Huge Puddle

[fad9567]

96 accord five speed four door 180k, hit a huge puddle to fast and engine cut off, in panic mode like an moron I tried to crank it while sitting in the puddle, which it didnt turn over of course, It was in the water for a couple of mins till it got towed out, tops like five mins. Thank you off duty nation guard guys with the truck! Any ways I want to know what I should do to try to salvage my motor. Since it got pulled out I have not tried to turn it on. I figure I pull the plugs and crank it to try to get the water out if there is some? And let it sit in the sun for a day or so to evaporate whatevers left? Any thing helps, thanks

[Trae%eh6]

i would say this is your best bet but still you got to hope like hell you didnt hydo lock the motor if you did you will have to get a new one.

[fad9567]

pulled the black tube that runs from the air box to the throttle body, it had water in the two small "tanks" underneath it, seems that they are there for this reason just not when a gallon of water is ingested, so of course the air filter was wet, im letting it all dry and about to crank it over with the plugs out to spit up any more water. Is there anything else I need to look for? Any electrical stuff i need to worry about, any plugs that should be cleaned or something?

[SpeedDemon]

make sure every electrical plug is 100% dry. if its damn in the engine bay, dont try to crank it.

 

if you want to go to extremes( i would) pull every hose and make sure its empty. and probably drain the oil for good measure and take the oil pan off and empty any water residue. replace the filter if it got soaked, it will just clog or draw more moisture in.

[Turtlehead]

Yeh, let it dry. Drain the engine the trany fluids in the mean time and let them sit with the drain plugs out for a couple of days. Keep the hood open on the sunny days and get a fan going on the puppy to help dry out the electrical. I swamped a Tacoma one time guiding in northern Maine crossing a 3.5 foot deep 80 foot wide river (which I had crossed many times before), anyway did not make it across this one time and it died. Being over 40 miles from the nearest paved road I had to chain it off to a tree so the current would not take it away and we started a LONG walk out. Long story short, about one week later I got my 77 lancruiser in their to winch it out. Once out I left it there on the side of the river for two weeks all alone with the moose and deer. I figured some "quite time" would be good for it to dry it out. After two weeks of sitting I went back in and it fired right up, we drove it home and other them a little moisture in the differentials and trany (not a fluid drain can't take care of) she has been good to go since then. I ended up finding a back seal on one of the electrical connectors, fixed that, and since have been back and crossed that same river again with no issues.

 

I know this does not totaly apply to you, but this is one of my fond fly fishing guiding stories. We have had a many a beer and good laughs over that whole episode.

 

 

[fad9567]

Update, I went to start it with no plugs to try to spit up any water in there, BAD NEWS the motor doesnt turn, i took my starter off and tried it, it works, i put the car in gear and try to push it so the motor will turn, it wont, the motor just rocks in the engine bay! So my thoughts is that i got water in the cylinders, i pulled the valve cover off and am going to drain the oil, and possible pull the exhaust from the cat or near the motor to let it drain if water is in there? Anything else i can do to try to get all the water out so my motor will at least move some? PLease help this is my only car

[James Matteu]

... i put the car in gear and try to push it so the motor will turn, it wont, the motor just rocks in the engine bay!...

 

I don't think you did that right. Put the transmission in Neutral, then with the Spark Plugs removed, turn the Crankshaft via the Crankshaft Pulley Bolt (19mm). The motor should turn somewhat freely*.

 

* Remove the accessory belts in addition to the spark plugs and you should be able to spin the Crankshaft with very little effort.

[fad9567]

yea the engine moves when you use a 19mm wrench when under the car, im trying to pull the oil pan off to try to get maximum air exposure to let all the water get out, so the motor is not seized, but of course the oil pan is being a pain in the ass, that beam that you can jack the car up nuts are rusted and i have 12 point sockets and they turned on me, so i guess its another trip to the store to get six sided ones

[James Matteu]

Let me save you several trips to the tool store.

 

Get 6-point half-inch drive impact-grade sockets, a 22-inch breaker bar, and a 4-foot long 1-1/2 inch diameter steel (galvanized or carbon) pipe.

[Xeryon]

and a lot of pb-blaster. although, removing the oil pan isn't really a necessity. draining the oil will have removed the majority of any water in there if water did indeed get in there.

[Turtlehead]

Provided there is no liquids in the cylinders you can not hydrolock the engine. With the plugs removed the engine should turn over freely using 19mm on the crank pully. If the engine turns freely and there is no fluid in the cylinders and a good oil drain and fill should do you fine. I would recommend changing the oil again after 500 miles (change it while hot), that is after you figure out why it will not run. I am guessing that you are chasing your tail with the engine itself. Crank it over by jumping directly from the pos term of the battery to the small single wire connector to the starter (with the car in neutral, parking brake applied and plugs removed). If it cranks then you know it is not the battery or the starter. Then you can install the plugs and again crank it by jumping to the starter with the key in the run position and the car in neutral. It should start. If it does then good. Now try it using the key and not jumping it (don't forget to re-connect the wire/clip to the starter). If the car does not start using the key but it does by jumping to the starter then you have greatly narrowed down your search. Try this out and post back with your findings and we can go from there. Good luck. FYI - the wire on the starter to jump to is the "small wire" with the pressure style clip NOT the "hot" wire that has the 12mm bolt (once you have disconnect the wire you want to jump to the small tab on the starter where the wire was connected). The wire will unplug... Don't jump to the wire on the starter with the bolt or you will get sparks. And one more time... Make sure the car is in neutral since you don't want to get run over if the car moves while it is in gear. Safety first.

[Xeryon]

That's actually some pretty good troubleshooting info (opens mental filing cabinet and stores this under "random car diagnostic crap")