Hydrolock

A few days ago my brother was drivng my car in a rainstorm. He didnt know i had a cold air intake, and he ran straight through a puddle. He was going around 10mph and the car stalled. The car did start after a couple attempts and was slowly driven back to the house. When i took a look at it there were small amounts of water in the intake. I took out the spark plugs and cranked it but no water came from the cylinders. I changed the oil four times and each time there was traces of water. when the oil looked normal i started the car. Everything seems fine except for a noticeable clicking noise. Do you think ive done any damage to the engine? How much do you think it would cost to repair?

Welcome to AF. If there was no water in the cylinders, based on your description of the occurence, I'd say give it some time.

If it stalled due to wet electrical/ignition parts, then you are okay.

If it stalled due to a slug of water locking up a cylinder, you may have bent a connecting rod. However, a locked cylinder usually prevents the engine from spinning over to restart, as yours did, so imo this is unlikely.

I took the car to a mechanic and the news wasnt good. They said it was probably a cracked piston or bent rod. They said it could cost around $4,500. Is there a less expensive way to get this fixed?

I took the car to a mechanic and the news wasnt good. They said it was probably a cracked piston or bent rod. They said it could cost around $4,500. Is there a less expensive way to get this fixed?

Is this for the Saab in your profile?

I think the price is way too high.

There are several cheaper ways Each method would require the existing engine to be removed and replaced. A mechanic should charge about $500 - $750 for that.

1. You can buy a complete rebuilt engine on line. I found some in the mid - $2000 range, depending on if you have a 4 cyl or V6.

2. The cheaper alternative is to buy a rebuilt short block (this is an engine with no cylinder head or valve gear.) The existing head and gear are transferred from your old engine, assuming the head has not been damaged.

3. The cheapest route is to remove the engine, head and pan, identify the damaged rod and piston and just replace those (including new bearings, rings and hone that one cylinder.) This should be no more that a few hundred bucks, if the damage is minimal.

IMO the decision depends on the mileage and condition of the car. If its got high miles, but is in really good shape, a rebuilt engine makes more sense than #3, even if it is more money.

If all you are hearing is a slight clicking noise, I would first try to identify where the noise is coming from. It sounds like no damage was done to your engine other than getting wet and stalling from the water. If water had entered the engine through the intake you would certainly see water, more than traces.

If the engine turned over and started it is verly unlikely that the engine hydrolocked. If it did the engine would not have started due to the liquid in the cylinder.