The death of a tC.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,638
From: Parsippany, NJ
Well, I drove thru some water un-intentionally...came around a corner and saw the water on the road and went into it, didn't think it was too dead (big mistake) because I saw another car going thru it and it looked ok, so as I noticed it was getting too deep, i put the car in neutral and then as I was about to turn it off, I felt it sputter, saw the check engine light come on and it died. I rolled for a bit and finally stopped...let it sit for a few mins, started it, single crank attempt, nothing. Again...nothing.
After 2 hours of waiting for AAA, I got home and a friend helped me out (at about 3:30 am) and we took the plugs out to see if there was water, and yep, cyl 1 plug was drenched. Then as we took off the intake to check the throttle body, one of the vacuum hoses just drained water out of it...So I'm going to take it into the dealer for the last diagnosis on it. I'm about 99% sure it's hydro-locked...
After 2 hours of waiting for AAA, I got home and a friend helped me out (at about 3:30 am) and we took the plugs out to see if there was water, and yep, cyl 1 plug was drenched. Then as we took off the intake to check the throttle body, one of the vacuum hoses just drained water out of it...So I'm going to take it into the dealer for the last diagnosis on it. I'm about 99% sure it's hydro-locked...
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,638
From: Parsippany, NJ
Originally Posted by jasonrs2
sucks to be you. whats the other 1%? you said you're 99% sure its hydrolock.
The water didn't look that deep, I think it was from the other car creating a wake, then the waves were just high enough to let the intake suck up all the water...
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,638
From: Parsippany, NJ
Update : After letting the battery charge for a bit, we saw some sings of life, the battery didn't have near enough to turn it over, so I'm hoping that leaving it site for a good 20 hours, some of the water drained out. Hopefully after the battery is back to full life, we can pump out the remaining water..if not I hope my insurance company will cover this because I know warranty won't.
So the only question is, if insurance cuts me the check...do I rebuild her with some new Dezod rods and lower comp pistons (wouldn't be a DD if this is the option)...or do I just get a new motor and sell the thing.
So the only question is, if insurance cuts me the check...do I rebuild her with some new Dezod rods and lower comp pistons (wouldn't be a DD if this is the option)...or do I just get a new motor and sell the thing.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 16,638
From: Parsippany, NJ
Originally Posted by matt
wow that sucks man. i still say keep faith in your toyota motor. those things are beasts and can take a hardcore beating.
And to make things worse, I just got my new rims last week, and my new tires today
Man, what were you thinking? I would never drive through more than 3 or 4 inches of water, even if it means stopping traffic, pulling a u-turn, taking a 60 mile detour to get home, or pulling over and sleeping in the car overnight until the water clears.
I agree with RodC. One of my favorite things to do when we have really bad rain is going down the road to a spot where the water get dangerously deep and laugh at the people who get stuck in the water. If the water is deeper than 4-6", bust a U-ey.







