[r24x7]

Hello TBHP,

I have been an avid reader for years now , but I only managed to get an approval now. This is my first post and I'd like to get inputs from our fellow forum members regarding an incident that has happened to our beloved car recently.

It has been raining heavily in Chennai over past few days and my dad had to run for an errand and this is when he took out our Figo Aspire TDCI ; unfortunately ended up stalling the car in a road that had water till almost the level where the doors open/shut. The Engine stall happened on its own and not possibily because of the car being a manual transmission one where the driver could have disengaged the clutch from a higher gear unintentionally ( My dad has a driving experience close to 20 years and he is certain that the engine stalled on its own ). It seemed that there was a car going ahead of him and he was convinced he could make it as well at this water level, but unfortunately ended with this uneventful incident.

At this point , the water did not enter the cabin yet. The ingress into the cabin happened when it was realized that the car was in the middle of the road and my dad decided to step out to call someone to push the car towards a side for now - The car later was pushed and parked at a side ( but still in water ).

He called me as the car had stalled and he didn't want to crank the vehicle. I reached the spot as soon as possible and saw that the car had stranded at a place where the water level was just below the bumper fog lights when looking from front and ; at enough level for the water to enter the cabin from the side, upon closer inspection. ( To give a more concise idea - Lower half of the wheels were submerged in water).

We managed to push the car to the end of the road where the road is high and has no water ; we stopped there to clear out the water from the cabin with a mug.

The car is Figo Aspire TDCI 2018 Diesel with 52K Kms on the ODO ; In its 4th year of EW (I do understand water wading consequences are not covered under warranty anyways ).

Quickly called up Ford RSA - they informed me that they would charge 2900/- for towing. Realized i also have RSA from ACKO and so I called them up and had the car towed to FASS for free of charge ( Although the driver from Alliance Assist asked for an extra 250 due to pouring rains ).

I do not have Engine Protect Cover and I'm worried if the engine had any possible water ingress . The car did not show any problems when the electrics were switched on as I noticed the radio turned on and I had to immediately shut it ; Also automatic cabin lights and the follow me home headlamps )- And.. No, the AC was off thankfully).

For now , I will have to wait until Monday to visit the FASS on the next steps and shall report back here for next inputs.

Meanwhile , I'd like to understand from our dear Team BHP Members , what could be the extremity of the damage here. I understand that not cranking the vehicle at this stage is extremely crucial ( which we did not ) - But i'm worried about the fact that the car STALLED from running which makes me think if the water did have its ingress into the engine or any other crucial place .

Apologies as for some reason my phone did not save the picture of the car in flooded road when I clicked , however the only picture I have is the view showing water level with the door open.

Update on 29 November

At the time of drafting this post , I hadnt heard from FASS yet. However , As I write this now, I have been to the service center already and I got to know from the service advisor that there are traces of water found in the engine oil based on his analysis . He pulled out the dipstick and could tell this just by getting the oil onto his fingers based on viscosity. ( I couldnt tell the difference as I do not have much understanding of how engine oil is supposed to look otherwise)

Here are the next steps directed to me by the SA to proceed further.
1. Raise a claim with Acko - ( This is finished already ).
2. Once a surveyor is assigned , most probably "they will rotate the engine turbine manually to understand if there is any resistance as the first step in diagonosis." - Exactly as I heard from the SA today.

I had put the same set of questions to the SA as well. However , he was unclear on whether or not Insurance would cover this ( based on his experience ) ; also unclear on what might need to be changed to fix the problems in the worst case scenario.

I would really appreaciate it if our fellow Team BHP members could throw some light here.

Thanks!

[jav]

You could have easily opened the air filter box on the first day itself and seen if the filter was soaked or dry and you would have known if water did enter the air intake or not

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by r24x7

I got to know from the service advisor that there are traces of water found in the engine oil based on his analysis He pulled out the dipstick and could tell this just by getting the oil onto his fingers based on viscosity.

He could feel the viscosity by feeling with his fingers and found traces of water?

He is scamming you and getting ready to write you a nice bill with a fork. Water and oil does not mix and the oil will float on the water and viscosity will not change. I might believe it if the car has run for some time until the oil turns a milky off-white colour.

He must be very good if he can tell by just feeling the oil with his fingers.

Just removing the spark plugs and cranking the engine will tell if water has caused it to stall.

[voldemort]

Originally Posted by Indian2003

Just removing the spark plugs and cranking the engine will tell if water has caused it to stall.

His car is a diesel; no spark plugs.

That aside, how can one tell if water has caused a stall if one removes the spark plug? I don't know much about these kinds of things and I'm curious to know.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by r24x7

At the time of drafting this post , I hadnt heard from FASS yet. However , As I write this now, I have been to the service center already and I got to know from the service advisor that there are traces of water found in the engine oil based on his analysis . He pulled out the dipstick and could tell this just by getting the oil onto his fingers based on viscosity. ( I couldnt tell the difference as I do not have much understanding of how engine oil is supposed to look otherwise)

1) The water was much much below the air intake (air filter) level. I find it hard to believe that water got into engine.

2) Fresh Engine oil is gold/tan/brown. Used engine oil has shades of gray and black added to the original color. Water in engine oil causes it to become milky (since water and oil do not mix, it forms a colloidal mix known as emulsion, milk is also an emulsion)

3) Water entering the air intake will cause it to enter combustion chamber of the cylinder. That usually damages the piston head or the crank pins. Only then it can end up in engine lubricating oil circuit.

[Maverick5490]

If the car was slow moving or idling in water at the bumper level, possible that the water might have entered the intercooler and sucked it into the air intake leading to a cylinder lock. Easiest and fastest way would have been checking of the air filter if it was soaked. But its been a couple of days and the car is now at the workshop, so best to wait for thier response.

[sagarpadaki]

This video might help you on the steps to be taken before the engine is cranked. This is for i20 diesel. So the approach might be similar in aspire diesel as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4GhdZqE75g

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by voldemort

His car is a diesel; no spark plugs.

That aside, how can one tell if water has caused a stall if one removes the spark plug? I don't know much about these kinds of things and I'm curious to know.

If water is there inside the combustion chamber, it comes out when cranking. Meaning piston will push the water out through the spark plugs.

Originally Posted by r24x7

..
I would really appreaciate it if our fellow Team BHP members could throw some light here.

Thanks!

- I would suggest, start checking the air filter, if its wet or not.
- Then check the manifold.
- Then remove the injectors or glow plugs and crank the vehicle to remove the water in the combustion chamber.
- Then drain the oil and replace with fresh oil.
- Change the oil filters.
- Check fuel filter for water adulteration.
- If yes, clean the tank and lines and change filter.
- Check the exhaust for water ingress, and clean it.
- You might want to service the starting motor later on.

[Indian2003]

Originally Posted by voldemort

His car is a diesel; no spark plugs.

This is what is done when cars get flooded. If diesel, take out the injectors and or glow plugs and crank the engine.
If salt water, dilute as quick as possible with fresh water and use a spray that displaces water. CRC-556 is a good one.
The Evinrude outboard motor of a friend ended in the sea once. I asked him to submerge the engine in fresh water and hose out as much of the salt water as quick as possible.
I removed the spark plug and literally flushed the motor inside and out with fresh water. Then I sprayed alcohol inside to dilute the last drops of water before replacing all fluids.
This happened in 1980 and the engine runs today.

[r24x7]

Originally Posted by jav

You could have easily opened the air filter box on the first day itself and seen if the filter was soaked or dry and you would have known if water did enter the air intake or not

I had my BIL with me at the time and he is an enthusiast as well. This thought did come to us then but we couldnt check further as it was raining heavily and the only nearby bike mechanic shop did not have the screw type pattern that would let us open the Air Filter Housing in time before the RSA arrived.

Originally Posted by alpha1

1) The water was much much below the air intake (air filter) level. I find it hard to believe that water got into engine.

2) Fresh Engine oil is gold/tan/brown. Used engine oil has shades of gray and black added to the original color. Water in engine oil causes it to become milky (since water and oil do not mix, it forms a colloidal mix known as emulsion, milk is also an emulsion).

I find it very hard to believe as well since the fog lamps that were lower than the air intake point was still not submerged. I did notice that the oil still appeared dark with shades of black and grey only and I couldnt really see how one could conclude the water ingress based on this - when I was at FASS yesterday.

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

This video might help you on the steps to be taken before the engine is cranked. This is for i20 diesel. So the approach might be similar in aspire diesel as well

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=H4GhdZqE75g

Coincidentally I was watching this only today morning , and it seems in line with what the SA was trying to explain to me during my visit.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

If water is there inside the combustion chamber, it comes out when cranking. Meaning piston will push the water out through the spark plugs.

- I would suggest, start checking the air filter, if its wet or not.
- Then check the manifold.
- Then remove the injectors or glow plugs and crank the vehicle to remove the water in the combustion chamber.
- Then drain the oil and replace with fresh oil.
- Change the oil filters.
- Check fuel filter for water adulteration.
- If yes, clean the tank and lines and change filter.
- Check the exhaust for water ingress, and clean it.
- You might want to service the starting motor later on.

I will keep these steps handy for my subsequent discussions at the FASS , thanks a lot.


I havent been assigned a surveyor yet and I will revert here once I have more info. Thank you everyone for your valuable inputs!

[ruzbehxyz]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

- I would suggest, start checking the air filter, if its wet or not.
- Then check the manifold.
- Then remove the injectors or glow plugs and crank the vehicle to remove the water in the combustion chamber.
- Then drain the oil and replace with fresh oil.
- Change the oil filters.
- Check fuel filter for water adulteration.
- If yes, clean the tank and lines and change filter.
- Check the exhaust for water ingress, and clean it.
- You might want to service the starting motor later on.

+1. These steps are exactly what must be done.

Originally Posted by r24x7

I havent been assigned a surveyor yet and I will revert here once I have more info. Thank you everyone for your valuable inputs!

In all possibilities, the Insurance company and/dealer will try to put the blame on you and extract the repair bill from you. Try to take someone with you who has technical knowledge of cars and also your father to discuss and negotiate if required. Also check, if by any way you can prove where the car was stalled and from where it was towed from. This will prove that your father did not drive in water or else they will say negligence and deny the claim, because you don't have engine protect in your Insurance.

[aneesh2M]

Looking at the scenario I feel the SA is not correct here as it is not possible to identify the water traces in oil just by feeling the viscosity in hand. Moreover, below points also needs a consideration.

• The water level was just about the half wheel high, that means it was well below the air intake of the car so water shouldn’t have entered the engine.
• Check the air filter for yourself, if it is wet/soggy then only you should worry about the water entry in the engine.
• Engine oil will turn whitish/gummy in case it is mixed with water. You can Immediately see the difference by naked eyes.
• IMO you just need to clean the car and dry it out. Take the seats out of the car to allow carpet to be taken off and cleaned/dried.
• As far as engine the is concern if any of the first 3 points are not observed you are good to go. Maximum required is a oil and all filters (oil/air/Fuel) change.

Oil mixed with water will look like the attached image. Though this is a major mix but small amount of water will also look like white droplets/patches.

[arjunsatheesh]

A similar incident happened to my friend's Ciaz in Bangalore while he was driving through a flooded area in Koramangala. The car stalled when he fell into a deep pothole that was masked by all the water. Maybe something similar happened to your dad. We never know if there are any crater-like potholes under all the floodwater. A sudden fall into one could take us by surprise and we may stall the car.

Luckily my friend didn't try to start the car after that. He called me up for help since none of the bystanders helped him to push the car from the road. By the time I reached the location, the water had risen like crazy and was up to his gear lever. Due to the water ingress, none of the electronics was working now. We could not turn on any lights or get the power steering working. Somehow we got it into a flatbed and took it to the Maruti ASS.

Initially, they told us engine damage must have happened and that insurance will not cover that so we stayed with them when they opened everything up. Luckily there was no damage to the engine since it was not cranked.

I’m not sure if he had engine protect but had the Maruti insurance which mentioned that if the engine was not cranked then insurance would take care of damages. They changed all the fluids and did a lot of repairs to the electronics. He did not have to shell out much money and insurance coved a lot of the costs.

The most difficult part of the fix was cleaning the interiors. It took multiple visits to 3M to get it cleaned. Its’ been 4 years since that incident and the car runs fine.
Just make sure you stay with them when they do the inspection. It may cost you some time but will save you a lot of money later. Cheers!

[r24x7]

Originally Posted by aneesh2M

.

• The water level was just about the half wheel high, that means it was well below the air intake of the car so water shouldn’t have entered the engine.
• Check the air filter for yourself, if it is wet/soggy then only you should worry about the water entry in the engine.

We are trying to cordinate our visits to sync with Surveyor or any time when FASS is going to start investigating so that we can witness the initial diagnosis whenever that is going to happen. I will look out for these points.

Originally Posted by arjunsatheesh

A similar incident happened to my friend's Ciaz in Bangalore while he was driving through a flooded area in Koramangala.

I pray its going to be minimal in my case as well. Fingers crossed.

Update so far - No surveyor assigned yet. Still waiting for the insurance to respond back.

[Lalitha Venkat]

Man's ancestral heritage can never be taken out of his DNA. While as a binge viewing the video can be watched, but when the car is submerged, its better to call the RSA and get the vehicle towed to authorized service station and insurance company alerted. The cars in 1980's had less electronics as compared to the cars today. With newer features and sensors coming in, its a big risk to do any thing by ourselves