HELP!! drove through some deep water last night (had to do it, there was no choice) and my baby died!! Towed her home, seems to have had enough time to dry out but she still wont start! (I can hear the starter turning but its just making a whining sound, as if its just not engaging the flywheel) Any idea what I may have shorted out??? Thanks for the help!!

 

Potential hydrolock?

 

NEVER drive a Corvette through "deep" water ..... you always have the option to park it and get it towed.

Do you have a modified engine intake (such as a Vararam) ???? Even the stock intake is located low in the nose of the car. There is a significant chance you have hydro-locked the engine.

I would IMMEDIATELY do the following .......

Remove all 8 spark plugs

Turn the engine over BY HAND. Notice if you feel any points where you feel (or hear) any significant resistance to being turned over. If in doubt .... tow the car to a good mechanic.

Inspect for water having come out of some cylinders.

If no water came out .... BEFORE replacing the spark plugs, try turning over the engine with the starter motor.

If water came out .... unless you're mechanically inclined, I'd stop there and have the car towed to a good mechanic.

If cranking with the starter now seems to be OK .... put the plugs back in and try starting the engine ..... LISTEN for any unusual noises .... if in doubt .... tow it .....

If the starter still isn't working you could try removing it and drying it out, or replacing it. Replacement may be the best option.

Corvettes were not made to go through anything deeper than a puddle. The intake system was designed to handle rain and splashed water from puddles, not a semi-submerged drive through deep water. The starter is low and has positive contacts that aren't designed to be submerged.

At best you probably fried the starter motor. At worst a hydro-lock could have severly damaged the engine. If in doubt .... tow the car to a good mechanic.

Good luck,

 

Have you looked to see if you broke the starter mounts by trying to start the engine when it was locked?
If you hear the starter spinning, it may not be engaging the flywheel as you suspected.

 

A lot of people don't realize that if an engine is hydrolocked, that is usually covered by insurance. A friend of mine received a new engine and all he paid was his deductable. Good luck!

 

I would bet by the gallon of water that just came out of the intake that she is toast and is hydrolocked!!! D@@@MN IT!!! (yes, i'm an idiot) So next step....call insurance company and see if its covered....Gulp!!!!

 

That sucks....! Hope your insurance company handles it...

Good Luck....

 

What kind of intake?

 

i removed the air intake from the box to the throttle body and thats when the water started pouring out. the stock intake was replaced with a z06 intake about 3 yrs ago...

 

Ooops.

Engine is shot.

 

I'd still suggest you pull the spark plugs to drain the cylinders, even if you're gonna have someone else work on it.

I would NOT try the starter any further ..... at best, after you remove the plugs, turn the engine over using a large wrench on the crankshaft. IF the engine turns over a few times with no obvious noises or binding, then post again and we can give you more info.

From your description of the amount of water in the intake, and the starter being unable to turn the engine .... you're probably looking at an engine teardown/replacement.

For your next car, try reading the Owner's Manual ...... The Section entitled "Driving in Rain and on Wet Roads" has a warning against doing what you did.

Again, good luck, I suspect you're going to need it.

 

My son had a similar situation a couple of years ago and we thought that the engine was shot. We towed the car (Ford Explorer) to the mechanic, who was very experienced and savy, and he told us to leave it there and not to worry, he would make some tests and would get back to us. That afternoon we received a call from the mechanic telling us that the car was fixed and ready for pick up. The bill was for $250. He told us that he replaced the spark plugs, drained out all the water, changed the oil, changed the air filter and let the engine sit to get dried from the inside. Everyone had said that it was shot but that good mechanic prooved them wrong. So, don't loose your hope.... Let your mechanic take a look.

 

Thanks tropical vette... I will keep hope alive!
Follow up posts forth coming!.....

 

BTW, if you do take it on yourself and do the above procedure, change the oil out before starting it. You've got a lot of water in the oil by now.

 

As long as the hydrolock didn't bust up your valvtrain or bottom end, you should be able to salvage it performing the above mentioned maintenance. Best of luck.

 

You may have an insurance claim. Some others that have done the same thing, had the repairs covered on their insurance. The Z06 intake is essentially a stock intake (just not for your model), so that shouldn't get the claim denied. Search the tech archives for hydrolocked motor, and you can probably find guys that made successful claims.
Here's one.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...rolocked+motor

 

Update update update!!!! So, after I pulled the plugs and turned the crank by hand and water started spewing out of the plug holes I figured it was time to call the insurance co. Guess what???? It's covered under the comprehensive portion of my policy!! Sweet!! So its at a local dealership and she is being worked on as we speak!! Service writer and adjuster agreed that a new motor needs to be ordered so its on its way!! Insurance adjuster told me they've recently had the same thing happen to another Vette in town. Our interstate floods quickly during downpours and according to her a lot of claims get filed everytime. No excuse for my stupidity but I'm just glad I'm not alone. $500 deductible wont be too hard to swallow as long as I have my baby back!! Thanks to you all for directing me as to what to do, I appreciate it.

 

been there, done that in 06, insurance covered thank goodness, sometimes sh*t happens. good luck,

 

that makes no sense at all

 

I had a similar thing happen about a month ago. Had the car towed to a shop. They pulled the plugs and drained the water out. Water had filled up the intake tube from the supercharger to the intercooler even.

Starter ended up being toast (broke one of the mount holes so it wouldn't engage the flywheel). After they replaced the starter, the only other problem was that the Throttle Position Sensor had some water in it and was dead. Chained oil and the TPS and it has worked great ever since. Probably the reason I didn't have internal engine damage is because I have forged internals.

Insurance never balked at my aftermarket aircleaner, supercharger, additional fees for changing the starter due to Long Tube Headers. It was all covered under my comprehensive portion of the policy with NO deductible.

It was a pain to go through but it all worked out in the end. Good luck with yours.