Bad day, car related

Well yesterday was not a pleasant day for me. Driving to work in my 2013 Scion FRS, which I love dearly, I had a problem. It was raining very heavily, like 6 to 8 inches in a few hours. It was basically rush hour so lots of people trying to get to work. I stop at a stop sign and turn right onto what is normally a street but had turned into a lake!! The water quickly rises to a danger level, and then a truck headed in the other direction hits me with a wave that goes over the roof of the car. Naturally the car sputters and dies, as does the car behind me. A very nice man in a truck pulls me out of the lake and the 2 blocks to my work. Yes literally I was two block from work when it happened.

So car won't start. Electrical system seems ok but the engine will not turn over at all. Pull the air cleaner and it is soaking wet. Pull the little drip catcher on the intake snorkel and it is full of water.

Next I call the roadside assistance people to get a tow to the dealer. They tell me it should be about noon when the tow truck arrives to get my car. Well long story short they arrive at 4pm and don't have the correct straps for my car. After another hour of waiting for the straps they do arrive, and they manage to load the car onto the roll back without ripping any body parts off. That is the only good news of the day.

It does not stop there, oh no. I am ridding along in the tow truck to the dealer and within sight of the dealer the tow truck starts blowing massive cloud’s of black smoke out the exhaust. We stop at a gas station and they call their supervisor who tells them to limp the truck over to the dealer. We finally make it there and unload the car. Of course by that time they are closed and I had to go in this morning to tell them what happened.

So I am hear waiting for them to call me back and tell me how bad the damage is. I am terrified that if it is hydro locked that a piston rod will be bent. What are the odds that this is the case? Not actually posting to get help just commiseration. Thanks for listening, reading.

Hoping for the best. Jon

If it sputtered I doubt hydrolock, think positive! Welcome to the party, keep us informed.

If the air filter got soaked, it probably won't get enough air to start.

Hopefully it's minor, good luck.

So the guy that pulled you out pulled you all the way to work? The car has never turned since it stalled in the water?

That is a concern.

NOHOME Yep, it won't even turn the engine over, Just clicks the starter solenoid and nothing. I did gently roll the car forward with it in gear and the clutch in and then let out the clutch to see if that would turn the engine over. Nope, locked up solid.

Shiznit,My condolences, have you contacted insurance?

The first thing I did was contact my insurance

Just heard from the dealer, the engine needs to be replaced I am kind of glad that I don't have to worry about them fixing it and having problems later.

Sorry to hear about that, but maybe they could sneak in one of those nice 305 hp STi motors?

jstein77 wrote: Sorry to hear about that, but maybe they could sneak in one of those nice 305 hp STi motors?

Should be easy to get approved by SOA. The WRX FA20DIT may be a better fit.

I mainly want to make sure the work is done properly and my car is returned to the condition it was in before the water got her. That is fun to say out loud, water got her, water got her.

Will insurance cover this? Essentially, it was an accident while the vehicle was being operated, similar to a deer strike.

In reply to Woody:

Yes. Insurance should cover this. To OP I would contact them ASAP to make sure they are involved in the process from the beginning with the dealer.

Keep us posted on how and if insurance handles this. Im curious.

In reply to Woody:

I think so. I've had a friend in a similar situation, and insurance covered it without any issue.

Sorry to hear that, sounds like a very crappy day indeed. Hopefully everything works out ok with your insurance co.

I remember one time in college the intersection up the street from the place I was living in at the time flooded with probably 2+ feet of standing water when the storm drains clogged during a rain storm. My car-guy buddy and I were having fun watching drivers negotiate the water hazard when one particularly cavalier individual in this era Chevy Malibu came bombing into the intersection, only to stop dead smack dab in the middle of the lake. After watching him try to restart the car several times to no avail, we went over to offer assistance, thinking for sure that he had hydro-locked it and getting absolutely drenched in the process. It was at that point we found out he had a cold air intake with the filter mounted maybe 8" above the pavement.

After pushing the car to safety, we left him with the parting words "Well, I guess that's what you get for putting a CAI on a Malibu."

I should add, so that I sound like less of an shiny happy person than I do above, that the Malibu was seen cruising around campus again within a week, so clearly the damage was not totally catastrophic. The guy was also pretty good natured about it, and was quite into cars himself. We would later find out the bright yellow 260Z we would regularly see around campus was also his.

I have been keeping the insurance company informed on what is going on the whole time. Figured that would be best. Currently waiting for the adjuster to go look at the car.

I asked the service manager about how long it would take to fix and he said the actual replacement should take 3 to 4 days but some times the insurance company drags things out trying to find the replacement engine. I have had good luck with my current insurance company so hopefully they don't jerk me around on the replacement motor.

What are everyone’s thoughts on a reman engine versus used engine of the same or less miles, ~21,000?

My wife drove into a pond-sized puddle with her 2.4 swapped Neon running a shortened Iceman / Mopar Performance intake. It swallowed enough to hydrolock it. Insurance paid the claim promptly and with no quibbles.

I hope everything works out for you!

jonsteckelberg wrote: What are everyone’s thoughts on a reman engine versus used engine of the same or less miles, ~21,000?

Remanufactured.

I flooded my 89 sundance last year on the way too work in about 30 inches of water i didnt see til too late. Towed out and let it sit until lunch and it fired right back up. I thought for sure i was going to be hunting down a new 2.5

Just heard back from the insurance company. No damage other than the engine. All electrical systems check out fine. The adjuster said the engine oil was full of water so time to replace engine. They found a 7,000 mile engine from LKQ that they will be using. So far process has been smooth, keep your fingers crossed.

Woody wrote:

jonsteckelberg wrote: What are everyone’s thoughts on a reman engine versus used engine of the same or less miles, ~21,000?

Remanufactured.

2nded.... New means the engine has not been run through any heat cycles, reman it has. The reman block/heads will be more stable now.

Are the re-manufacturing your engine? If not... try to keep the old heads... just ask if you can keep the old engine.... if they agree....

I'd love to take a real close look at the heads...