Herres the deal, i was driving to get some movies last night and it was raining bad here in NJ for almost 48 hours. there was alot of standing water, i went through a puddle that maybe had 6-12 inches, it was dark and i really couldnt tell. My moytor stumbled for aboit but it stayed running so i though i might have just gotten some elctrical wet.....Well it rained pretty hard all night, and today around 2pm i go to start my car and it wouldnt turn over at all. Popped open the hood and thre was fresh water everywhere, there was water inthe air box as well. I took out the air box and let it dryed itoff and let it dru inthe sun. the filter is shot. I pulled of the intake tube and sure enough there was water in it, as well as a trail of water going into the throttle body. I pulled the plugs and crank the engine over for and it wouldnt start up at all. redid the same process two more times and thenthe motor turned over. it was running rough for about 2 mins then shut off. I started it back up again and it turned right over and idled smoothly. I let the car heat up to operating temp and did a compression test and it went as follows

225, 220 , 210, 210

these are lower than a previous test i had done before a valve adjustment

i had hit 250 psi in every cylinder


i drove the car around and there is a noticeable idle stumple it drops to about 2 bars...something definitly isnt right.

i called my insurance company and they have someone coming out to look at it on wednesday? Anyone have any experiance witht his? my insurance company is usaa

 

here is a bit of an update drove the car around more aggresively and its severely lacking power, defintly bent some valves. It also has a real loud pitch whine that it never had. Its not from the differential I can make the sound happen when at a stop and revving it up. Im getting a rental througn my insurance and the adjuster or insurance company car inspector is coming out on wednesday...... The thing is i know if there bent valves they can be fixed but i would be a bit worried and bothered. The car starts up fine but after driving the idle stumbles a bit, any s2k owner would also immediatley notice that the car is struggling to get going, not sure an insurance adjuster is going to notice this...I just dont want to be left with a damaged motor, in all actuality i rather it be replaced.

 

sorry im not knowledgable but I am interested in what USAA does since they are also my insurer, good luck to you

 

First, if you think your valves are damaged STOP DRIVING THE CAR. You are just going to cause more damage and make it worse.

An insurance adjuster isn't going to do a whole lot, if he can't SEE damage then chances are they won't do much. Get to a shop, document the damage as hydrolock, and give THAT the insurance and pray. Cause it'll probably be expensive.

 

well i had to drive it guy, i had to see if maybe there wasnt any damage. Of course the adjuster isnt going to see it, but they should be knowledgable about water in engines. I already figured i bent a rod and valves, hence the the high pitch whine im getting when the motor revs.

Im just trying to figure out how that much water got in there, being that i have intake of any kind besides stock.

Why should i pray, i have comprehnsive covereage and it covers 'acts of god" or weather damage..your from the jersey shore im in toms river....you tell me it was puring like a bitch out there, and being that the ground was dry, it made for some deep puddles

 

I had hydrolock damage once and USAA offered to pick up the tab without issue.

I never had to take them up on it as Acura paid for it.

 

sorry to hear that man, if the water is about 6-12 inches, unless you really submerge your car in the rain, how did the water got all the way to intake? Even if you have aem cold air, i cant think of a way of getting the water up there because i think the clearance is still pretty high. I hydrolocked my integra at one time but the intake filter really submerged in water. Again, im just curious and thanks for letting us know because i tend to drive a lot on the rain and hope insurance takes care of this problem.

 

that makes me fill a bit better, my warranty on my s is over. Ive been with USAA since 98 and really never had any claims with them, besides my civic beong stolen 5 years ago. Let me ask u a question, did they send out an adjuster to you? Im hoping i get someone who knows whats going on


and id like to thank you guys for taking the time to reply back, this couldnt have happened at a worse time. I have a wedding in 3 months tht i still need to pay off and im closing on my house in 4 weeks

 

the thing is i was moving through the puddle at about 35 mph and it kicke dup a wall of water, i could hear the water hitting underneath my car...other than that im miffed

 

eek.. this makes me glad my S sat the whole weekend through the monsoon. Good luck man