Flooded engine - how much trouble am I in?

[Vonhelmet]

Well, like I said, it didn't pour into the car as soon as I opened the door, so it can't have been higher than the sill at the driver side. I suppose it could have been deeper at the passenger side.

I think my mistake (second, after driving into the bloody pool in the first place) may have been changing down from second to first once I was in the water, now that I think back to it. I've just read something about how that can suck water into the exhaust due to changing pressures in there when you change gear?

 

[dave_beast]

Just sounds like wet electrics tbh.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Just sounds like wet electrics tbh.

Let's hope so. They're weren't any funny noises when it cut out, and nothing exploded and flew out of the bonnet. It just stopped and when I tried turning it over afterwards it just went click-click-click-click-click like the starter motor was trying and getting nowhere. Before too long the only thing that worked was the hazards. The breakdown guy said the immobiliser had come on and all sorts.

 

[rexehuk]

Infestation of queen wasps. My dad is a mechanic. Did you check for nests?

 

[Vonhelmet]

I've just spoken to the chap at the garage. He said it could be any number of things, so he's going to take bits off until he finds the problem.

 

[Lashout_UK]

What do you drive?

 

[Vonhelmet]

What do you drive?

Focus mk 2 petrol 1.6 manual.

 

[GinG]

I've just spoken to the chap at the garage. He said it could be any number of things, so he's going to take bits off until he finds the problem.

This could be quite an expensive way to get it looked at...as mentioned above it may be the electrics have got wet and just need to be dried out.

Have you phoned the insurance up yet? You are getting all this done at own expense, do you know how much this is costing?

 

[happy_2008]

So you saw a big flood and still attempted to drive into it

 

[Howard]

Just sounds like wet electrics tbh.

That's my thought too. If it was only a foot or so deep I doubt that's deep enough for it to submerge the intake and start sucking up water.

It won't suck up water through the exhaust. Steam will be from the water touching brakes or exhaust pipe itself. Sounds like it's just been splashed under the bonnet through the wheel arches or something.

 

[Vonhelmet]

So you saw a big flood and still attempted to drive into it

Well, when you say it like that it sounds stupid

The road in question has had a flood more or less across one side of the road for months now. There's one little piddly sign saying "Flood" as you approach it. It has remained perfectly passable all this time, because it's not been at all deep, a few inches at worst. Driving towards that bend yesterday, there's the same sign, and the same familiar looking water on the road. It was only when I got into it and it was getting too late to do anything about it that it became apparent that it was much, much deeper than usual. I wasn't following anyone, so I didn't see anyone go into it to judge how deep it was, or see anyone take to the other side or anything like that.

I gather the water board have now closed the road. Shame they were several hours too late.

 

[Tomcat825]

What does the guy a few posts above mean by "slip the clutch" out of interest?
I think I understand keeping revs high; to make sure there is always an outwards pressure coming out of the exhaust.

Not sure what slipping the clutch actually means though... I guess dipping the clutch and revving ?

 

[Conscript]

What does the guy a few posts above mean by "slip the clutch" out of interest?
I think I understand keeping revs high; to make sure there is always an outwards pressure coming out of the exhaust.

Not sure what slipping the clutch actually means though... I guess dipping the clutch and revving ?

The best way to keep the revs high is to be in a low gear. But you also want to keep your speed low, so you might need to allow the clutch to slip so the engine speed is high without causing you to accelerate.

 

[Matt82]

so how high do you think the water got?

i would hope that water got picked up by the belts and upset something electrical. on most cars youd need to go to almost headlight depth to get the intake sucking up water

 

[Yarde]

Infestation of queen wasps. My dad is a mechanic. Did you check for nests?

Is replies like this why I love OCUK. I lurk more than I post.

 

[antijoke]

I drove my 206 GTI through water and wrote the thing off as I bent all the rods in the engine.



Insurance paid out and it cost me 50% of my NCB (I didn't lose all my NCB).

Let's hope so. They're weren't any funny noises when it cut out, and nothing exploded and flew out of the bonnet. It just stopped and when I tried turning it over afterwards it just went click-click-click-click-click like the starter motor was trying and getting nowhere. Before too long the only thing that worked was the hazards. The breakdown guy said the immobiliser had come on and all sorts.

That is exactly what happened to my 206, I got the breakdown truck to take it to a garage and then the insurer looked at it and wrote it off due to bent rods.

 

[Nomisf]

Well, when I opened the car door it was lapping around the bottom of the door, so about a foot. Whether the water came in through the exhaust or the intake is anybody's guess.

The road I was going down is always a little bit flooded on one side, but I didn't realise how bad it was on this occasion until it was basically too late, and by the time I was getting further round the bend I was basically driving into a lake, yeah. I wasn't following anyone so didn't see them taking any action like driving up on the pavement on the far side of the road, which is what everyone did once I got stuck, and thereafter.

I wasn't the only idiot to get stuck - in the time I was waiting for the breakdown truck I saw another guy break down and I waded back in to help push him out. The guy who recovered me thought his car might be in better nick, as his electrics didn't seem to be in as bad a way as mine.

If they don't close the road, more people will get stuck, because the road is so badly lit that you could pretty much drive into it without any idea of what you were getting into. I wouldn't fancy pushing a car out in the dark once the water gets properly cold.

So you saw a big flood and still attempted to drive into it

So you saw this huge thread and decided not to read it

 

[TaKeN]

Any news from the garage yet?

They should have pulled the plugs out by now and tried to turn the thing over atleast.

 

[Vonhelmet]

I don't think I was headlight depth. It was about at the bottom of the door on the driver side, and a bit higher on the passenger side.

 

[antijoke]

I don't think I was headlight depth. It was about at the bottom of the door on the driver side, and a bit higher on the passenger side.

Similar sort of depth I drove through (but the intake on the 206 GTI) was stupidly low (and the car was lowered too) and sucked all the water up.

Hope you have a positive outcome.