tegwin
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:02 AM |
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ARGHHHHH water+engine NOT GOOD!
Driving back home last night things got interesting...
The higher I got into the hills the deeper the snow got, there was a good inch totaly across the road which made driving rather interesting...
So due to the snow, I slowed down to about 20MPH and carried on driving up the hill as my house was now no more than 2 miles away...
Went up the last hill, rounded a blind corner and something didnt look right....The snow on the road appeared to be moving across the road..... Too
late...I plowed straight into the HUGE puddle at about 25MPH...Of course, in totaly the wrong gear....
Managed to crawl through with a lot of trouble...
Got out the other side and the throttle was not responding properly and the engine felt lumpy....
Because I was so close to home I carried on driving very slowly...it was interesting because by now the throttle had a mind of its own and was giving
some intersting random wheelspin when it felt like it 
Havnt been out thismorning to see what kind of state the engine is in...
I guess the worst scenario is that the engine was hydraulic locked and damaged a valve and that the fly by wire throttle valve is FUBAR....
Other issue is that the fan/cambelt seemed to be making more noise than it had before...
What do the inteligent people on LB recon I should do with the car?
Im planning to take the airbox/filter out and dry it all out and check to see if there is any water sitting anywhere it shouldnt...
But what other things should I be doing/checking?
Really appreciate any input and sympathy here...my wee is still boiling
Oh, its a 2001 1.6 16v Polo GTI
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Macbeast
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:05 AM |
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Ignition components ?
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mookaloid
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:12 AM |
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If it was hydraulic locked it wouldn't run at all.
Sounds like water in/around the ignition components to me.
Dry everything out and it will probably be ok.
Cheers
mark
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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dan__wright
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:12 AM |
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when we had the recent flooding i ended up driving though water about an inch below the air intake (dont ask!)
car is fly by wire too and didnt have any major probs, checked airbox wasnt full of water and it was all fine, just dry everything out and you should
hopefully be okay.
FREE THE ROADSTER ONE…!!
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tegwin
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:13 AM |
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Can I get away with using WD40 to force out moisture or do I need something a bit more subtle?
Will pull it appart and give it a clean...
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mookaloid
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:16 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Can I get away with using WD40 to force out moisture or do I need something a bit more subtle?
Will pull it appart and give it a clean...
I find WD 40 is better at preventing than curing but it won't hurt to try it.
Use it after drying and cleaning everything up.
Cheers
Mark
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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Isaback
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:20 AM |
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Just start the engine and run it with the bonnet up for a while, it will soon dry. The only place I have found that water can get stuck is down the
deep spark plug hole on these multi-valve engines. I had a terrible time trying to get water out of there after washing my 20v volvo.
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Mr Clive
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:21 AM |
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I would say ignition/ECU connections got a soaking. Hydraulic lock is a possibility but in my experiance its normally fairly obvious (engine sounds
like a tin of bolts being shaken) rather than simply running badly.
Did you declutch as you hit the puddle? If It will help the engine if you did as if you did suck any water in, the locked cylinder only has to absorb
the engines reciprocating mass rather than the entire car's momentum.
If it starts ok (even if it runs rough) let it idle or fast idle for half an hour or so to warm it up and hopefully dry out any water in the
connectors.
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BenB
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:25 AM |
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Let everything dry out....
I would imagine WaterDispersant40 would be the perfect thing to help disperse the water 
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RazMan
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:32 AM |
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If you have a compressor, use a blowgun to get water out of the important little places - much better than coating with chemicals.
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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Paul TigerB6
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:34 AM |
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Probably worth having a look at the oil on your dipstick too for signs of water. None present will at least give you a bit more confidence in no
serious damage having been done.
Dont forget to give the alternator a good squirt of WD40 too
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mcerd1
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 11:43 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
...I plowed straight into the HUGE puddle at about 25MPH...Of course, in totaly the wrong gear....
Managed to crawl through with a lot of trouble...
I did the same thing in my 106 a couple years ago - lucky for me its a very basic carb'd model and it was fine
It was really lucky that the ignition didn't get too wet (despite the bow wave that hit the windscreen )
the guy following me wasn't so lucky - his Ford KA had the same symptoms as you describe - all the plugs, coil, ecu connectors had got a really
soaking
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tegwin
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 12:10 PM |
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Just pulled the airbox appart and there is a fair bit of water sat in the bottom of it....
There is also about 1" square of "mayo" spread around the intake to the throttle body and on the oil breather return...
Im not sure if the mayo is normal or if its bad....
Its hard to tell if there is water in the oil...what is the easiest way to tell?
There does appear to be a "bit" more oil than there should be on the dipstick, but it might just be me being paranoid...
Not sure if its worth changing the oil and filter just incase? Lot of work and money for small piece of mind
Engine seems to run fairly ok, its just not as clean and shiny as it was before
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RazMan
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 12:31 PM |
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A small amount of water in the oil will boil off as soon as the engine reaches operating temperature. See if you can see water vapour coming from a
breather at tickover.
Are you due for an oil change soon? Oil and filter should only set you back £30 or so - worth it for peace of mind imo.
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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tegwin
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 12:39 PM |
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I only did the oil change a month ago
Do you recon that would be ok to let the water boil off? or would I simply be better off replacing the oil and filter?
The dipstick doesnt look creamy/mayo like...
[Edited on 19/11/07 by tegwin]
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matt_claydon
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 12:58 PM |
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If there's water in the sump it will sink to the bottom so just pull the drain plug out for second and see what comes out. As others have said,
most likely it's just water in the ignition system.
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 03:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
If it was hydraulic locked it wouldn't run at all.
Not quite true, my dad just rebuilt a Merc engine that had suffered water ingestion and bent one of the con rods. It still ran on all 4, though it
was sounding quite rough.
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tegwin
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 05:25 PM |
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Right...
Oils changed, connections cleaned, airbox drained and car checked....
Alls well appart from the pair of pliers left there by a friendly VW mechanic....Another inch to the left and they would have chewed my driveshaft
up... Time to phone and see if they want their pliers back I guess..
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 06:17 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
Time to phone and see if they want their pliers back I guess..
Finders keepers!
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nasty-bob
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| posted on 19/11/07 at 06:20 PM |
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I got caught going through a flood in the "summer". Engine died and wouldn't start again (shouldn't have tried really).
Anyway towed it home, stripped out the intake and it was soaking. I jacked up a rear wheel and put it in 5th and turned the engine over a couple of
times by hand to check everthing was turning ok. Seemed ok so tried starting it. It was rough but running and soon cleared up.
I think it got choked, and then the exhaust filled up aswell but water didn't make it through to the cylinder.
I changed the oil twice, as it was a bit grey and other than that everthing sorted themselves. (diesel btw)
However, my uncle wasn't so lucky he did the same and bent a rod but did manage to drive home.
Take the plugs out and turn the engine over to see if you have compression on all cylinders.
If not phone the insurance as you can claim for this sort of damage.
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