Car got flooded and wont start

[civic_jet]

Last friday it was raining and i went threw a puddle on the road about half a meter deep by like 50 meters long, the inside filled up with water about 2inches deep and the car turned off, nun of the electrics wood work, i called the racv and they sed it cood be anything, i put a new battery in and everything worked but it woodnt turn ova or roll start just made a ticking sound...the next day i put a new computer in it and still woodnt start and now the car wont even roll in gear with my foot on the clutch and its real stiff....

Any ideas cos its doin my head in?

[aaronng]

Check every fuse. Check your starter motor and starter solenoid.

[chowdaa]

ok so did the water get up to the bottom of the bumper? headlights?
you could have a waterlogged engine on your hands :( now.. once water enters the intake, the piston tries to compress it and destroys itself on the inside.

open your air filter and check for water, if traces of water found, remove spark plugs and try turning by hand or check visually is water is within the bore. majority of electric besides from the ECU should be ok depending it didn't go past the top of your bonnet lining on the outside or past your knees on the inside. If so check fuses and relay contacts for corrosion from the water. Good luck and report back with your result.

regards,
michael

[civic_jet]

Thanx man, maybe your right cos ive got a pod filter setup with a pipe going underneath the car kinda next to the grill right to the poddy.... if it is a waterlogged engine is it fixable?

[bennjamin]

sounds DEF like you have hydrolocked your engine. Basically , the engine is siezed and will NOT start or even turn over. The engine is dead and will require a rebuild at minimum , possibly broken block , piston/s , crank or rods.

[civic_jet]

Would it be worth just getting a new motor? what would i be looking at for a second hand motor with around 150- 200,000 kms. and how much for a v-tech motor second hand?

[dougie_504]

What motor you running now? D16Y1? D16A8?

If you're getting a new engine you can get a common DOHC VTEC:
B16A 118kw ---> $1800-2200
B16A2 127kw ---> $2500
B18C2 125kw ---> $3000-3500
B18C7 141kw ---> $4500?
B18CR 150kw ---> $5500-6500
H22A 150kw ---> $3000
H22A Type S 155kw ---> $4000-4500

Plus another $1000-1500 for conversion labour more or less? Probably other expenses too, EG. engineering cert if required.


Just my two cents, not an expert on this though. Good luck!
Andy.

[newpaddy3]

depending on how deep the water was, sounds like you got water into the engine.....in which case, proberly have bent valves and alsorts of other damage....try removing spark plugs then seeing if engine turns

[TypeS]

Wait. Don’t go off buying a new motor just yet.

You may have gotten lucky.

It’s highly likely; it’s not turning over, due to your spark plugs still being drenched.

Do the following;

• Replace your intake, the filter may feel dry on the outside, but the inside could still be drenched. Replace it with the stock one if possible.
• Replace the spark plugs.
• Check the oil, and if it’s milky, REPLACE it, along with the filter.

90% of the time, I’ve seen cars start, after doing the above. If your car still doesn’t turn over; then the evidence points to either;

• A lot of water in the motor
• Component failure within the motor

You would need to pull the motor apart, and try to drain as much water out as possible. If it still doesn’t start, then I’m afraid it’s had it.

However if you do manage to get it started, listen for knocks, and abnormal behavior.

Even if you hear nothing and it drives fine, I would still get a compression and leak down done for the added peace of mind.

Relax all is not lost.

[spardikis]

afas well as doing what "Types" said, i would also disconect the ignition (dizzy) pull the spark plugs out and crank the motor over and give the bores a good suirt with a water dispersant like crc. After thr bores are dry re assemble and try to start...maybe even dry out the inside of the dizzy cap too...
thats the usual for restarting an outboard after its flipped into the water while going (surf lifesaving trick for the I.R.B)

[chowdaa]

damage done by water introduced to a RUNNING motor is irreversible, assess and report back with the damage.

[burner42]

my mate had the same problem as well, apparently when the guy from racv cranked the motor, it was spitting out water, took him 2 months to get his car running again, that saying it was a turbo setup. if you have dosh, start looking for another motor, as you don't want to have a headache trying to chase around in order to get your car running.

[civic_jet]

Thanx heaps for all the info guys realy helpfull just hope its something small!

IF it was the spark plugs or dizzy or something like that it wood still try and turn ova tho woodnt it? in my case it trys to realy slowly for a split second then just ticks...? so frustrateing..

[bennjamin]

if you drove thru a puddle , with the intake down low slung and the engine will not start it HAS 100% ingested water.

BIG chance there is engine damage IMO. Not electrical issue.







PS on a side note , mate had a CAI in the bumper , drove thru a puddle stuffed the engine. Had it rebuilt , sold the car.....next owner did the exact same thing !

[bennjamin]

also another thought.

take out all of your spark plugs , try n turn over the engine BY HAND -

with a 17 or 19mm socket ( depending on crank) , a long extension and a big ratchet or breaker bar.

IF the engine will not rotate by hand it is seized. Bent rod.

[Aydin]

ive been flooded (hydrolocked) as well theres no point in try to fix the motor becouse it costs to much beter off geting a second hand motor.