Some years back my oldest son slid on ice into a creek one night during a snowstorm. The car was up to about mid-dash in ice water for several hours and to keep the elderly wrecker driver out of the equation I volunteered to go swimming.
Nice. Neck deep in a muddy creek with ice all around, snowing, 30 degree air temps, gusting to 30 winds, and feeling around underneath a car just like one noodles for catfish.
Not a tow loop, bumper support, or frame member to be had anywhere. Finally had to fish it out by the tie rods and since the water was up to the speedometer head…
It took me about 3-4 weeks of spare time wrestling to get that car going again. Electronics were perpetual trouble so this led to a carburetor and distributor conversion.
The entire interior (seats, carpet, door panels, hatch panel, sail panels, etc, etc. all had to come out.
Eventually it was up, running, and turned out to be reliable after ditching the EFI but it wasn’t a project, or aquatic experience, I’d like to repeat.
Thanks for sharing this experience with me and others. I know nobody likes to experience such terrible recovery process. However, it is kind of encouraging to me mainly because my car was soaked in about two-foot rain water and the water came and went in a short time. I know for sure that the water did neither reach the glass windows nor get into door panels (I can feel it when I open and close the doors).
Would you specify “hatch panel and sail panels” and “a carburetor and distributor conversion” you mentioned? I am a newbie to car maintenance.
My sister had a Corolla that was totalled by a flood in a parking lot at an apartment complex where the management had failed to keep the storm drains clear, leading to the lot flooding.
However, if the building owner had a private lot where there just happened to be a torrential flood that was an “act of God” and not due to negligence, then I think the OP will have to have their insurance cover the damage.
A hatch panel is the interior cover on the rear hatch, sail panels are the interior trim on each side of the rear seat, kick panels are the ones on the lower front by the driver and passenger’s feet, etc.
A carburetor/distributor conversion was practical in this case because it was an older model car and it was possible to ditch the fuel injection and replace it with simpler parts. With modern cars, especially from the 90s up, this is not always practical.
If you live in an emissions testing state then it can’t legally be done at all.
If there’s a plus to your car story it’s that the water was only 2 feet deep. As to why it won’t start that’s anybody’s guess. You will have to determine if spark or fuel is missing; or whether it’s both. This could involved an hour or two of time to sort out or it may lead to weeks.
Even if you have the car up and running there’s always the probability of failing suspension and brake components as all of that has been submerged. If you’ve been near a lake area and seen boat trailers, with boat, sitting on the side of the highway with a wheel broken off keep in mind this wheel is missing for the same reason. It was underwater, the bearing was contaminated with water/mud, and without service or replacement eventually it gave up.
The same could be said for the steering rack and halfshafts (axles). Any tiny cracks or loose clamps on the dust boots on either of those can ruin them.
I’m not going to add any more advice .Enough good advice has been posted. My question to the OP is how do you start the car without the key? I am not knowing !
Get some aerosol carburetor cleaner and squirt a healthy shot into the air intake. See if it will start and run for a few seconds. If it does then the issue is likely a lack of spark. Lack of spark also prevents the ECM from operating the fuel pump.
Many Hondas of this era were prone to ignition switch Recalls. Maybe the ignition switch has decided to go south with or without the help of water. A net search should show whether your vehicle is one of those under a Recall or not.
The Recall is free of charge but that brings up the issue of having your car towed to the dealer and the Recall not being the cause of the problem. The Recall would be free but anything after that would not be.
File an insurance claim. Then drive the car. The claim puts a time limit into effect. But it also protects you. If the car is ok refuse to settle. Just say no. If they say they will close the case, fine. $50 in a small claim court will open it. More than $5000 then a lawyer will open the claim again. In fact the insurance co cannot close a refused settlement.
This is a stretch. Rain water is not salt water. All these components have oil/ grease coatings and seals to keep that stuff in. Water is not magic. It takes serious time to do damage to any of these things. Like a month. Just my two, why scare the guy with stuff that does not happen. He can file with insurance and refuse settlement till the car breaks.
Thank all of you for your comments and suggestions. My car’s engine starts running and all other signals show normal except for SRS!
The red SRS light stays on even after the engine is running. Any suggestions or solutions to it? Can SRS fuse be burnt? Of course, I will check all the safety-related parts and issues in addition to engine oil, transmission oil and steering oil.
Disconnect the battery for a few minutes.This usually takes care of the SRS light. Also, the seat belts are tied into the SRS system.Make sure the seatbelt recepticles and retractors are dry ,along with the wiring harness connectors.These a usually under the carpet,under your seats.You will probably have to take the seats out to complete this mission.
You might need to have the system reset by the dealer if those solutions don’t work.
