If he was flying through the water with the throttle blade open there is a high probability that the motor ingested water.

BTW Water will destroy a block since water doesn't compress like a proper air fuel mixture will.

It's called hydrolock.

 

I'm well aware of the phenomenon; however, it takes a gulp, which means more than driving through an inch of water, as described by the author of the original post.

 

It might be worth your time and $ to have it towed to another dealer.

Years ago I had my '84 blow a vapor cloud out the rear when I stomped it. The vapor cloud was so large and long that I figured I must have blown a head gasket and it was an antifreeze cloud. It immediately started running very ragged. I limped 2 miles home and it died at the foot of the drive. Pushed it up and it wouldn't start. It was winter and cold so I let it sit until I got a reference for a Corvette expert and had it towed to him. He called me up and said bad news, the engine is froze and it needs a complete overhaul. It'll cost at least $4500 depending on what he found. He could start that afternoon. I said don't do anything and I'll be right there. I was having a great deal of difficulty equating driving it home and cranking it in my drive with "the engine is froze".

I get there and start real basic...question: did you charge the battery? ans. yes... question: did you take the plugs out before you tried to crank it? ans. no, why would I want to do that?...

I was thinking maybe a weak battery and taking the compression off it would let it break loose or worse case I could try spinning it by hand to see if it was really locked up. After removing the plugs I hit the starter and it spun like a top. While its spinning and he's acting amazed I'm looking around and I notice one fuel injector is pulsing and another is spraying full blast.

Bingo... When I kicked it, one fuel injector stuck wide open and one bank was flooding out like crazy. Enough fuel had gotten in a cylinder to lock it as liquids won't compress.

I told him to try putting a new fuel injector in it and it ran like new. This clown charged me almost $500 for his time and labor for a $30 fuel injector. I paid the moron and considered myself lucky taht I didn't let him overhaul my engine!

Long story but if their explanation doesn't sound right it probably isn't...

 

Well...they found water in 2 cylinders. They also have 9 other vettes in their shop for the same problem and same storm..Already filed a comp claim but my insurance co.' fine print sticks me with a $1000 deductible....thanks for all your help...any other suggestions appreciated

 

All isn't lost yet. Wait until it's apart before you let too many of us cyber benchracers tell you what's going on. If it were me, I'd at least be looking into what mods could be done cheaply now. You might want to contact Karshop, LPE and a few other tuners if there is block and other serious damage and you want to stay stock. They sometimes have great deals on low mileage takeouts. Keep us posted.

 

Fine print my ***... I used to work for an insurance company as an adjuster. The sales reps all go over your deductibles with you at the time of purchase and you get a declaration page in your policy that you must sign. Most people pick 1000/1000 because it makes your rates cheaper... then when you have a claim you bitch that the insurance company is "out to get you" or scamming you with "fine print"

If you wanted 0/0 you could have had it... your premiums would of course be higher because the ins. co. is footing all of the risk now.

 

Now talking about incredulous statements ........

They have 10 corvettes in one dealership, all hydrolocked from the same storm

IF TRUE .... I would be getting an attorney to file a class action suit !!!


DH

 

That does seems somewhat strange and improbable. Better ask the dealer to show you the damage before authorizing the repairs.

 

Wait...you said it took in water and then you drove it home...but now at the dealer they find water in two cyls? First the minute the first piston hit TDC on compression stroke the water would have hydrolocked the engine and game over...or it would have been pumped out and the remainder burned off I would think...I have a fleet of trucks and believeme we see this all too often but most sure dont drive after it happens.

 

my normal deductibles are 250/250...comp on mechanical is 1000

 

We're not denying that something happened with water, but to drive it home, and *still* have water in two cylinders is just plain nuts.

My personal opinion, you got water on your MAF, and now the dealer is ripping you off. Trust me on this. I've dealt with two separate Chevy dealers that WRECKED my cars (one of them over $2K worth of damage in 1990 $), and denied any knowledge both times.

It sounds like it's too late though now...especially since it's over there now.

 

if you need a motor swap, give me a call

 

My point was the air box sits lower in a Corvette than any other car. Thats why "these cars are prone to Hydroloc".... this was a basic concern in the design concept...
But was back burner ed because the alpha car was too far along.
The air box sucks 10 cubic feet of air a second... that air can easily be replaced by water if it is available.

I sometimes wonder why I keep coming back for more.

 

Back in my college days there was some guy that could stand on his head and consume quarts of beer at a time...........

.......and he never hydrolocked


DH

 

Wouldn't it take a pretty good submerging rather then a drive through an inch of standing water to cause that kind of ingestion in the stock box? I know it's easy to do with a cold air system, but I was under the impression the stock box was relatively resistant to this, especially in it's position behind the radiator shroud.

That aside, no way the motor was locked and you drove it home. If you went through a puddle and it started running bad but still drove I would say either the MAF got saturated or something electrical got wet.

 

No Howie, he Vapor Locked thats different!!!

 

I got to call
Norm

 

Most likely it in jested the water into the intake maybe getting a little in the cylinders. After he made it home and shut it off the water septet into the cylinders, therefor locking the motor.

If the dealer pulled the plugs and water came out have them turn the engine over with them still out to blow the rest of the water out. If it sounds ok like that, put some plugs back in and start it up with your fingers crossed. You could be lucky if it wasn't cranked on to much after the water locked it.

 

Well if the MAF got wet, then so did everything behind it. I don't know why everybody is so skeptical to see water damage an engine.

And something tells me that there was more than an inch of water involved in this scenario.

 

1 inch stock cars intake no way. how fast were you going?