Took in water into engine, help~
06-14-2004, 04:02 PM
#1
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Took in water into engine, help~
make the long story short,
I drove my car over 1 feet of flood on the street and my car died in the middle. I had friends help me push the car out and had it towed to local Minekie to look it up ( I know someone there), He took off my Injen intake and water start to drip out and I knew it was "hydrolock", He then drained the engine oil and took off the spark plugs. try to to "turn over" the crank manually with a ranch and see if it turns at all (if it turns then he can just pump the water out while its turning).
He was only able to turn about 10 degrees going each directions. He's afraid that the timing of the vavle has is off and perhaps damaged. (aka when cylinder moves up and down the Valves is suppose to open and close, but in this case the Valve maybe opening and not closing) Thus, Timing being thrown off. He used one of those really long microscope things and try to see inside the cylinder wall and he sees some scratches on the walls. The vavles might be damaged too.
So worest case scenerio I have to drop in a new engine.
or I'll have it fixed. The work is going to be more than 1 thousand dollars atleast.
Anyone with similiar problem before? I don't know how I should approach this problem. Is there anyway I can get dealer to fix this under warrenty, since I only have 27K on my car.
I drove my car over 1 feet of flood on the street and my car died in the middle. I had friends help me push the car out and had it towed to local Minekie to look it up ( I know someone there), He took off my Injen intake and water start to drip out and I knew it was "hydrolock", He then drained the engine oil and took off the spark plugs. try to to "turn over" the crank manually with a ranch and see if it turns at all (if it turns then he can just pump the water out while its turning).
He was only able to turn about 10 degrees going each directions. He's afraid that the timing of the vavle has is off and perhaps damaged. (aka when cylinder moves up and down the Valves is suppose to open and close, but in this case the Valve maybe opening and not closing) Thus, Timing being thrown off. He used one of those really long microscope things and try to see inside the cylinder wall and he sees some scratches on the walls. The vavles might be damaged too.
So worest case scenerio I have to drop in a new engine.
or I'll have it fixed. The work is going to be more than 1 thousand dollars atleast.
Anyone with similiar problem before? I don't know how I should approach this problem. Is there anyway I can get dealer to fix this under warrenty, since I only have 27K on my car.
06-14-2004, 05:03 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: NM
Posts: 2,145
That sucks, I don't even know why you drove it through a flood of water especially with an Injen on it. All you can do is probably claim on your insurance to foot the bill otherwise, you'll have to pay the full bill to get back in working order.
06-14-2004, 05:13 PM
#6
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Posts: 349
Originally Posted by nismotech
Any suggestions?? ideas on how you would approach this problem?
It could be just your timing chain that broke or either slipped....dont let everyone just assume the engine is totally blown because of what u did, people will tend to freak and assume its all over. fine scratches are normal on cylinder walls (as long as they arent grooves)
the engine might not be turning because if the chain is broken then the cams aint moving and neither are the valves, but doesnt necesarily mean everything is all busted up.
06-14-2004, 05:55 PM
#8
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A lot of you wonder why i drove over the flooded area,
I'll just put it in couple short lines:
-I forgot I have a "CAI"
-I thought if a convertible Chrysler Sebring can make it, i can make it.
-I drive a Maxima, makes me feel on top of the world.
-I want to see what my Max can do
-Biggest reason of all............................................... ....................
STUPIDITY!!
However, I already feel like a fool (Been in a SAD mood since damaging my car).......I hope I can just get some mental support and solutions to get my car back on the street.
Let's just say I learned my lesson the hard way.
I'll just put it in couple short lines:
-I forgot I have a "CAI"
-I thought if a convertible Chrysler Sebring can make it, i can make it.
-I drive a Maxima, makes me feel on top of the world.
-I want to see what my Max can do
-Biggest reason of all............................................... ....................
STUPIDITY!!
However, I already feel like a fool (Been in a SAD mood since damaging my car).......I hope I can just get some mental support and solutions to get my car back on the street.
Let's just say I learned my lesson the hard way.
06-14-2004, 06:07 PM
#11
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Let it dry, reoil and give it a try :\ If it starts, well, you just might be safe. If it's locked, it shouldn't start/turn.
Thing is when you see one truck backing away from the pond, and another with 12" of ground clearance forging through, wtf are you doing going in there. It was a lake in the middle of an otherwise dry landscape. owned
Thing is when you see one truck backing away from the pond, and another with 12" of ground clearance forging through, wtf are you doing going in there. It was a lake in the middle of an otherwise dry landscape. owned
06-14-2004, 06:14 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by EvilRoadsVictim
Let it dry, reoil and give it a try :\ If it starts, well, you just might be safe. If it's locked, it shouldn't start/turn.
Thing is when you see one truck backing away from the pond, and another with 12" of ground clearance forging through, wtf are you doing going in there. It was a lake in the middle of an otherwise dry landscape. owned
Thing is when you see one truck backing away from the pond, and another with 12" of ground clearance forging through, wtf are you doing going in there. It was a lake in the middle of an otherwise dry landscape. owned
I took this picture AFTER I push the car out of the "pond" , I had No idea it was that deep in the beggining...
06-14-2004, 06:16 PM
#13
condolenses. Now let's talk about fixing it...or getting someone to foot the bill 
options:
1. Swap the injen for a stock intake and take it in after the water must have dried out. Make no mention you attempted to ford grand rapids. Complain about how ishhy nissans are. Offer to foot half the cost of the motor at the very least. Do that as your personal punishment.
2. Swap the injen for a stocker. Take it in and tell them it rained and after that, it didnt start.
Offer no other explanations. HOWEVER, once they diagnose it down to the motor, and they realise they are going to have to replace under warranty, offer to foot half the cost of the motor as a goodwill gesture. Again, do that as your personal punishment.
3. Car-part.com Buy a replacement motor and take a weekend off to swap it in. Make no mention to your dealer because it will not be covered under your existing warranty and would most likely void it. Rebuild the shot motor as a performance alternative/ spare over the next couple of years during your free time, possibly as a project.
Good luck with whatever you do, mark it up as experience and know that the max can't float...injen or no injen.
I offer the above not as a counsel, nor as something I would do, but simply as solutions possible looking in from outside the box. Whichever way it goes, keep your head up
options:
1. Swap the injen for a stock intake and take it in after the water must have dried out. Make no mention you attempted to ford grand rapids. Complain about how ishhy nissans are. Offer to foot half the cost of the motor at the very least. Do that as your personal punishment.
2. Swap the injen for a stocker. Take it in and tell them it rained and after that, it didnt start.
Offer no other explanations. HOWEVER, once they diagnose it down to the motor, and they realise they are going to have to replace under warranty, offer to foot half the cost of the motor as a goodwill gesture. Again, do that as your personal punishment.3. Car-part.com Buy a replacement motor and take a weekend off to swap it in. Make no mention to your dealer because it will not be covered under your existing warranty and would most likely void it. Rebuild the shot motor as a performance alternative/ spare over the next couple of years during your free time, possibly as a project.
Good luck with whatever you do, mark it up as experience and know that the max can't float...injen or no injen.
I offer the above not as a counsel, nor as something I would do, but simply as solutions possible looking in from outside the box. Whichever way it goes, keep your head up
06-14-2004, 06:38 PM
#15
I had similar incident but I know better not to drive into the that flooded area even tho it'll be longer drive I took the other direction. but I'm very sorry that happen to u......I know how that feels, cuz I felt the sameway when I found out my tranny went out for sure......g'luck. btw keep us updated on the engine.
06-14-2004, 07:18 PM
#16
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I'll keep you guys updated on what happens to my engine later on.
P.S. I'm so stress out I might just go of control and order that SSR Turbo Kit! along with NISMO Cams since someone is going to be working on my engine later on. You know that feeling when people get so crazy they would do anything.
P.S. I'm so stress out I might just go of control and order that SSR Turbo Kit! along with NISMO Cams since someone is going to be working on my engine later on. You know that feeling when people get so crazy they would do anything.
06-14-2004, 07:47 PM
#18
There are puddles, or lakes in the road rather, like that near me sometimes in MA and I have PR CAI which is in same spot as Injen and I just put in a bypass valve so I don't ever have to worry about sucking up water and i haven't had a problem yet even when traveling through deep water at normal speeds.
06-15-2004, 04:45 AM
#20
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 106
I'd remove all the plugs AND the serpentine belt. Take a shop vac to the holes where the spark plugs used to reside, and try to remove any water still in the cylinders. Spray WD40 into the spark plug holes to lube them up after you dry them out. Try turning it over by hand after that, and see what happens.
You might get lucky. Worse case scenario is the timing belts broke or slipped and your motor is toast.
You might get lucky. Worse case scenario is the timing belts broke or slipped and your motor is toast.
06-15-2004, 05:59 AM
#22
Originally Posted by Kruppa
There are puddles, or lakes in the road rather, like that near me sometimes in MA and I have PR CAI which is in same spot as Injen and I just put in a bypass valve so I don't ever have to worry about sucking up water and i haven't had a problem yet even when traveling through deep water at normal speeds.
Sorry to hear man. Hope you can avoid having the engine replaced.
06-15-2004, 06:24 AM
#23
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 191
Originally Posted by Kruppa
There are puddles, or lakes in the road rather, like that near me sometimes in MA and I have PR CAI which is in same spot as Injen and I just put in a bypass valve so I don't ever have to worry about sucking up water and i haven't had a problem yet even when traveling through deep water at normal speeds.
06-15-2004, 06:26 AM
#24
Okay, first of all.. you gonna feel worst by reading these forums.. LOL. Because its natural for someone to call you "crazy" after pulling this act.
Second, don't sweat it bro, we all do crazy dumb things sometimes and smack our forehead and cry about it later on.
Bottom line is we gotta pay $$$ for our mistakes which will make us learn from it. So if you gotta pay a thousand bucks or more to fix that engine then do it.. nothing else you can do to avoid that.
My mistakes were speeding, and I ended up paying more then a thousand dollar to my lawyer to fight for my license.. it was/is on the verge of revocation. LOL. Hopefully I can still beat the system by plea bargaining (HOPEFULLY) lol.
So don't be depressed and sad just because of this.. cheer up and move on with your life dude.
Keep us posted and hope for the best for ur car...
By the way.... your car looks hott , all u need now is a nice drop.. (well engine first)
Second, don't sweat it bro, we all do crazy dumb things sometimes and smack our forehead and cry about it later on.
Bottom line is we gotta pay $$$ for our mistakes which will make us learn from it. So if you gotta pay a thousand bucks or more to fix that engine then do it.. nothing else you can do to avoid that.
My mistakes were speeding, and I ended up paying more then a thousand dollar to my lawyer to fight for my license.. it was/is on the verge of revocation. LOL. Hopefully I can still beat the system by plea bargaining (HOPEFULLY) lol.
So don't be depressed and sad just because of this.. cheer up and move on with your life dude.
Keep us posted and hope for the best for ur car...
By the way.... your car looks hott , all u need now is a nice drop.. (well engine first)
06-15-2004, 07:03 AM
#25
Not DAVEB the parts guy
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,555
I'll just say you should never drive thru standing water unless you have a vehicle with good ground clearance and you should test the water before crossing. In a passenger car, don't even think about it even if it only looks to be a few inches deep.
Seeing that the mechanic could only rotate the crank 10 degrees either way, tells me a rod or two is bent. The rods in these cars aren't terribly strong. I've seen pictures of a 4th gen that hydrolocked much the same way. Upon disassembly, a couple of the rods were bent nearly 30 degrees. I'd plan for the worst if I were you which means find a junkyard motor. Your current motor, if hydrolocked, will be of little use because the crank, rods, heads, valves, bearings, timing chain, block, etc have all been taxed severely.
If you have full insurance coverage, I suggest calling the insurance and asking them if they cover hydrolocked motors. If they say yes, then put the stock intake back on. I'm doubting they'll cover it though.
Seeing that the mechanic could only rotate the crank 10 degrees either way, tells me a rod or two is bent. The rods in these cars aren't terribly strong. I've seen pictures of a 4th gen that hydrolocked much the same way. Upon disassembly, a couple of the rods were bent nearly 30 degrees. I'd plan for the worst if I were you which means find a junkyard motor. Your current motor, if hydrolocked, will be of little use because the crank, rods, heads, valves, bearings, timing chain, block, etc have all been taxed severely.
If you have full insurance coverage, I suggest calling the insurance and asking them if they cover hydrolocked motors. If they say yes, then put the stock intake back on. I'm doubting they'll cover it though.
06-15-2004, 08:48 AM
#26
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 702
Oh man, dont feel bad, stuff like this happens to all of us, best of all you'll be okay, all its gona cost you is money... my worse was getting married , now thats another mess , thats gona cost ya for the rest of ur life, in or out of marriedge, ***** is gona get ur house take ur money... **** she aint taking my max 
good luck man..
good luck man..
06-15-2004, 09:22 AM
#28
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Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,860
Originally Posted by Nyc2kMax
Man take out that ingen intake and convert back to stock take it to the dealer and play dumb the car is under warrenty
06-15-2004, 11:19 AM
#29
Not DAVEB the parts guy
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,555
Originally Posted by Nyc2kMax
Man take out that ingen intake and convert back to stock take it to the dealer and play dumb the car is under warrenty
Dave
06-15-2004, 04:05 PM
#30
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Join Date: Sep 2002
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Just to keep you guys updated. My car is still at Minekie at this moment. The Mechanic there just called me and told me. He find out why he couldn't turn the engine more than 10 degrees. I havea Broken "Connecting Rod"! He suggest me to take it to the dealer and have them estimate how much the damage is.
I'll have my car tow to the dealer and contact my insurance company tomorrow.
I'll keep you guys updated.
I'll have my car tow to the dealer and contact my insurance company tomorrow.
I'll keep you guys updated.
06-15-2004, 11:10 PM
#32
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 65
If you broke a con rod it's a good beat that you have some lower end damage also. Hope like hell that all you need to do is get the crank polished and a new con rod and bearings. Get all that water out of your engine anyway possiable before it damages the bearings.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
06-16-2004, 05:29 AM
#33
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Originally Posted by CJ7
If you broke a con rod it's a good beat that you have some lower end damage also. Hope like hell that all you need to do is get the crank polished and a new con rod and bearings. Get all that water out of your engine anyway possiable before it damages the bearings.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
I'll keep that in mind and I'll probably have insurance take care of it.
06-16-2004, 06:27 AM
#34
Not DAVEB the parts guy
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 8,555
Originally Posted by CJ7
If you broke a con rod it's a good beat that you have some lower end damage also. Hope like hell that all you need to do is get the crank polished and a new con rod and bearings.
06-16-2004, 06:50 AM
#35
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Originally Posted by Dave B
It would be cheaper and better if he just got a junkyard motor. It almost never fails that when you get an engine rebuilt, you get a lot of problems because it is very hard to get an engine to seal back up right plus nearly every gasket and bearing you remove has to be replaced and many surfaces have to be cleaned and repolished. This adds significant cost in terms of labor and parts. There are just way too many thing that could go wrong. A junkyard/used motor is basically a "plug and play" deal. I think you can find 3.5VQs for $1200 or less.
A friend of mine offered me that he found a used engine for 3200 + 2000 labor= 5200 dollars he can fix it, but he actually told me it would be a good idea to have the dealer fix it. Since this is pretty much technical stuff.
I'm going to have my car towed to the dealer from Minekie this afternoon and get a estimate. To see if I should have it rebuilt or put in a new one. I'll keep you guys updated once I get new info.
06-16-2004, 11:24 AM
#36
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Posts: 930
Originally Posted by nismotech
A friend of mine offered me that he found a used engine for 3200 + 2000 labor= 5200 dollars he can fix it, but he actually told me it would be a good idea to have the dealer fix it. Since this is pretty much technical stuff.
I'm going to have my car towed to the dealer from Minekie this afternoon and get a estimate. To see if I should have it rebuilt or put in a new one. I'll keep you guys updated once I get new info.
I'm going to have my car towed to the dealer from Minekie this afternoon and get a estimate. To see if I should have it rebuilt or put in a new one. I'll keep you guys updated once I get new info.
06-16-2004, 11:35 AM
#37
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 419
Originally Posted by nismotech
I'll keep that in mind and I'll probably have insurance take care of it.
06-16-2004, 12:31 PM
#38
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 3
DaveB was right on! Hydro locked and yes you need a new motor.
Use your insurance thats what its there for.
Why do some of you think its ok to try and scam a dealer/manufacturer?
No neither of them are perfect but lying and cheating on our part makes us no better, have some pride and integrity!
Use your insurance thats what its there for.
Why do some of you think its ok to try and scam a dealer/manufacturer?
No neither of them are perfect but lying and cheating on our part makes us no better, have some pride and integrity!
06-16-2004, 12:42 PM
#39
That happened because of a few things:
1) That kid (with the wrx) was a complete idiot. He raised the boost w/o any fuel mods. He actually deserved what he got
2) The way he reinstalled all the stock parts was a complete rookie job
3) Some of the scooby members were being ****** and emailed all the Subaru dealers in that guy's area to be on the lookout for his car.
I'd give it a shot. He could have hydrolocked it w/ the stock intake. I've seen it done on a TransAm.
1) That kid (with the wrx) was a complete idiot. He raised the boost w/o any fuel mods. He actually deserved what he got
2) The way he reinstalled all the stock parts was a complete rookie job
3) Some of the scooby members were being ****** and emailed all the Subaru dealers in that guy's area to be on the lookout for his car.
I'd give it a shot. He could have hydrolocked it w/ the stock intake. I've seen it done on a TransAm.
Originally Posted by CJ7
If you broke a con rod it's a good beat that you have some lower end damage also. Hope like hell that all you need to do is get the crank polished and a new con rod and bearings. Get all that water out of your engine anyway possiable before it damages the bearings.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
Please don't swap the intake and "play dumb" with the dealer. I remember a thread I saw on another site where a guy in a Honda or WRX smoked his motor with NOS, swapped everything back to stock and had it towed to a dealer. Dealer could tell that it had a ton of mods and killed his claim. He was ****ed and was asking if anyone knew of another dealer that he could take his car to so that he didn't have to pay for it. Someone sent a link to his post to the dealership that had his car still and they sent it to all the dealers in the state to let them know that this VIN had a smoked motor and not to cover it because it was modded and he tried to pass it off as a fluke and had no idea how this happend.
Call it a learning experiance.
06-25-2004, 08:05 AM
#40
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 964
New Updated on my car.
Its in Nissan Dealer right now My insurance agent is going to take a look at my car and because he talked to the service department at the dealer, he is going to take a look at my car this afternoon. Said if its too serious, I might have to total my car.. He will give me a call back later today....I'm so worried.
If insurance decides to total it, I'm going to need to start car shopping agian
Its in Nissan Dealer right now My insurance agent is going to take a look at my car and because he talked to the service department at the dealer, he is going to take a look at my car this afternoon. Said if its too serious, I might have to total my car..
He will give me a call back later today....I'm so worried.If insurance decides to total it, I'm going to need to start car shopping agian