Thread: River crossing weaknesses

It sounds to me like the auto went into limp mode

At that depth it may have got water into the engine ECU too.
Good thing they oil into them so it shoud be OK

The door seals being cut at the bottom don't help in this situation either

Auto ecu is the problem,wonderfully installed under the passenger seat.I have done many water crossings,many up to bonnet level,engine has never stopped.Maybe you got water into the MAF ?,& the engine ECU.

Radiator fan can also be an issue as the blades may be pushed into the radiator.

I have now started useing a blind across the front on all water crossings of any depth.

[quote
So, I'm wondering, what is the weak link (besides the driver!) in water crossings of this depth. And why did the engine conk out at around 3,000 rpm, requiring a half-minute rest before restarting?

Cheers.[/quote]

exactly that,
did you read the wading depth warnings?

the factory actually write that for a reason, probably mainly warranty issues
but when you drown it there are many issues to deal with.

i have a 95 d1 v8 and have on one occasion driven it for a long way, like 500 metres, with water over the bonnet, and come out of that only to go as deep as that again in flood water without it stopping.
i don't have a snorkel and at that time, had no experience with deep water, but i was able to maintain a bow wave even with the water lapping at the bottom of the windscreen, it should have stopped, but i must have managed to create an air pocket for the air box to breathe.

your starting problem does sound as if the engine may have ingested water,
as the water would not have got to the under the seat stuff whilst you were under way.

one of the worst things that happens when an engine stops due to drinking water is 'hydraulic lock'
we have this problem in the old radial engine aeroplanes, but theirs is an oil problem.

if the engine ingests water in a large enough quantity, it tries to compress it when you crank it over on the starter.
this leads to all manner of problems - head gasket, cranked head, bent con rods, and the list goes on.

i would be checking to see if it has a compression problem, watching the coolant level and listening for any different noises or vibrations from the engine.
having said all that, i hope your problems are related to the water level inside the car.
good luck with it.

Originally Posted by alien d2

It sounds to me like the auto went into limp mode

At that depth it may have got water into the engine ECU too.
Good thing they oil into them so it shoud be OK

The door seals being cut at the bottom don't help in this situation either

I agree, sounds like ECU plugs may have got wet.

As for the door seals, siliconed those gaps up front and rear long ago!!

Originally Posted by alien d2

It sounds to me like the auto went into limp mode

At that depth it may have got water into the engine ECU too.
Good thing they oil into them so it shoud be OK

The door seals being cut at the bottom don't help in this situation either

Why do you say "Auto Limp Mode" ?
Auto Limp Mode does not include the engine cutting out in water or over 3000 RPM in my experience it just means that you are stuck with either reverse or second forward and nothing else. There is also a very clunky shift from neutral.

Originally Posted by John W

Why do you say "Auto Limp Mode" ?
Auto Limp Mode does not include the engine cutting out in water or over 3000 RPM in my experience it just means that you are stuck with either reverse or second forward and nothing else. There is also a very clunky shift from neutral.

The initial cuting out is not auto related.
Once water entered the cabin it got to the auto computer.
I stand to be corrected but in limp mode I understand the engine revs are limited to reduce damage.


When mine went into limp mode it cut out at 3,000RPM also.
I also seem to remember I had to move the "T" bar to change gears.