[JedWeeks]

I was out this morning on some trails following my buddy in his jeep.

We did one muddy water crossing, water was a little over center cap on the rim. Did the same thing on the way out, and halfway through my car simply turned off.

I had it towed back to my house but it won't start (starts to turn over and then quits). The air filter was damp but I have no idea how it got wet with the water being so low.

Any ideas on what to do? :x

 

[Hack]

It would help if you mentioned the vehicle and defined what not starting means. E.g., does it turn over?

The alternator on some Isuzus is mounted low and doesn't take kindly to water or mud. A bad alternator can cause all sorts of problems.

 

[JedWeeks]

1999 Isuzu Trooper

It originally acted like the battery was dead when we tried starting it, now it makes a clunk noise instead of turning over.

The alternator was wet definitley, but i was also worried about the filter being damp and the MAF being damp as well, which made me think water got into the intake and past the filter.

 

[tuner-automotive]

Id pull and check the alt and also check the battery at the same time.
Unless your filter is wet enough for you to suck water thru it , Im sure the int. of the engine is fine .
Your MAF may be comprimised as theyreally dont take much to get shot.
I mean they are sensative open element electricals.
This is the steps that I would start with.

 

[EagleCap]

Pull the spark plugs. Wet? Will it turn over when they're out? Dry everything out that's electrical. Good luck

 

[Philp]

What about the starter motor? If it's clunking rather than turning over it sounds more like a starter solenoid problem. Maybe worth dropping it and cleaning it out and drying it off. They don't really like getting full of silty water.

 

[mdocod]

deep water crossings offer plenty of problems for vehicles that haven't been "builtup" for it... you'll find most vehicles that are intended for water crossings with snorkels for the air intake... and pretty much everything under the hood sealed up or covered in grease to repel the water.... getting water in the wrong places can take time to dry out... some times once it is dry, it will work again, other times it permenantly damages something.

oh yea... might want to drain and refill your axles with gear lube after a deep water crossing.. sometimes you can get water in there through the breather holes.

 

[JedWeeks]

Pulled Intake and Spark Plugs today, ignited some ether in there to dry out any moisture.

Still won't turn over, starter makes a click, so tomorrow I'll have to pull that and look at it.

EDIT: Does anyone know how to go about turning the engine over by hand? While I have the plugs and everything out I might as well see if it is seized.

 

[Hack]

Not familar with your engine, but with the plugs out most engines will turn with the transmission in N just by giving the belt a good tug. I use both hands and grip the belt on both sides of the main pully attached to the front of the engine. I push on one side and pull on the other. I find that I get more leverage this way than trying to turn the pully directly.

 

[JedWeeks]

Got a new battery today, and low and behold the engine cranks now. Guess it wasn't the starter.

When I cranked the engine with the plugs out, quite a bit of muddy water came out.

Unfortunatley since i didn't think I had hydrolocked it originally, I had cranked the engine and heard a knock just after leaving the hole.

Me thinks when I put everything back together today, if she even starts, I have an engine that will be looking to fall apart any day now.

 

[Hack]

indeed.

I have seen boat engines saved after they received a good dunk. Unfortunately, I do not know the procedure. I am sure that it involves draining all of the fluids and getting the junk out of the engine before starting it up. I am sure that someone on the board knows what to do.

Good luck, but I'd advice against starting it until you have it thoroughly cleaned out. Garbage in the cylinders will just ruin the rings and score the cylinder walls, to say nothing about the valves.

 

[JedWeeks]

I had my car towed from Newark to my mechanic in Hereford, MD. He doesn't believe anything to be wrong. He compression tested the engine, put new plugs in, and it started right up. He changed the oil a few times just to be sure, so I hope all is well.

So I guess I'm pretty lucky. Gotta be more careful about mud holes this time around.

I'm still worried I'm gonna throw a rod in a month or something, but right now I'm about as happy as I could be.

 

[Hack]

Good luck.

 

[Hack]

Good luck.

 

[TexasTrooper]

Hope everything works out for you. You got that new battery and everything is working now. Thats good. After reading your post, my gut tells me it was your alternator. You'll know soon enough if that brand new battery runs outta juice.