My little brother has a 300Z and he went through some flood water. I think it sucked water into the intake. We tried jumping it but it doesn't do much. It doesn't crank at all. The starter doesn't even want to start. What should he do to dry it out? Thanks.

 

if the water got in the motor then most likely its hydrolocked and not going anywhere with that engine. how much water was he driving through and how fast was he going through it?

 

That's a bummer. He's probably got damage. Maybe he can get away with taking all of the spark plugs out and cranking it over to get rid of the water. I think he's probably got bottom end damage though.

 

how much water was there?

 

He said it was about a foot to a foot and a half. He's got 2 intakes and I believe they both such in air from down low. I'm thinking he may have got a good gulp of water. But he did have 2 fat guys in the car which made it even lower. He didn't go fast through it. I'm hoping that it'll maybe dry out today since it's somewhat sunny.

 

Just hope that his engine is not hydrolocked

 

yeah, I'd go ahead and pull all spark plugs and crank the engine just to be sure...

 

Now he says he thinks he needs a new starter because it won't even crank. He said he tried to start it while it was sitting in the water. But the starter won't crank at all.

 

What you really need to do is determine how far up the water went. Guessing wont help you. He could have fried some electronics, ruined wiring harnesses or something else. Once cracked wire can kill you in a situation like this.

Start by having the battery tested and verifying that its ok. Then following the major battery wires and verify that they are not corroded and have good CLEAN contact with the next phase. You have to go in this type of process to map out your problem. Flooding a car can be a painful process.

Good luck to you and your bro...!

 

yeah if the engine is hydrolocked... it's pretty much done for.... a friend of mine has a prelude and a CAI.... he drove through a puddle about a foot deep and he had to get a new engine.... hopefully thats not the case for u.....you might wanna first try to get rid of all the water like the others said.. if it still messed up.. i dont kno what to tell ya man

 

pull the starter and bench test it before he goes and buys a new one.

 

an interesting study on a subject that is rarely if ever mentioned here......one of the possible downsides to having a CAI that pulls air from the bottom of the car is that it can also pull water if you go through a really deep puddle.

I don't know that I've ever seen that point/theory mentioned before in the million intake threads.

BTW, sucks for the problem. Perhaps let everything DRY OUT for a day or two and then give it a go

 

actually it has been brought up numerous times but people have called it baloney, "nothing will get sucked in".


it's usually in the GAB/OSCAI threads where people have extended the bottom part with a hose and a scoop to the front, typically under the bumper.

 

probably killed the battery trying to start it.

 

He's even more obcessed with his car than I am with mine. Where he broke down last night is not one of the best neighborhoods in New Orleans. He was so nervous about it getting broken into that he slept in it. He slept in the front seat with his Glock. I wouldn't have even done that.
But today he swapped out the starter to no luck. So he had it towed to the mechanic. And he's waiting to hear what's up with it.

By the way that is the main reason I decided not to get the CAI in the first place. It floods somewhat often down here and I didn't want to worry about it. Thanks for the help.

 

Water isn't compressible. If water gets into the cylinders it will force the valves shut and hold them that way. Trying to crank over the engine will then bend the valves, break connecting rods, or do other fun stuff. We see plenty of hydrolocked motors where I work (Jeep dealership).

Still best advice to pull all 6 spark plugs and turn the engine over by hand with a socket to make sure it's free. If you can pull it through by hand, try cranking it over with the plugs out and the fuel pump relay pulled out. You'll probably see lots of water shoot out of the plug holes.

Once you don't see water shooting out anymore take about 1 tsp of motor oil and dump it in each cylinder. Drain the engine oil and refill it. Reinstall the plugs and crank the engine over a couple more times, leaving the coils disconnected.

At that point you can try plugging in the coils and FP relay and starting the engine. If it starts expect it to be loud as hell for 2-3 seconds. If after 2-3 seconds it doesn't quiet down turn it off IMMEDIATELY because you may have engine damage or clogged oil passages!

If it runs and quietly then replace ATF, spark plugs, fuel filter, and change the oil again after a couple hundred miles.
HTH.

 

just turn the engine manually, take off the crankcase a turn the engine. This will get rid of the water. But if he got under water... he might be better rebuilding the engine.

 

thats weird, friend of mine coming up from florida with a prelude had the same thing happen to him.. i guess its because lots of people with prelude drop their car so low.. he had to get new engine. not to be an *** but i think ur bro is going to need a new engine. good luck.