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Flooded engine with water


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  • 4 weeks later...
well mananged to get all the water out of mine today,started her up and she seems to be running fine with no smoke or missfires, the electrics are doing all sorts of strange things though.does anyone know if they will dry out or need replacing?

Rule number one - disconnect the battery. Electrics don't mind being wet as long as they're not live, otherwise they turn to green fuzz very quickly.

Then do as q-rover suggests, basically get the thing as dry as possible. ASAP get busy with the WD40 or similar to disperse the water and stop things from seizing up / corroding - the fusebox and instruments/switches are prime targets but there's nothing I can think of that won't mind being hit with WD40 so hit everything electrical, a few quid's worth of WD now will save a lot of hassle later. Your truck may be a bit slippery for a while but that will pass :lol:

If you know anyone who works outdoors with electrics (a BT employee being a prime example ;) ) see if they can "lend" you some dessicant packs as used in roadside cabinets to keep connections dry. Stuff a few into nooks and crannies (EG behind the dash/fusebox) that may be missed by the dry airflow from the heaters. You can buy similar things from Wilkos, RS, etc. they're just cheaper if they're from work :D

Also as has been said, change *all* the oils and filters, it gets everywhere no matter how sealed you think a part is.

Guy wrote a good article on drying out his 110 after this little escapade, IIRC it was published in LRO a while back but can't find the issue now.

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Personally, I would go for rebuilding the one you have. if you can do it yourself, and know that you have done it well, it is time well spent as far as I am concerned.

Sorry to hear about the problem.

I would agree with Mark, you can rebuild the bottom end cheaper than buying a second hand lump (which could be sh****ed, make sure you can hear it running first).

Its horses for courses really with regard to time and cost (depends if youre strapped for cash, handy with a spanner or looking to keep the vehicle long term) but you would know the bottom end is solid and would give you years of good service.

If only water had good compression characteristics!! :)

Good luck either way

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well mananged to get all the water out of mine today,started her up and she seems to be running fine with no smoke or missfires, the electrics are doing all sorts of strange things though.does anyone know if they will dry out or need replacing?

I have just finished rebuilding my 300tdi disco after a friendly cyclone left it filled with s*it and water to 6" above the dash. It sat like that for about 20 hours before I could start on it...

The engine started easily after clearing water through the glow-plugs, removing the air-filter, and replacing all oils/filters. The problems began to occur however within days - if it was electrical, it had a gripe. Starter, alternator, indicators, you name it. These components were definitely dry - it's 40C in the shade here (summer in Oman). A month ago I gutted the interior of the vehicle, literally. I disconnected, and cleaned with WD40 every electrical connector and component. on the vehicle I stripped the starter, alternator, instrument console, etc and cleaned those out. The amount of s*it, grit, sand and corruption that I found was unreal. I had not realised how many electronic components are fitted to a '95 300tdi disco - window ecus, fancy carp behind the fuse box, electronic controls on the AC etc. As the battery was connected during the flood, every one of these items was history. Virtually every electrical connector was growing an unhealthy green salad. I salvaged replacements from a 'spare' '96 300tdi disco that will be the donor for a 'project'. As the battery was disconnected on this car, all the electronic components were fine. Funnily enough all the relays were fine on both vehicles.

All mechanical components needed 3 oil changes before they came up clean. All wheel bearings were totally shot and needed replacing. The transmission brake needed a good sorting out...

The vehicle now runs fine and has done for a month. I would suggest that as your battery was connected you will probably need to replace pretty much everything electronic that was wetted. Or at least be prepared to change them in the near future. and liberally coat every connector with WD40 or similar. Disconnect them to be sure you get everywhere with the WD. To get an idea of whether you have or will have problems pull a few fuses and check for corrosion/oxidisation on the connectors. If they're shiny (relatively) you might be OK. If they are showing signs of green oxides you can be pretty sure that other connectors /electronics will be suffering the same way.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but the good news is that it can be done, just takes a bit of elbow grease.

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My blower motor has been playing up for a week after flooding the vehicle. Ripped all switches out again, cleaned everything, ran continuity and resistance checks - everything came up fine. :huh: , but the blower is still screwing me about. So I removed the blower (again). Turns out that the brush springs had corroded, weakened and broken. Part of one spring had managed to lodge itself alongside the brush preventing the brush from moving or making good contact. Simple as that hey. I'll now try and source a couple of replacement springs, but this might be one to bear in mind if your system starts playing up.

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