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Help! Car stuck in flood!

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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 02:50 PM
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Default Help! Car stuck in flood!

Yesterday my car got stalled out in about a foot of water. The betters had died out too. I tried starting it and no success. Once I checked the air intake a lot of water poured out and there's still a pool of water in there. How can I fix this? Im currently gonna try and tilt the car by raising the rear. I don't believe that water got in the oil.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 02:53 PM
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take the plugs out to make sure there is no water in the cylinders. if there is turn the key with the plugs out to help get the water out. Hope you didn't short out any electronics.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 03:05 PM
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My near new Coupe got caught in a "flash flood" back in 2001 as I was driving slowly around it. Car stalled and water poured out from the intake just like you said.

Towed it to the dealer, "hydro-locked" the engine and it was toast. I tried cranking it like you did and the engine sounded like crap.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Medic23
Yesterday my car got stalled out in about a foot of water. The betters had died out too. I tried starting it and no success. Once I checked the air intake a lot of water poured out and there's still a pool of water in there. How can I fix this? Im currently gonna try and tilt the car by raising the rear. I don't believe that water got in the oil.
Document everything and call your insurance company.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 03:18 PM
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Generally, a hydro-locked engine won't crank over at all. You've got water in one or more cylinders and, since water doesn't compress, the engine won't crank. If this is what happened, it's a good bet you have bent rods and maybe broken pistons. Engine may or may not be fixable depending on whether or not not you cracked a cylinder wall and/or head. Even if it is fixable, it's gonna be expensive.

If, after the engine stalled, it would crank over OK but simply would not start, you may have lucked out...pull the plugs as stated above and crank it over to get any water out of the cylinders. Dry off the plugs and reinstall. If your electronics didn't get shorted out, it should fire up.

Good luck...
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by 4XLR8N
Generally, a hydro-locked engine won't crank over at all. You've got water in one or more cylinders and, since water doesn't compress, the engine won't crank. If this is what happened, it's a good bet you have bent rods and maybe broken pistons. Engine may or may not be fixable depending on whether or not not you cracked a cylinder wall and/or head. Even if it is fixable, it's gonna be expensive.

If, after the engine stalled, it would crank over OK but simply would not start, you may have lucked out...pull the plugs as stated above and crank it over to get any water out of the cylinders. Dry off the plugs and reinstall. If your electronics didn't get shorted out, it should fire up.
Hopefully you did get lucky and no damage was done to the engine.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 08:15 PM
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Thanks guys, the electronics Are fine, the car was making a loud screech when I tried to turn it on. Im trying to get the water out oft the intake manifold
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 08:16 PM
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I still need to pull the plugs and crank it over
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 09:20 PM
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Originally Posted by 4XLR8N
Generally, a hydro-locked engine won't crank over at all. You've got water in one or more cylinders and, since water doesn't compress, the engine won't crank. If this is what happened, it's a good bet you have bent rods and maybe broken pistons. Engine may or may not be fixable depending on whether or not not you cracked a cylinder wall and/or head. Even if it is fixable, it's gonna be expensive.

If, after the engine stalled, it would crank over OK but simply would not start, you may have lucked out...pull the plugs as stated above and crank it over to get any water out of the cylinders. Dry off the plugs and reinstall. If your electronics didn't get shorted out, it should fire up.

Good luck...
I think it might be done for. Do you have any idea how expensive?
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 11:18 PM
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Gotta see what damage was done. You have insurance or no? Gonna be a couple thousand if it's F'd up good.
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Old Mar 8, 2016 | 11:44 PM
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Originally Posted by RC000E
Gotta see what damage was done. You have insurance or no? Gonna be a couple thousand if it's F'd up good.
No insurance,. It has a lot of water in the intake manifold :/
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Old Mar 9, 2016 | 10:33 PM
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Old Mar 10, 2016 | 11:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Medic23
Yesterday my car got stalled out in about a foot of water. The betters had died out too. I tried starting it and no success. Once I checked the air intake a lot of water poured out and there's still a pool of water in there. How can I fix this? Im currently gonna try and tilt the car by raising the rear. I don't believe that water got in the oil.
Least expensive option, if the engine is damaged, is probably to contact a forum vendor that markets used engines and pick up a replacement with as few miles on it as you can find.
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Old Mar 10, 2016 | 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Medic23
Thanks guys, the electronics Are fine, the car was making a loud screech when I tried to turn it on. Im trying to get the water out oft the intake manifold
Originally Posted by Medic23
I still need to pull the plugs and crank it over
I would not try starting it until you have removed the plugs and purged all the water out... if you try starting it with the plugs still in the heads and there is water in the cylinders you risk doing damage to the engine even if there was no initial damage done when it stalled out
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