Help: Flooded engine, what to do?

[sk1er17]

Ok its 2 a.m. in the morning here, i just got home but my cars still in lebanon cause i have to pick it up in the morning with a tow truck. Yea....

Went through a pudde. The water wasnt as high as the intake but i went too fast and the wave hit it and when i pulled outta the puddle i stalled.

There is water in the engine, i dont know how much yet. I hope its savable.

I need advice on what to do.. i work at an auto place so all day im going to be trying to get it running.

ANY information would be greatly greatly appreciated.

**and in a worst case scenario... anyone wreck their X but still have the engine in good condition?

 

[jimbo74]

pull all your sparkplugs and crank the engine over until all the water comes out.... replace the plugs.... try to start it up using starting fluid..... mine ingested mud a few weeks ago and i had to do that to mine... mine runs again, but has a horrible lifter knock

 

[sk1er17]

is there a good chance the engines gonna have to go?

 

[jimbo74]

depends sometimes its ok, sometimes there may be problems

 

[DasFrem]

Talk to Chaz (Ex95XLT on the board) he's done this twice. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. If it does't start after pulling and replacing the plugs, put a breaker bar on the crank, if it doesn't move, time for a new engine.

 

[DarkMan]

I'd also check for water in all the fluids, especially the oil. Oil that looks like chocolate milk on the dip stick is bad news. Change it asap and change it again every few hundred miles for a while to see if you can get the water out. Water can sneak into a bearing and eat away at it until somethink locks up. (bang!) Happened to me in a Miata.

 

[sk1er17]

Thanks for your help guys. Luckily, it started this morning. But it wasnt easy to get it started... i was taking the chance that the water didnt get into the crank. after it ran for about 15 minutes it idled almost like normal and i drove it all the way home and to work (i work at an STS). Spent the first few hours of work clocked out so i could work on it.

1) First thing when i got back i checked the oil again... nice and dark, not a sign of water.

2) No pinging or wierd noises inside the engine... hopefully that means theres no sand or dirt in there.

3) Never disconnected the spark plugs. Since it ran soundly i felt if there was a little bit of water in there i would do more damage by removing the plugs and letting air in... i dont want anything to rust on the inside.

I basically just cleaned everything and changed the oil and its running great right now. Im gonna change the oil again after a few hundred miles and then again after a thousand more. And just to be safer when i get low on this tank im going to fill up with $10 worth of Super + and put in a bottle of fuel injector cleaner.

If anyone knows any other pre-cautionary measures im open to suggestions.

Thanks again!!

 

[Nate1]

Originally posted by sk1er17
Thanks for your help guys. Luckily, it started this morning. But it wasnt easy to get it started... i was taking the chance that the water didnt get into the crank. after it ran for about 15 minutes it idled almost like normal and i drove it all the way home and to work (i work at an STS). Spent the first few hours of work clocked out so i could work on it.

1) First thing when i got back i checked the oil again... nice and dark, not a sign of water.

2) No pinging or wierd noises inside the engine... hopefully that means theres no sand or dirt in there.

3) Never disconnected the spark plugs. Since it ran soundly i felt if there was a little bit of water in there i would do more damage by removing the plugs and letting air in... i dont want anything to rust on the inside.

I basically just cleaned everything and changed the oil and its running great right now. Im gonna change the oil again after a few hundred miles and then again after a thousand more. And just to be safer when i get low on this tank im going to fill up with $10 worth of Super + and put in a bottle of fuel injector cleaner.

If anyone knows any other pre-cautionary measures im open to suggestions.

Thanks again!!

Instead of cleaner, you might want to opt for a bottle of that STP water cleanser stuff... but mabey its voodoo magic.
Also, since you seem so resistant to hydro-locking, mabey you want to seafoam now?
I'm glad it worked out.
-----Nate

 

[DasFrem]

Nice and lucky you are, but I still would have pulled the plugs as a precautionary measure, but you ended up not needing it. by pulling the plugs it allows the water to escape, if you crank it with the water in there that's what causes it to hydrolock. Water doesn't compress like air does so when it gets compressed it breaks. Letting air in there wouldn't have started to rust the cylinders unless you let it sit for a long while. But you got lucky, which is good.