Drove in Water, Camry died. But....

[paulstoyota]

So I saw a guy working on his Camry the other week just a few blocks from my house. He had driven in 3 1/2 feet of water and his car died. It was deep. We had big rains and a train had derailed that same morning just up the road because a bridge had washed out. Anyway, here's what steps we took:

Took out the spark plugs. There was freaking mud in there! I'm not kidding. I was expecting "water" since he drove into "water." I just dropped my head thinking "this car is done for."

We took off the air intake hose and every other imaginable hose on the throttle body. We were blowing water out of half of them. I sprayed starter fluid into the air intake, and we tried to start it (actually, this was before we took all the littler hoses off and of course, the plugs). A ball fire came shooting out the throttle body so I wouldn't recommend spraying too much of that in there. Jump didn't work. So we took the plugs off the second time and sprayed carb cleaner and brakleen into the cylinders and let it sit overnight. I also poured seafoam into the gas tank.

New spark plugs of course, that's what he put back in. Anyway, a day later, his car was gone. I called him up and he told me he drove it home. I was astounded as I've never heard of that happening. Neither of us could hear the fuel pump energizing when he turned the key to the on position so either that had a problem, or it dried out enough by the time he came to start it the next day.

Just thought I'd share that. Mud in the plugs, and it did start the next day. Amazing.

Took

[Yuko]

"Turn Around, Don't Drown."

Lucky he didn't didn't bend any rods. I would change out the oil as there can be water and dirt diluted in the oil.

[vincentfox]

I had a thing like that myself a decade or so ago.

Chevy Cavalier.

Big storm, blinding rain, couldn't see well and thought the puddle in the dip wasn't too deep. It had overwhelmed the storm drain though and was plenty deep. Stopped dead right in the middle, no doubt due to water level reaching level of exhaust pipe. Water flooded in to about the level of the seat bottom.



Just had to let it dry out a day or two, ran fine. Well as fine as a 90's Cavalier ever did anyhow.

Carpet stank to high heaven for a long while though.

Yes I was referred to as a U-boat commander for a while.