I was parked unknowingly on a low and slow-draining street tonight when it rained 2" in an hour. I have a 1993 Honda Accord with a standard transmission. When I finally got to the car, there was about 5" of water still in the passenger floor and 2" on the driver’s side. It appeared to have been filled to an inch or 2 below the seats.
Something buzzed when I pushed in the clutch. The car wouldn’t start. The electric door lock failed after I used it about 3 times.
When it dries out, can I safely drive it 2 miles to my mechanic? What things do I need to ask to have done besides get an oil change and new filter?
It’s very difficult to say on something like this. When a car becomes submerged (even up to a point) water can creep into any one of a number of things. Things that may not be noticeably bad now may very well turn into problems later.
This includes suspension parts such as ball joints, tie rod ends, etc, steering racks (if cracked boots) CV joints (also cracked boots) wheel bearings, water into the transmission through worn halfshaft seals, brake calipers, etc. and possibly even the starter itself along with other electrics, wire connectors, etc.
It’s kind of a tough call to make. I’ve been involved with going over and repairing several vehicles that have gone through something like this and it got kind of pricy covering all of the what-ifs.
The last one was a Subaru and the insurance company covered all of the problems, which surprised the beejeezus out of me.
The car owner must have been related to the ins. agent or something.
So how high do you suppose the water got? If it got high enough to wherever the air intake is on this thing, you shouldn’t drive it. I would probably have it towed to be on the safe side.
If this car was that flooded, you’ll probably be plagued by electrical problems for the remaining life of this car. My opinion is a 1993 Honda is not worth the effort or money to fix this. If it doesn’t start after drying out, I would not put any more money in this pit. It may be time to look elsewhere.
Also, if this was a city street, there may be some claim against the city for damage. There is no excuse for a slow-draining street that floods like that in a modern city. If it was prone to flooding this long, then the city was being neglectful of the storm drain system.
No one mentioned the carpeting and padding yet. That will have to be taken out to dry and possibly to be replaced.