Your car can get completely damaged if it gets flooded heavily. Imagine water filling up your engine, mixing with the important fluids that you need for your car to work! That’s very scary, right?
But you still have hope if you decide to act quickly and fix your water clogged engine immediately. This article discusses how to fix a water flooded engine with detailed steps so read on!
Table of Contents
How To Fix A Water Flooded Engine?
If your car’s engine gets flooded with water, it can cause many issues like hydrolock, electrical problems and rust problems. And if action is not taken as soon as possible, your engine will get damaged. Here are the steps you should follow to fix your water clogged engine recommended by most experts.
1. Safety First
Before going further into the steps involving how to fix a water flooded engine, disconnect your car battery to prevent electric shocks. Remove the plastic cover in your engine and then dry every part of your engine with a clean towel as much as possible.
2. Remove all Water And Ventilate Your Car
If your car gets flooded, it is not only the engine that you should worry about. A flooded car can get completely damaged if an action to fix is not taken immediately. So before going further into the steps involving how to fix a water flooded engine, you need to drain out all water present in your vehicle. Then let your car dry out in the sun or with a fan to prevent any mold growth, rust and other similar damages that are caused by water.
a. How To Remove Water From My Car?
The best method to use if there are water puddles in your car is to remove them by sucking the water out using a vacuum pump. You can also use dry clean towels to soak off any remaining water.
It is best to remove your car’s carpet too. You can either clean it thoroughly and dry it before putting them back or can replace the carpet if it is heavily damaged.
b. How Should I Ventilate My Car’s Interior?
After successfully removing all the water from your car, open all the windows and doors and let sunlight or maybe a fan dry out the interior of your car. You can keep a standing or table fan beside your car to let it effectively dry out. However, you needn’t open the windows if your car has power windows since you should avoid starting your car at all costs. It is also best to remove the seats of your car and dry them out separately. This will help speed up the drying process and will be more effective.
3. Inspect Engine Parts And Fix The Issues
Once you have let your car dry out, check your engine and its parts for water and follow the steps for how to fix a water flooded engine.
a. Gas Or Fuel Tank
If your car’s engine is flooded with water, your fuel system is possibly filled with water. In this case, you have to siphon a little amount of gas from the gas tank bottom. If you are noticing a water-oil mixture after inspecting the siphoned out fuel, drain the car’s fuel system.
How To Drain The Fuel System
You should drain your fuel system no matter what if your car got flooded.To follow this method, you need the following items
- Siphon hand pump
- Long, thin screwdriver
- Storage can
- Rag/s
The steps to follow are:
- Open the fuel filter door and remove the cap.
- Insert one end of the siphon tube down through the filter neck, one small increment at a time until it reaches the tank’s lowest part.
- Use a rag or towel to wipe off any spilt oil.
- Once the tube is inside the fuel tank, pump the hand pump until the fuel moves to the tube.
- Continue pumping until all the fuel is drained from the tank.
- Once draining all the faulty fuel from the gas tank, drain it into a drain pan to dispose of it.
b. Electrical System
The only solution if any electrical parts are submerged in water is to replace them. This must be done to ensure your safety. You can remove the connectors and let this dry but electrical parts must be replaced.
c. Fluid Reservoirs And Filters
Use a dipstick to check if the fuel in your engine and transmission is contaminated. If you see water droplets around the dipstick, you can conclude that your car’s fuel is contaminated. In such a situation, you must change the oil and replace the oil filter.
If you find the air filter in the engine wet, you have to replace it as well. It is best to also check your car’s fluid reservoir for power steering, coolant, and brake in case water seeped into these areas as well. If your car got flooded in muddy water, you should remove the engine’s oil pan and wash it to clean all the debris and dirt from it.
Once all of these are done, you can start cranking up your car.
How To Start A Flooded Engine?
Once you have done all the steps that come under how to fix a water flooded engine, you can try and crank up the engine.
- Unplug your car’s spark plugs and ignition coils to let all water flow out through your car’s exhaust system and engine head.
- Crank your engine slowly, ensuring the water sprays out of it.
- Stop and spray a small amount of oil in the cylinders and then crank again.
- Repeat the process around four to five times. Or you can stop when you are completely sure there is no water and also when the oil does not appear milky or cloudy. At this point, you can put the coils and plugs back.
- Start your car and if the engine starts running, let it do so for a few minutes and then shut it off.
- Check your car’s oil. If it still looks a little milky or cloudy, a little water might still be present so consider changing the oil and filters again.
- Then repeat the whole process.
Conclusion
Following all these steps carefully will help you fix the issue easily. If you still are not confident to perform all the steps that come under how to fix a water flooded engine, it is best to seek the help of a professional mechanic.