4 Tips for Checking Car Engines After Flooding

4 Tips for Checking Car Engines After Flooding. The engine of the car is flooded - Floods are a scourge for some vehicle users both motorcycles and cars. This condition forces us to choose several options such as searching for other routes or desperate to pass them.

Checking Car Engines After Flooding

If the road is only the only way, will we wait for the water to recede? 90% will hit it. Even though we know the effect of the vehicle that hit the flood will strike, but with the PD we are determined to do that.

But, do you know that the result of a car or motorbike crashing into a flood is not just a dead engine, but there are other, more severe effects, among others;

1. Zipper

Nowadays, new cars have applied a lot of electronic technology to their control machines. This technology works by utilizing electric current. Indeed, normally all electrical circuits on the car are coated with protection.

However, all electrical circuits and sockets on the engine are not designed to be immersed in water. As a result, if the water inundates the engine until it hits the ECM or sensor socket, what happens is a short circuit of electric current.

This happens because water can also deliver electricity. Although it is small, but if it is located in an electrical socket it also causes currents in some terminals to be connected. Of course this can cause short or zero if the connected terminal is power and ground.

As a result, an electrical system will die. This is because after a zipper occurs, fuse will disconnect the electrical current so it does not cause a fire.

2. Water hammer

Water hammer is a term to describe a condition in which water enters the engine, precisely in the combustion chamber. This will cause a condition where the piston presses water in the combustion chamber during the compression step.

We know, water is a material that cannot be compressed. So that what happened next, the piston rod or connecting rod experienced a bend. This bend will affect the height of the piston as a result the volume of the combustion chamber changes.

The difference in volume of this combustion chamber can cause the compression pressure of one cylinder with the other cylinders to be different, so that when the spark plug lights up the combustion is different automatically. Then the next machine will seem limp and vibrate.

This condition often occurs in machines with a lower air inlet hose location. This certainly makes it easier for water to enter the water induction system and through this the water enters the combustion chamber during the suction step.

3. Mixed Oil

As a result of the car crashing the next flood, is water that also enters the engine but not in the combustion chamber, precisely in the karter room.

Here is the place to store engine oil, so that when the water enters the karter room there will automatically be a mixture of water and oil which causes changes in the form of oil both from the thickness, and the color.

The oil will change like a thick brown pulp. This condition is certainly dangerous because thick oil is not able to lubricate small parts of the engine.

Water can enter into the carter room also starting from the number three. So the water that enters the combustion chamber is then compressed to come out through the piston ring gap. Indeed, this gap is narrow, but because the piston pressure is not playing, the water is like shooting at the oil tank.

Surely all of you don't want if our favorite car has to go down the engine because of trivial things that we should be able to avoid. However, for those of you who choose to hit the flood then check the following conditions to ensure that nothing happens to the engine after a flood hit.

What Are Checked After Crashing Floods?

If your car can still live normally after crashing into a puddle, the engine electrical system and components in the engine are still safe. But if your car's engine suddenly breaks down even after passing through a puddle of water, don't turn it on first. Check the following.

1. Remove the oil stick

Actual oil stick function to determine engine oil height / volume. Through this stick we can also examine the condition of the engine oil through the oil spill attached to the stick indicator.

Unplug the oil stick then watch the tip, if the oil attached to the indicator is still in the form of genuine oil and is still runny then the sign is that the engine oil has not been contaminated with water.

But if the color and viscosity turn brown and thick, then the sign is that the water has been mixed with oil. It will be dangerous if you turn on the engine.
The solution is to drain and replace engine oil, maybe the replacement that will be done is not as usual because in this case the old oil must really come out, so the flushing process will be more special.

2. Electrical Socket Check

To check the engine after the next flood you can do it on important sockets, especially in the lower parts such as AC sensor sockets, cooling water sensors, O2 sensor sockets, cooling fan sockets, starter sockets and alternator sockets.

How do you check it? first unplug the negative terminal of the battery to minimize the flow of current, then unplug the socket which is approximately exposed to water and observe. If the condition is wet or there is a water bubble then dry it first before installing it. Can use a washcloth or wind.

3. Check Fuse block

If all sockets are dry, then we proceed to check the fuse block or current safety box. This box is located on the side area of ​​the engine room, can the left or right side of all cars be different. But you can easily find it because this box is black and says "block fuse" normally.

How do you check it? there are two ways namely

Manual method, by removing the fuse associated with the engine such as cooling fan, alternator, starter, and playing fuse. Then pay attention to the wire in the fuse if it is broken, then the fuse in the position is disconnected.
The second way with the help of a measuring device in the form of a test lamp or a volt meter, how to connect the battery terminal and attach the tester pin to the negative terminal of the battery, then plug the tester end into the terminal fuse that protrudes from the top. In other words we don't need to take it off.

4. Check the air filter

Checking the air filter is also important if you have hit a flood with a hefty height, especially the engine immediately hard on and vibrate.

Open the filter box and see the condition of the filter, normally the air filter in the car is dry. But if it's wet automatically axa water that passes through the filter and enters the engine.

For this matter we need to check compression on all cylinders to find out whether connecting rod is bent or not. To do this check you have to bring it to the workshop and if it is indeed bent then you need to replace it.

4 of the above are components that need to be checked first. If you will check the overall condition of the engine after crashing, check the following

1. Check the dynamo (alternator and starter motor)

Both the alternator and the starter motor are in the same shape as the dynamo that works using electromagnetic principles. The water that enters this component can disrupt the induction process so that if your car experiences symptoms of a heavy or even difficult starter after passing a flood there might be a problem with the starter motor.

2. Radiator fins / lattices

It does not affect performance directly, but flood inundation usually contains various impurities that have small or large particles. If the dirt clogs the grid or radiator fins, the water cooling process will not run optimally.

3. AC compressor

Generally the AC compressor is located next to the bottom engine, the shape is also closed so the water should not enter. But what about magnetic clutch? If there is dirt entering the magnetic clutch, the compressor will sound. So if there is a rough sound when the AC is on when after passing through the flood, it is a sign that the magnetic clutch is dirty.

Thus a complete and clear article on how to check a used car engine for floods. Usually used flood cars have a selling value that has dropped dramatically. That's because the performance and comfort have been greatly reduced, to restore performance and comfort requires a lot of money.

Therefore many choose to sell it even though the price drops dramatically. Hopefully useful and can add to our knowledge.