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Correct method for driving through a flood?

Le_Petit_Lapin

Le_Petit_Lapin

Le_Petit_Lapin

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Joined
5 Sep 2005
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Northern Ireland
....well apart from find another route. :p

Been raining something terrible here yesterday, and on my evening drive to Tescos a road on my usual route had turned into a foot deep river. The car in front was making progress so I had a go.

Drove on in creating an impressive bow wave :p and a few seconds later I notice a strange gurgling noise, now at this point I'm 1/4 the way across, and damned if I'm letting this puddle get the better of me, so I just shove it into 1st and jam my foot on the accellerator. Now the engine is starting to decide it really doesnt like this about 1/2 way across and starts spluttering.

But what choice do I have at this point? I cant stop and let it die, block the road, and I'd get wet feet. So I just plow on keeping my foot to the floor, and I make it out ok.

Theres steam pouring out of the back of the car, but I figure that keeping on going will dry it out faster. The engine spluttering goes away too after a while and the warning light on my dash winks out. Couple of miles down the road and everythings fine again.

At Tescos I sit there in the car park with the engine running to make sure its dried off for about 10 mins, I don't want to come out and not be able to start. But I needn't have worried, it started up fine.

So, did I employ the correct porceedure for driving through a flood, or should I have done something different?
 
Basically, not too slow, but certainly not fast, just enough speed to overcome the pressure of having to move forward in the water. Don't bother if the water is above the sill line.
 
also you should never let off the accelerator if the water is fairly deep - it will go into your exhaust. drive in a lower gear keeping up the revs.
 
paradigm said:
Basically, not too slow, but certainly not fast, just enough speed to overcome the pressure of having to move forward in the water. Don't bother if the water is above the sill line.
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Agreed. 5mph or a little less/more depending on depth is normally fine, you don't want to go too slow and risk stalling it somehow in the middle of the water, but you don't want to go too fast and risk getting water up the air intake and through into the block, that is asking for a dead engine ;).

daven1986 said:
also you should never let off the accelerator if the water is fairly deep - it will go into your exhaust. drive in a lower gear keeping up the revs.
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Forgot to say that, spot on.
 
1st or 2nd keep revs high by slipping the clutch as necessary. Just fast enough to keep a constant bow wave infront of the vehicle. Not sure about the never go above the sills rule though, can go deeper than that if you need before you need to start to worry.
 
G_D said:
1st or 2nd keep revs high by slipping the clutch as necessary. Just fast enough to keep a constant bow wave infront of the vehicle. Not sure about the never go above the sills rule though, can go deeper than that if you need before you need to start to worry.
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Oh I have no doubt that you can go higher than the sill-line. The point is, why bother?

There is generally another way around, or, don't bother at all.

Not getting where I need/want to go is generally less hassle than ruining my car.
 
Not fast enough to cause damage to the body work.

In a van, you pretty much just keep on going and make the biggest splash you can.
 
We got stuck in this situation loads of times yesterday coming home from Sligo. A journey that should have taken just over 2 hours took 6! We got stuck on the new underpass at the Westlink and had to turn around then just got off the Broadway roundabout before water came up to the doors.

Coming home from work in Lisburn my brother had to take the long way going up by the airport then at the top of the Whitewell Road where a bridge fell apart a lorry stopped just as he was going over and his TT was submerged in water up to the top of the doors. He had to rev it in 1st to get out and now today it's playing up.
 
The water only needs to be as high as your air filter intake to risk hydrolocking

On my rover I just disconnect the top of the air filter box, If i drive through water that is deep enough to hit almost the top of my bonnet I deserve to rebuild the engine.
 
My intake is about level with the middle of my wheel, so my solution is to pull over, remove the lid of my airbox then hoon it through. Thankfully I've never encountered a deep puddle so this is just in theory, I don't fancy testing it out.
 
Unless you have a car fitted with a snorkel I would strongly suggest avoiding anything close to being above the sills for more than a few secconds. As said above slow speed, high rev's and for god's sake don't take your foot off the gas or you're going to end up with water in the zorst and too much back preassure followed by a stall. Then you look very silly and are going to get wet one way or another :)
 
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that it's worth being very careful if the car is fitted with a catalytic converter.

The little tubes inside them are designed to run hot, and if the exterior get immersed in water the whole thing cools down much too fast the tubes can shatter.

You'll only really notice this when the car fails exhaust emissions test, however.
 
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