Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Technical Stuff (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/)

-   -   Drove through floods - Need advice (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/228299-drove-through-floods-need-advice.html)

Hello all,
Yesterday at around 5:30 Am I, mom and cousin were going for an important business work and it was continuously raining from a day before.
While crossing a stream of water (more than half of the wheel of our Verna diesel got submerged) a lorry coming in the opposite lane caused a big wave which resulted in water level coming up to the bonnet.
After this incident the car has gone into limp mode not revving past 2800 rpm with so much of power loss. The check engine light came on after 20kms. I checked the air filter and it was mildly wet.
After completing the work and letting air filter dry, I took the car to an FNG which is very near to my house, to get it checked. Through the scan tool, he came to conclusion that the Mass Airflow Sensor is not working and tried cleaning it and it still dint work. So he advised me to let the car completely dry and then to change it from the Hyundai by claiming warranty. He claimed that the engine oil was fine too.
Should i go ahead with changing the MAF sensor and air filter or should i change the engine oil and filters too. (Engine oil and filters were changed just before 400kms).

When will people learn that cars weren’t meant for water wading, no matter how good of a driver they are?!

If you have such important affairs to take care of, during floods, invest in a small canoe or dinghy and save yourself all the hassle & heartburn which you’re about to suffer thanks to your ignorance.

The MAF sensor & air filter are the least of your worries for the time being. Since you say the air filter was wet, water has almost certainly invaded your engine. Start with checking the engine oil level on the dipstick, if the dipstick shows over full, it means water is present inside. Which may well mean that you’re looking at internal engine damage.

Also check your transmission to see if water entered it too & mixed with the transmission fluid.

Also, start praying that the ECU wasn’t damaged and that replacing the MAF sensor & air filter will solve your problems.

Did water enter inside the cabin/footwell?

Learn a lesson & remember that driving through waterlogged (high level) streets is ALWAYS a bad idea.

The way I read it is that despite the flooding your engine is still running, all though restricted. Under the circumstances that is not too bad. The worst scenario with water ingress is that it enters the cylinder on the inlet stroke and on the compression stroke prevents the piston from reaching the top dead position. In which case your engine would have had severe mechanical damage to piston, valves, head, possibly crankshaft/camshaft etc.

The air filter needs to replaced. A little late now, but it would have been best to just flush the MAF with distilled water and then dry it. Now, I would dry out the MAF, clean it with special MAF cleaning fluid (make sure they don’t use brake cleaning fluid or so) and see if it works. You will know when you start the car immediately, but always best to check the error codes with a proper OBD scanner just in case.

You don’t mention how the mechanic ascertained there was no water in the engine oil? If you could measure it with the dipstick as suggested by the previous poster definitely change it. But even relatively small amounts of water can cause harm long term. So why take the change. And oil and oil filter change does not cost that much. Same with the transmission/Diff oil. Why take changes. It is very likely some water has found its way inside. Why take the risk? By the time this sort of wear shows up, you are looking a very substantial repairs. Spend a bit of money changing all oils and filters to be on the safe side and have piece of mind.

Time will tell if anything else, such as the electrical systems and ECU has suffered any damage. I would certainly inspects all the battery and main terminal/ mass connections. Some of those will have been submerged. It makes sense to disconnect the ones that are likely to have been submerged, clean them and use some thing like di-electric grease as protection.

Good luck

Jeroen

Thank you for the helpful response sir,
The engine is running just as smooth as before and no odd sounds. Thankfully the water did not the reach the battery terminals and ECU as per the water markings.Only the Air filter hose got wet. I will change the filters and oils. :)

The water did not enter the cabin or the footwell sir.
As I mentioned, it was at 530 Am so it was pitch dark, so we were not able to guess the water level at that particular place as it was a high raise place and we have been travelling through that place for years and never experienced these kinds of floods in our areas until now, so we thought it would be 4 or 5 inch at the maximum. The engine oil level is between min and max levels when the car is warm.

This makes me mad. The wave from such a vehicle can make the difference between surviving flood water relatively unscathed, and the destruction of home contents and vehicles. Just because the vehicle is big enough to handle the depth of water does not mean that crawling speed is not called for. Even the wave from a bike can make the difference between water that stays below the doorstep, and water that floods over it.

I'm asking for consideration. Sadly, not expecting it.

torquecraver, it sounds like your vehicle will be a survivor. I hope so.

As your mechanic suggested, claim warranty from Hyundai and get the MAF changed. Also change all filters (air, oil, fuel) along with engine oil. I hope that the engine isn't damaged, all the best.

Since you already went through the water with the car running it’s doubtful there is any great damage. A bit of water through the air filter and onto the maf sensor has mostly moved some carbon deposits on the sensor which is acting up. ( Water decarbonisation for engines ) :):D

With your car parked just check the engine oil level. Water and oil do not mix very well and if you see a higher level of oil than normal with a white tinge to the oil then water has gone into the oil chamber. Change the engine oil and the filter. Next check the transmission oil. Most of these cars have good seals for the transmission so if your cars been in deep water for just a few minutes it should not enter the transmission but if you do notice a high level of fluid with a white tinge then you have water in the transmission. Better to change the fluid in that case.

Coming to the maf sensor, if you can try a diy then unplug and remove the sensor it’s usually located just after the air filter element and before the engine/turbo intake. Get a bottle of isopropyl alcohol from a chemist or non residual electronic cleaning spray. With isopropyl alcohol just pour it into a plastic bag and put the sensor in. Shake up the closed bag holding it in your hand. When you remove the sensor you should see the carbon deposits come off into the alcohol. Or spray the cleaning spray generously over the sensor and blow off excess liquid till the sensor is dry. Plug the sensor back and drive. If you still experiencing limp mode or check engine then it’s advisable to get the sensor replaced. Doubtful anything else can go wrong.

Thank you sir,
The above mentioned procedure did not work and Hyundai has the replaced the sensor, thankfully there is no damage to the engine and the electronics and the car is going strong :)

Hi torquecraver, glad to know that your car is back in actin. How much did Hyundai charge you?

They didn't charge for the MAF sensor, but for air filter I have paid 250/-.