, I can sue them for a lot of money. I hope they see it like that and deem it a total loss.

I so far have been driving a Chevy Impala as my rental. This car sucks. It has made me more against American cars than ever (but you know, if it was a '64 Impala I wouldn't be complaining). During this time, I have been thinking of other cars I should get instead of the S2000. I thought an 2001/2 BMW M3 would be sweet but after driving my friends Spa Yellow this weekend I knew an M3 would never be the same as our beloved car. I just can't wait to get all of this over with.

That's the end of my "blah blah blah"-ing.

Mark