Caught in Flood

[CLK 320 AMG]

Unfortunately with all the water we've been having in the west country this morning and overnight I was visiting a client down a little lane and came across a flood. Not knowing how deep it was I decided to do the stupidest thing possible... I went for it.... at a cruel I hasen to add.

Then as you can imagine the water got deeper and deeper and at one point came over the front of the bonnet..... ohhhhh shhhiiiiitttttt I thought....

Then it happened..... Spluttter splutter cough cough.. then nothing..... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I sat there in the middle of the flood..... What to do i thought... First thing... Phone the old man so he can come and tow me out with his van....

Well i need to get out so I can tie on a tow rope so i gingerly opened the door and the water was just up to the door sill... Literraly lapping up to the side of the car....

So i decided to take of my shoes and socks and open the boot so i could get my wellies out...... well i got out of the car into a whole load of muddy farm water..... ughghhghghghghhhhh

Managed to get my wellies on; and the water came over the top of them.. Complete waste of time that was :-(

Then.... A TRACTOR Yeahhhhhhh

So the farmer drove into the flood and i got towed out.....

Car still not starting and sounding very ill indeed.....

Got towed home by the old man in his van..... Still not starting..

Old man thinks it may be the batteries gone flat... Possible..

All electrics still working though......

Never mind i'm going skiing at 3:00 tomorrrow and someone else is driving so i'll leave him at home to dry out and charge the battery and then hopefully when i get back next weekend he'll start and i can take him for a good run to dry out...

If anyone has any suggestions as to what else i should be doing..... Possibly spray the whole engine bay with WD40?? then i'd like to hear them...

Cheers guys and thanks for reading my rant..

 

[jaymanek]

i'll leave him at home to dry out and charge the battery and then hopefully when i get back next weekend he'll start and i can take him for a good run to dry out...

If anyone has any suggestions as to what else i should be doing..... Possibly spray the whole engine bay with WD40?? then i'd like to hear them....

Sounds a bit optimistic mate...

i would remove the passenger carpet and ensure no water gets to the ECU located there..

If the water was that deep i dread to think..

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Blimey - sounds less than ideal.

Could water have been drawn into the engine through the airfilter?

 

[panason1c]

If water entered the engine via the air intake whilst the engine was running then you might have serious engine damage such as bent con rod(s)

It's possible that your insurance company may cover the flood damage......just dont tell them that you 'chose' to drive into the flood.

 

[stevesey]

If water was only at sill level I assume it was just the bow wave over the bonnet. So the crucial factor may (just) be "has the engine injested any water"?

Will you be leaving the car garaged while you are away? If so leave windows, bonnet open, lift as much carpet as you can (esp passenger footwell as Jay says).

Also remove plugs and turn engine over to see how it sounds (by hand first if you can - just in case).

Good luck.

 

[television]

On some 208's the air intake is quite low down so as Bobby say possible water drawn in .

Why not dismantle the top to see if it is wet and let us know

 

[The Dent Guy]

Sorry to hear this. Highly unlikely to be the battery.

Does it turn over?

Could have sucked up water to the combustion chamber......only water doesn't compress. You could have bent con rods.

Not only that but the water is highly likely to contain animal sewage.

Very expensive to repair.

Likely to have electrical gremlins in future.

Will probably smell for a long time to come.

If it was me, i wouldn't hesitate in making a claim on the insurance.

 

[Dieselman]

Then it happened..... Spluttter splutter cough cough.. then nothing..... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Sounds more like the coils and plugs got soaked if it spluttered.

Water sucked into the engine normally stops them dead.

Try disconnecting the plug leads and coils and drying them.

 

[andy_cyp]

You came across a lane with a FLOOD, yet you still decided to gamble on its level ???? Although i hope its nothing serious but i bet it is, only one thing comes to my mind at the moment. Rhymes with Jolly.

 

[CLK 320 AMG]

Thanks for the advice guys.... I will try and get this done whilst i'm away. However i don't really hold out much hope.... I will let you know how it goes.

 

[stevesey]

You came across a lane with a FLOOD, yet you still decided to gamble on its level ???? Although i hope its nothing serious but i bet it is, only one thing comes to my mind at the moment. Rimes with Jolly.

Even if you are not guessing it's easy to misjudge water - I don't know about everyone else but it's only a judgement I've had to make twice in 27 years of driving.

One time came across a flood on a "flat" peice of road I used regularly - I proceeded carefully but the road was not as "flat" I as thought. 6in over 50 yards may feel like flat in the dry (and with no pavements + steeply banked verges there were no references in the flood).

Luckily I got though OK - clutch was juddering when changing gear for the next few miles - so I did have a slight panic, but it settled down after a while.

 

[television]

Even if you are not guessing it's easy to misjudge water - I don't know about everyone else but it's only a judgement I've had to make twice in 27 years of driving.

One time came across a flood on a "flat" peice of road I used regularly - I proceeded carefully but the road was not as "flat" I as thought. 6in over 50 yards may feel like flat in the dry (and with no pavements + steeply banked verges there were no references in the flood).

Luckily I got though OK - clutch was juddering when changing gear for the next few miles - so I did have a slight panic, but it settled down after a while.

Thats a good point, the top of the water will always be dead level, but it tells you nothing about the road underneath it

 

[CLK 320 AMG]

Biggest problem is once you're commited to it you don't really have much choice in the matter you have to push on.... getting really upset about it now.... Trying to look forward to a weeks worth of skiing

 

[robert.saunders]

Although i hope its nothing serious but i bet it is, only one thing comes to my mind at the moment. Rimes with Jolly.

Brolly?

 

[MBManInKen]

Brolly?

Christmas holly?

 

[robert.saunders]

Christmas holly?

Need some lolly!

 

[MBManInKen]

Need some lolly!

You must be off your trolley!

 

[robert.saunders]

You must be off your trolley!

I feel a wally

 

[MBManInKen]

I feel a wally

Is that a collie?

 

[robert.saunders]

Is that a collie?

I'm bored of this now, dinner is ready