Urgent Help Needed!!!! re: Flood

[RCA]

Help needed PLEASE!!!!!!!!
I have been through a flood, 'muppet' I know. Everything else was getting through when the chimp just cut out, when trying to start it it won't even turn over, what has happened?, is it serious? Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have pushed it to my friends house and need to know if it has damaged anything? Many thanks in advance
Richard

[Ston]

have you checked your fuses?

[RCA]

All the electrics seem to work, The fuel pump comes on but when you turn the key the engine trys to turn over but it can't for some reason.

[adamb]

Are you saying that the starter motor turns and then engages but can't turn the engine over?

If so I have a suspicion and it aint pretty

[Vmax500]

Does it fire up at all?

Following some similarly foolish and over expeditious jet-washing, my 500 suddenly cut out from idle sitting in traffic a couple of days after the wash. The engine would turn over, idle for a few seconds then stop.

There are a whole host of possible moisture sensitive connections on the left hand side of plenum chamber, and the throttle potentiometer is especially suseptible to water ingress.

I rectified mine through disconnecting all of the wire connectors one by one, drying each with paper towels and then liberally applying light oil to displace the moisture (WD40). Starting with both ends of the HT lead is a good idea, then the ecu connectors (the array of plugs and sockets on the lhs) Try to turn the engine over periodically in between your efforts and it should eventually spring back into life! Mine was sorted within about 15 minutes and is probably now better prepared to face the winter!

Now all I need to do is deal with my anally retentive urges to clean my car so excessively ...

[GreenV8S]

quote:All the electrics seem to work, The fuel pump comes on but when you turn the key the engine trys to turn over but it can't for some reason.

Sounds very much like you have got water in one or more cylinders. This will have drowned out the spark and brought the engine to an abrupt stop. The water raises the compression ratio which may be what is stopping the engine turning over. Depending how much water is in there, it may have actually hydrauliced and bent a rod. But you may have got away with it, I've done this in the past.

Best bet is give the engine as long as possible for the water to drain past the rings, if it won't turn over on the starter pop it in top gear and try to gently ease it over. If it won't play ball the next step is plugs out, dsconnect the fuel pump and crank it over to pump the water out. Stay well back, the water will go all over the place.

Once it's turning over be prepared to spend a long time getting it to actually fire again, mine took ten minutes or so (with plenty of cooling down time in between) so get any life at all, then various cylinders started firing intermittantly and it gradually spluttered back to life. So you could be looking at major mechanical damage but fingers crossed it will be none the worse for wear.

Hope this helps,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

[daved407]

If water is there its hydraustatic lock, ie there is water in the cyl but the piston cannot compress it. Plugs out ignition off. rock the car in gear. once the cylinders are empty Id put in clean servicable plugs and do an oil change, its a chore but better oil & filter than engine, you could even put a bit of oil in the bore to lube it on initial start up.

Best of luck to you

[HarryW]

quote:

Sounds very much like you have got water in one or more cylinders. .....it may have actually hydrauliced and bent a rod. But you may have got away with it, I've done this in the past.

Best bet is give the engine as long as possible for the water to drain past the rings,.....

Hope this helps,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

Not forgetting that if it is water in one or more of the cylinders and you let it drain past the rings it has to go somewhere...i.e into the sump! So before you turn it over keep an eye on the oil level, hate to think what would happen if you circulate too much mayonnaise around the oilways, particulary in the long run.

Harry

[Colin Logan]

This happened to me a while back . Don't try to start her , get the plugs out pump out the water by turning over the engine a few times . Best to get a full service done , with an engine flush . This will actually improve the oil pressure as all the dirt/gunk will be removed .
If you have the air filter at the bottom of the rad then you do have water in the bores.

[GreenV8S]

quote:

quote:

Sounds very much like you have got water in one or more cylinders. .....it may have actually hydrauliced and bent a rod. But you may have got away with it, I've done this in the past.

Best bet is give the engine as long as possible for the water to drain past the rings,.....

Hope this helps,
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)

Not forgetting that if it is water in one or more of the cylinders and you let it drain past the rings it has to go somewhere...i.e into the sump! So before you turn it over keep an eye on the oil level, hate to think what would happen if you circulate too much mayonnaise around the oilways, particulary in the long run.

Harry

I would expect the water to boil off once the oil comes up to temperature. Won't hurt to change it anyway (you can't change it too often).

Cheers,
Peter Humphries

[RCA]

Thank you all, I have sorted it. All pistons were full of water, yes I do have an air filter about an inch off the floor!!!!!!!!
Have took all spark plugs out and turned the engine over, I have never seen so much water!!!!
I think I have been very lucky, I got the engine going and it seems to be fine, A bit lumpy for the first 20 or so minutes but then it cleared and now it is running ok, Thanks for all your help everyone, I have now learned that TVR's are really not that fond of water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also thanks (not) to all the bast**** who drove through the flood soaking me and laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[manek]

Glad to hear it's all cleared. I nearly ran into a flood this morning in my Chimaera -- I thought at first it was just a localised bit of water on the road but it got deeper and deeper and, even at 1mph or so, steam started coming out of the bonnet vents so the stuff was clearly up to the hot exhaust pipes... So I backed out and found another way round.

Phew!

[ATG]

Bloody underpasses on the North Circular were filling up yesterday as per usual. Had steam pouring out of the bonnet vents on the Chim. Actually looked quite cool ... but gave me the fear.

Glad to hear things look ok RCA. Must have been a very odd sight to see water pumping out of the engine. And thanks for the warning. I'll be treating floods with a lot more respect.

[marlboro]

It's worthwhile drilling a couple of drain holes under the front valance. This will prevent water collection near the filter, but not the effects of a flood.

Once you see how low the air filter is positioned you will not attempt to go through another flooded road.

[NoisyGriff]

Just a thought.
How deep was the water. I have never thought twice in the past about driving through a ford on a nice summer's day. Some are as deep as 4-5 inches...
Thanks for the 'heads up.'

[RCA]

About 4 - 5 inches !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[apache]

this happened to me not long after I bought my Griff, never chance it, the air intake is v low and acts like a bloody great hoover. If you are unlucky you will total the engine, I had to get mine towed to Brundles (remember them?) where they took the plugs out and pumped out 5 ltrs of ditchwater, it also buggered up my airflow sensor which in total relieved me of around 500 squids......all for the sake of a shortcut

[Graham]

Boy were you lucky. I used to do a lot of offroading and the general rule is if you stall in deep water with the exhaust under water dont under any circumstances try and start the engine until your on dry land. if it then doest eant to turn over take the plugs out.
Not what i saw one chap try and do. stalled in about 3 feet of water, tried to start it no luck so then tries to tow start it out of the water, result 8 piston sized corkscrews...

a stalled car will suck water up the exhaust and can fill the engine up. with a tvr's low intake it will also suck in water through the intake, also filling the engine. If you try to turn the engine over full ov water things will bend as it doesnt compress like air..

You might want to to get the cat checked out before the next mot as they some times die if you fill them with water, mind you thats a good excuse just to dump it anyway..

G