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Caught in Thunderstorm, Splashed by Truck, Engine Instantly Shut down, will not start - HELP!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by MichaelandChristy, Apr 16, 2013.

  1. MichaelandChristy

    MichaelandChristy New Member

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    Vehicle:
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    I had had no problems whatsoever with a recently purchased Prius 2005. Unfortunately while driving a flash thunderstorm hit and flooded the highway within minutes. A large Truck swerved into our lane and flooded the front of our Prius with a wall of water. The engine immediately shut off and all of the warning lights came on. We were able to make it on the hybrid battery to the next exit and get off the highway, but now the vehicle will not come out of neutral, and obviously the gas engine will not kick in. Meanwhile the check engine light, warning light, and brake light are on at all times when the car is turned on. Has anyone experienced this, getting caught in heavy rain and causing your Prius to just shut off and refuse to work?
     
    #1 MichaelandChristy, Apr 16, 2013
  2. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    How many bars of charge (SOC) do you have showing on the multifunction display? There's a thing that people often do when they run out of fuel and they drive on electric until the SOC is so low that it wont restart even after fuel is added (until some code it manually cleared).

    Maybe you've done something similar, otherwise I imagine it would start after the engine drys out. Have you tried drying out around the spark-plugs etc with towels? Look for any places water has pooled and mop it up.
     
    #2 uart, Apr 16, 2013
  3. MichaelandChristy

    MichaelandChristy New Member

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    The SOC is still full, but I will definitely try drying out around the spark plugs. Thanks.
     
    #3 MichaelandChristy, Apr 16, 2013
  4. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    How high was the wall of water? Was it high enough to come up over top of the hood?

    I hope not as the engine air intake is just under where the hood opens.
     
    #4 jdcollins5, Apr 16, 2013
  5. MichaelandChristy

    MichaelandChristy New Member

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    It was high enough to cover the hood. The whole front of the vehicle was covered in a wall of water for a couple of seconds. Everything has dried out, but the vehicle still will not start.
     
    #5 MichaelandChristy, Apr 16, 2013
  6. MichaelandChristy

    MichaelandChristy New Member

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    Have dried around the spark plugs and the entire engine, but unfortunately it still will not start.
     
    #6 MichaelandChristy, Apr 16, 2013
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Remove the lid on the engine air filter housing and look at the filter. If water got through the filter into the engine then you'll need to have the car towed to your local dealer or competent independent servicer for help.

    If the filter looks good, then remove the spark plug igniters and spark plugs and inspect them. If you see any rust that is a clue that the plugs were wet at some point.
     
    #7 Patrick Wong, Apr 16, 2013
  8. uart

    uart Senior Member

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    Yeah definitely check the air box for signs of water!

    Also, after drying everything out, disconnect the 12V battery terminal for a while to reset any codes. If it continually tries (unsuccessfully) to crank the engine it gives up and sets a code. You might need to clear that before it will start again.
     
    #8 uart, Apr 16, 2013
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