Handles well in deep water and flooding

Kudos for your attempts at canine rescue, seeh20!

If that's not worth 100 points, I don't know what is...

 

I'll "see" that and raise you a hundred!

Valiant effort WRT the pooch, seeh2o!

 

Someone once told me that if you drive through deep water fast enough to splash water up into the air intake, it will destroy the engine. (Refering to any internal combustion engine.) He was emphatic that water will destroy an engine, not merely that it can.

Anybody know for a fact about this? Is this true, or just an item from the Fearmonger's Shop?

 

Well, my Honda Accord wasn't totalled for sucking up water when I ditched it, but rather frame damage from, what I believe, pulling it back up onto the dyke overpass. granted, the engine wasn't looked at, but if water would destroy an engine, they would have instantly factored the engine as part of the repair cost, which they didn't. The engine did crank, though it didn't start.

I had made a U turn in the dark, not realizing I was over a dyke overpass without guardrails. Car went down head first, with back wheels still on the bridge. Engine had a carburator. It stopped immediately, but had full electrical power (dash lights, radio playing, tail lights lit.

I wasn't hurt, but got wet almost to my knee in getting out.

 

Is it time for the obligatory warning that you should never drive into standing or moving water unless you're absolutely 100% sure how deep it is and how fast it's moving? I wouldn't try anything more than a couple of inches, myself.

 

I think I remember a bit on car talk on this. What usually happens is that a smaller amount of water usually stops the engine but if you get in deep enough fast enough you can do damage. Most cars that drive off in to steams they just drain the water out and the engine is fine. It is the inside the takes the big hit. Most people who get in trouble misjudge the depth and then get stuck or worse swept away. We get a lot of flooding around her every year. There is a required news clip you see on the local news of salmon migrating up stream across the road. All local TV new departments are required to show it on the evening news. People who get in trouble fall in the above categories. It is not a smart thing to do.

 

Daniel,

My son was driving my husband's 1990 Caravan through some streets in South Austin. He followed some other cars through an intersection where the water was up to the curb. Water did splash and get into the air intake and seize the motor. We had to get the motor rebuilt. (We were assured that later Caravans did have the placement of the air intake raised, and we had no similar experiences with any others.) Insurance covered the repairs under comprehensive coverage, since there was no collision.

 

Not being a certified mechanic I may be wrong but if you get water in the top of a cylinder in any running engine instead of a fuel/air mixture the likelihood of a lockup and a broken rod/maybe crank is very possible. Not necessarily the end of the engine but very costly. I had a boat diesel ingest a load of salt water and that cost me $2000.

 

That is a good point. Water doesn't compress. The starter probably won't have enough force to turn the engine over with a flooded cylinder, but if the engine is already flying, it may have already enough momentum to break a piston or connecting rod, and if any cylinder is still functional while another is fluid locked, it could force something to break, much like what happens when timing belt or chain breaks in a high compression, no valve clearance engine.

Diesel is a bit different though, such as higher compression ratios.

 

I've heard of engine blocks being cracks because of water getting in. Same point as recently mentioned above. Water does not compress. If you get enough in, it's pure force. From that point on, it depends on what your engine is machined out of.

 

So a few drops won't do anything bad. Right?

The real problem is, How do you know how deep is too deep? You're driving along city streets, and there's a puddle ahead. A few inches, no problem, you drive on through. But maybe you can't really tell. The traffic is moving, and if you decide not to risk it you're blocking the cars behind you. I usually figure if traffic is moving, I can make it. But the Prius is built low. It seems to me that with the air intake above the engine, I should be safe from this as long as I drive slowly. But the person who was telling me this suggested that it was easy to get enough water in to do damage.

On the other hand, I've driven my old Civic though some medium street puddles without incident.

If I see fish crossing the road I'll turn back.

 

About a year or so ago, we had some really heavy rains. One major road had a big flood problem. I did drive through it a few times, and one time, due to traffic stopping, I ended up stopped in the middle of it. I was able to hear water slapping against the bottom of my car, but it still continued to run. I really shouldn't have taken that risk, though a whole bunch of cars were driving through, and I figured as long as I kept moving, I'd be OK.

I think you would start seeing water coming into the cabin of the car before you would damage the engine. On the other hand, even though the air filter is on top of the engine, the duct work does seem to go towards the bottom of the engine, and the throttle body is on the side of the engine at the front of the car.

 

In a "normal" car, the exhaust from the engine will keep water out of the tailpipe, which is usually very low to the ground. (I know, they almost all are, but there are exceptions.) With a Prius, if you stopped in a deep enough puddle, the engine could shut-off and let water into the tailpipe. Depending in the depth, I doubt there would be enough pressure to force the water back out.

I don't think I'd risk it unless it was an emergency.

Also, hydrolock, which I believe is what it's called when you get too much water into an engine does cause an incredible amount of damage. I've seen bent crankshafts, broken pistons, etc.

 

Where does the Prius draw in intake air? My 1992 Honda Prelude SR sucked in air from just behind the front spoiler chin, no more than 3.5 inches above ground level.

Some folks like to modify their cars with a "cold air intake" kit, which also draws air from below the bumper. The theory being the air just above the pavement is cooler and denser, hence more power. I suppose they've never felt hot pavement. Also they claim "ram air" effect. That would make it very easy to suck in standing water.

Have heard of cars here in Winnipeg ruining their motors after splashing through flooded streets after the last flood and again this most recent year after all the torrential rains. It was in the paper, but no mention of exact model or year. Just a warning after the story to NOT drive through water more than ankle depth.

My 2000 GMC Sierra owner manual had a LOT of warning about driving through deep water. The air intake was mounted high, drawing air from beside the headlight housing.

The manual warns that if the motor was shut off or stalled out with the exhaust pipe underwater "... it will be impossible to restart the motor."

A more important point is the force behind flowing water. Several inches of fast-flowing water can easily take you off your feet and sweep you away. It doesn't take much water to force a car off the road. Not worth it.

 

geeus, anyone bother to think how deep the water would have to be to suck water??

you wont have to worry about going anywhere anyway. water that deep will carry you away if there is any current at all

 

On the subject of the recent Southern California rains, last week the San Diego paper had a photo of a tree that had fallen on a car. The REALLY sad part of this story is the car was a silver Prius!