2003 Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi - Flood Damage
Discussion
Hi all,
My girlfriend recently drove her car through a rather large flood on the way to work a week yesterday. She went through in second gear and the car stopped about halfway through the water which was apparently up to the bottom of the door. Some rather nice gentlemen helped her push the car out and onto a dry area of the road. She had tried to start the car whilst in the flood. By the time i got there the car still wasn't starting, it would turn over slightly and then stop. Eventually the car started, but there was a large amount of smoke coming from the exhaust and from under the bonnet. Also, it was running very flat and there didnt seem to be much power.
After getting the car home, i left it running on the drive for over an hour, after which it was idling normally and there was only a small amount of smoke coming from the top of the engine. I removed the air box and checked the filter, which seemed to be dry. We thought at this point that maybe the car would be ok and just needed to 'dry' out.
Whenever you start the car now, white smoke comes out of the exhaust and also a small amount comes from under the bonnet. It also lacks power and there is a definite rattle coming from the engine. After you leave the car running for 10 to 15 minutes it improves to the point that it almost runs normally, if not slightly more underpowered than before being driven through the flood.
The question is, what is wrong with the car? A small amount of research and speaking to different people suggests it could be anything from a bent con rod to bent valves to problems with the injectors or broken piston rings?
Ideally, we would like to try and fix this ourselves, as her insurance excess is £550 and with Christmas coming up we could do with saving as much money as possible. I have a week off work starting on the 17th December, so time shouldn't be too much of an issue, especially if me and her Dad both have a crack at it.
Cheers for any help anyone can give.
My girlfriend recently drove her car through a rather large flood on the way to work a week yesterday. She went through in second gear and the car stopped about halfway through the water which was apparently up to the bottom of the door. Some rather nice gentlemen helped her push the car out and onto a dry area of the road. She had tried to start the car whilst in the flood. By the time i got there the car still wasn't starting, it would turn over slightly and then stop. Eventually the car started, but there was a large amount of smoke coming from the exhaust and from under the bonnet. Also, it was running very flat and there didnt seem to be much power.
After getting the car home, i left it running on the drive for over an hour, after which it was idling normally and there was only a small amount of smoke coming from the top of the engine. I removed the air box and checked the filter, which seemed to be dry. We thought at this point that maybe the car would be ok and just needed to 'dry' out.
Whenever you start the car now, white smoke comes out of the exhaust and also a small amount comes from under the bonnet. It also lacks power and there is a definite rattle coming from the engine. After you leave the car running for 10 to 15 minutes it improves to the point that it almost runs normally, if not slightly more underpowered than before being driven through the flood.
The question is, what is wrong with the car? A small amount of research and speaking to different people suggests it could be anything from a bent con rod to bent valves to problems with the injectors or broken piston rings?
Ideally, we would like to try and fix this ourselves, as her insurance excess is £550 and with Christmas coming up we could do with saving as much money as possible. I have a week off work starting on the 17th December, so time shouldn't be too much of an issue, especially if me and her Dad both have a crack at it.
Cheers for any help anyone can give.
If she has hydraulic'd the engine, then to be honest a second hand engine is probably the cheapest and quickest way to resolve. The issue of the lack of power . Is this engine turbocharged? Could the turbo have been damaged to the point of not working? All water ingressed will pass the turbo on the way into the intercooler ( if fitted) and into the engine intake.
Thanks for the replies guys.
The car has a turbo fitted, which has been checked and is apparently fine. No intercooler is fitted on this model.
I have kept an eye on the oil level since the car was driven through the flood. The level dropped quite significantly to start off with but has stayed relatively stable since and is now about halfway up the dipstick.
Another chap is having a look at it today, he said if it was a bent con rod the car wouldnt be running, which is quite encouraging news. Maybe it isn't anything too serious after all then, hopefully not anyway!
The car has a turbo fitted, which has been checked and is apparently fine. No intercooler is fitted on this model.
I have kept an eye on the oil level since the car was driven through the flood. The level dropped quite significantly to start off with but has stayed relatively stable since and is now about halfway up the dipstick.
Another chap is having a look at it today, he said if it was a bent con rod the car wouldnt be running, which is quite encouraging news. Maybe it isn't anything too serious after all then, hopefully not anyway!
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