[Shop-talk] Flooding Stalled Car

[scott.hall at comcast.net]

'04 seems new for something like wet electronics.  there's no points or distributor, but maybe something else got wet?

I'd do what was suggested and check the intake for water, pull the plugs and do a compression test.  if you do get it running, change the oil asap.

the main road in front of our street is a local low point and gustav flooded it to about 6-8 inches.  if you drive through even that depth fast enough water can splash off the tires and up the inside of the engine compartment into the intake.  and the idiots would burn through it like they were pulling a skier.  the funny noises the engines made right before dying was amusing (probably more to me than them).

I got my jetta through it okay, but always, always, ALWAYS drive through standing water very, very slowly, (think 'no wake') and that's if you absolutely, positively have to drive through it.

 -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Jim Stone <jandkstone99 at msn.com>
> I am posting this for my brother, who lives in what is currently a very wet
> Chicago suburb.  (And Ike hasn't even hit them yet!)  His neighborhood is
> flooded and his son just drove their 2004 Volvo S80 through about a foot of
> water in front of their garage.  The car stalled in the water and they pushed
> it the rest of the way into the garage.  Now, the engine won't catch at all
> and, while it tuns over, it does not sound good.  (For what it is worth, there
> is no evidence of oil leaking on the garage floor.)
> 
> It seems unlikely to me that the water could have gotten into the engine with
> only a foot of water and I can't believe Volvo would put sensitive electronics
> where they would have been damaged by only a foot of water.  For now, he is
> leaving the car in the garage and letting everything dry out before trying it
> again.  In the meantime, does anyone have any advice for him or thoughts on
> what might have gone wrong?