Car won't start after heavy rain and flooding (auto, spark plugs, fuel)

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

That's how this car was, the air intake was way down low where the fog lights were.

Yeah, that was just a brilliant design move, wasn't it?

Perhaps the R&D boys at GM assumed that all cars are always driven in perfect weather and under perfect conditions.

[stanman13]

Actually more cars than you would think have the air intake that low. It's not just a GM thing. My Jeep, though, doesn't normally swamp out until water comes over the hood. Done it a couple times.

OP, if you can get this thing running again, then let it run. And run, and run. You need to create some heat in this thing to get it to dry out.

[B. Wing]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

To be honest with you, if you don't know anything about cars, your best bet is to get it to a shop. Please don't be offended, but you're probably not going to have the skills to track down and fix all the weird quirks that you might run into.

Do you have insurance to cover this? That might be of help to you.

Good luck!

Good advice. And for all who say "just let it dry out" I say this: stick to what you know. If water gets into a vehicle computer, the first time power is supplied (eg. trying to start car) the circuit boards will short-circuit PERMANENTLY. The engine control computer on this vehicle is under the passenger's feet, under the carpet, and this happens pretty regularly on this model. Waiting for it to "dry out" will leave you doing just that--waiting. Take it to a competent professional, get it towed.

[davidt1]

Originally Posted by diverdan

If the exhaust smelled funny and had no power it could be that the catalytic converter (part of the exhaust system) got full of water. It is possible that the water caused the material inside to swell and plug up the exhaust, thus causing a lot of back pressure and not allowing the car to start.

Just my 2c.

This seems to be the problem. The car starts now, but will shut down after about 5 minutes. There is a thick cloud of white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. A neighbor suggests to keep turning it on and leave there until the water evaporate. I hope he is right.

Can the pipe be disassembled temporarily so that the water can be removed quickly? Thanks.

[southernnaturelover]

^^I suggest changing your oil and filter too, just in case there is some water in the oil pan.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by B. Wing

Good advice. And for all who say "just let it dry out" I say this: stick to what you know. If water gets into a vehicle computer, the first time power is supplied (eg. trying to start car) the circuit boards will short-circuit PERMANENTLY. The engine control computer on this vehicle is under the passenger's feet, under the carpet, and this happens pretty regularly on this model. Waiting for it to "dry out" will leave you doing just that--waiting. Take it to a competent professional, get it towed.

Can't say I have ever heard of a ECM being under the carpet, most are in the dash somewhere.

[teach1234]

Ecms are often mounted in the kickpanels, with the plugin on the downlow side. The manufacturers also like to locate other sensitive electronics under the seats. Try finding the sunroof relay on an early model Accord--that's an exercise in illogical engineering.

The biggest problem I've seen is moisture in the connections---corrosion develops that will then transfer to the pins on ecm and other components, and you can't scrape this stuff off (pins are too small, tight and shielded). And once the connectors are corroded, they must be replaced. That's 40+ wires. And for this to happen, you don't need flooding of New Orleans proportions-- condensation from water in the cabin can form on the wires and connections without the water ever reaching actual circuitry. If this were my car, I'd take out the seats, various sidepanels and the carpet (Hang it and the backing pad up to dry) and disconnect and blow out all visible connections with electrical cleaner, then reassemble with dilectric grease. Or sell it at auction quick.

[B. Wing]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Can't say I have ever heard of a ECM being under the carpet, most are in the dash somewhere.

Actually they are everywhere. Many are in dash, but just as many are in engine compartment. Many are on outside of firewall. And many are right under your butt or feet. In fact, modern manufacturers are putting so many computers in their products you would be hard-pressed to find a trim panel or carpet or seat that was not hiding a computer.

[davidt1]

It still won't work properly. It starts and works for about 1 minute, then shut own. I looked at the oil, and couldn't see any water there. I am pretty sure I now a clogged exhaust pipe. I am tempted to drill a couple holes into the pipe to drain the water. I can plug them up later. Is this a good idea?

Edit: I just made another attempt and it worked for about 1 minute. This time I notice gas and water coming out of the fat part of the exhaust pipe. Can someone explain to me how gas can come out of the exhaust pipe and what this could mean, please? Thank you.

I have a picture of the exhaust pipe here. The pipe works normally for about 15 seconds then it starts firing like a machine gun then it sputters and gas drips from the pipe then it shuts down.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg5/davidtr1/IMG_2519.jpg (broken link)

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by davidt1

It still won't work properly. It starts and works for about 1 minute, then shut own. I looked at the oil, and couldn't see any water there. I am pretty sure I now a clogged exhaust pipe. I am tempted to drill a couple holes into the pipe to drain the water. I can plug them up later. Is this a good idea?

Edit: I just made another attempt and it worked for about 1 minute. This time I notice gas and water coming out of the fat part of the exhaust pipe. Can someone explain to me how gas can come out of the exhaust pipe and what this could mean, please? Thank you.

I have a picture of the exhaust pipe here. The pipe works normally for about 15 seconds then it starts firing like a machine gun then it sputters and gas drips from the pipe then it shuts down.

Are you sure it's gasoline?


Also, perhaps I missed it, but what is the make, model and year of the car we're talking about? How deeply submerged was it? And if that's your muffler, you're needing exhaust work anyway.

Thanks.