Water Killed Engine

[rusty bumper]

Hi All,

Today, I was passing someone by taking the right lane during a rainstorm, but I hydroplaned a liittle when I hit a fairly large stream of water that was running down the side gutter.

The hydroplaning was not that bad, but the big splash of water made the engine die on me. I had enough of momentum to find a place to pull over and park, but it took a good 20 minutes or so for me to get the motor to crank again.

I've hit some (bigger) puddles before, but that's the first time in years that one caused the motor to die. Aren't the later models supposed to be less prone to this type of thing? (We used to drive a 1972 Buick years ago that was bad about this.)

I've taken this car to the spray wash ( Less than a mile away) and hit the engine with a blast of high pressure water before, with no problems cranking it afterwards.

This is a well maintained 1992 Dodge Caravan.

It's got me a little worried about driving it in the rain again!

[2000]

my dodge work truck did the same thing after I washed down the engine. when it did run it would have to be moving and it stalled at every stop. they ended up replacing the coil pack. never had any problems with my gm's or my ford. maybe just a freak timing thing that made it look like it was do to water, or maybe the water just accelerated the problem.

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by 2000
my dodge work truck did the same thing after I washed down the engine. when it did run it would have to be moving and it stalled at every stop. they ended up replacing the coil pack. never had any problems with my gm's or my ford. maybe just a freak timing thing that made it look like it was do to water, or maybe the water just accelerated the problem.

Thanks 2000........I'll check the connections around the coil......Had a mechanic working in that area recently.

[VanityDetailing]

sounds like you almost hydro-locked it...


in which case, if it were me... go to autozone, wal-mart, wherever you buy your auto products, and get soem Marvel Mystery Oil. It'sa red plastic bottle, and it says "Add to gas or oil" on the front of it. Follow the instructions on it... but from a 16 oz. bottle, pour 8 oz. in the oil, and the other 8 oz. in the gas. It's been HUGELY popular by the RX-7 community for optimum performance for decades, and I've used it on every vehicle I've owned, even the non-rotary ones...

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by Rusty Bumper
Thanks 2000........I'll check the connections around the coil......Had a mechanic working in that area recently.

I pressed down on the wire (coil side) between the coil and the distributer cap and I was able to seat it just a little more (Heard it click on).

Not sure if this was the problem, but I guess stranger things have happened.

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by VanityYachtDetailing
sounds like you almost hydro-locked it...


in which case, if it were me... go to autozone, wal-mart, wherever you buy your auto products, and get soem Marvel Mystery Oil. It'sa red plastic bottle, and it says "Add to gas or oil" on the front of it. Follow the instructions on it... but from a 16 oz. bottle, pour 8 oz. in the oil, and the other 8 oz. in the gas. It's been HUGELY popular by the RX-7 community for optimum performance for decades, and I've used it on every vehicle I've owned, even the non-rotary ones...

Good stuff!..........MMO is about as old as the automobile itself!

We used to use it in the V-8 days to stop a car from "dieseling".

I try to put some of this in the car occasionally, but it's been a while since I did it. What advantage would it do for a situation like i just experienced?

[Aurora40]

Do you think it was from the engine ingesting water that it died? Was the air filter wet? Is there any water pooled in the air filter/intake area? I'd think water would have to come up incredibly high to get ingested by most modern engines.

If you did take water into a cylinder, and it was enough to stop the motor, I really doubt the car would run again. Perhaps it was something electrical or whatever like you are suspecting.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

RB...it does sound like a coil got wet. I brought this issue up in the Engine Detailing forum as this can happen on certain engines/vehicles. In some cases, you may have to replace the affected coil if drivability issues start to occur.

If you did take water into a cylinder, and it was enough to stop the motor, I really doubt the car would run again.

I agree. If water gets sucked into the intake, bent connecting rods would only be the start of the damage! The engine would be toast.

Tim

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by Aurora40
Do you think it was from the engine ingesting water that it died? Was the air filter wet? Is there any water pooled in the air filter/intake area? I'd think water would have to come up incredibly high to get ingested by most modern engines.

If you did take water into a cylinder, and it was enough to stop the motor, I really doubt the car would run again. Perhaps it was something electrical or whatever like you are suspecting.

I never checked the air filter at the time (Needed a large screwdriver for that purpose), but I sort of doubt that water made it that far......Now I see why the air filter intake is channeled to the driver's side, since most puddles are on the right near the curbs?

I'm hoping that the slightly loose coil cable was the problem.

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by 2hotford
Hey,

RB...it does sound like a coil got wet. I brought this issue up in the Engine Detailing forum as this can happen on certain engines/vehicles. In some cases, you may have to replace the affected coil if drivability issues start to occur.

Tim

Do you think a little steam/moisture could have made it's way into the area where the wire connects to the top of the coil?......Would that have been enough to make the engine die?

I did manage to hear a small click when I was pressing on the wire, on top of the coil yesterday.........Plug wires seemed ok though.

The car seems to drive ok for now.

But that's the last time I take a car to a certain mechanic!!

[LT22]

I am currently helping my dad out at his mechanic shop this summer and I believe it might have been your alternator that wouldnt let you start the engine, because when large amounts of water hit the alternator it messes up the wires and cuts off eletrical output battery/alternator run together if one of them is out you will not be able to start your car

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by LT22
I am currently helping my dad out at his mechanic shop this summer and I believe it might have been your alternator that wouldnt let you start the engine, because when large amounts of water hit the alternator it messes up the wires and cuts off eletrical output battery/alternator run together if one of them is out you will not be able to start your car

I guess that's a possibility.

I must have been doing about 35mph when I hit the puddle.

But I have taken the vehicle to the spray wash very close by before, and I would hit everything under the hood with a blast of warm soapy water (My version of engine detailing ) with no problems starting the car afterwards.

Haven't tried it lately though.

[RamAirV1]

Originally posted by Aurora40
Do you think it was from the engine ingesting water that it died? Was the air filter wet? Is there any water pooled in the air filter/intake area? I'd think water would have to come up incredibly high to get ingested by most modern engines.

If you did take water into a cylinder, and it was enough to stop the motor, I really doubt the car would run again. Perhaps it was something electrical or whatever like you are suspecting.

Since it started after 20 minutes it was probably just the ignition. If it hydrolocked, it would not have run anymore. Once the ignition dried out, the car would start and run. It must have scard the daylights out of him though.
.
How susceptible an engine is to hydrolock will depend on where the air intake is, and this will vary from car to car. On a TA with Ram Air induction, the air intake is very high, on top of the engine. It would become a boat and flow downstream before it would hydrolock LOL! Not that I would recommend trying it.

On my GTO, the air intake is much lower, about bumper height, so I have to be more careful about standing water. I read somewhere that certain BMW models have their air intake very low and are very susceptible to hydrolock.

One other thing, it only takes a few inches of water (I forget how many) to make an average size car float, so that can be very dangerous on a flooded road.

RamAirV1

[Tim Lingor]

Originally posted by Rusty Bumper
Do you think a little steam/moisture could have made it's way into the area where the wire connects to the top of the coil?......Would that have been enough to make the engine die?

I did manage to hear a small click when I was pressing on the wire, on top of the coil yesterday.........Plug wires seemed ok though.

The car seems to drive ok for now.

But that's the last time I take a car to a certain mechanic!!

Although the engine components are supposed to be sealed, often water will find its way into areas like a coil or other areas. Once there, problems can occur. Sometimes the component will dry, other times something like a coil may need to be replaced.

I do not think it would be the alternator. Modern fuel injected engines pull a lot of amps. But, the battery acts as the overflow or storage area so the vehicle can draw from it until the alternator catches up. (That is why cars with large stereo systems often have lights "dancing" to the subwoofer beat. The ampifiers draw so much current that the OEM alternator can not catch up. I have cooked my share of alternators from sound systems when I was a kid! ).

Truth is, there are a host of all kinds of sensors that could be affected by water thereby shutting down your engine. But, if the engine is running fine now and does not miss or buck, then you are probably just fine!

Tim

[rusty bumper]

A friend recommended that I try a can of spray on sealer of sorts, in case this problem came back to haunt me again.

Your thoughts on this Tim?