I live in Okinawa Japan and we just got slammed with a Typhoon yesterday! I had my car parked in the street like many others and the street drains got clogged with debri from the storm and my car got flooded majorily by the rain water! There is still alot of water in there and man does it stink ALREADY! How do I go about getting the rest of the water out and cleaning this up or is it a loss?
2007-07-14 04:43:57 · 7 answers · asked by lil mami 4 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
#1 Do not start your car
Depending on what kind of car it is there should be some drain plugs on the bottom of the car. These sometimes look like little plastic caps that you can pry off with a screwdriver. Otherwise it might be time to get a shop vac and get the water out like that. Consider taking the carpet out and letting it dry in the sun. You will have to unbolt the seats and remove them, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to let them dry in the sun as well.
Now for the fun part. :)
Check the engine oil. If it looks like a vanilla milkshake then water got into the engine. Even if not there could be water, it needs to mix a little to get that milkshake look to it. Drain the oil out and change the filter if so. Then take to spark plugs out and crank the engine over. This will clear any water in the intake out of the engine safely(well as good as it gets I suppose). Water does not compress very well so it will cause damage if you start the cars engine and it still has water in it. If there is water when you drain it, do another oil cange after a few mins of running on fresh oil.
The transmission/transaxle will also need to be checked for water. Drain the fluid and replace. Also the rear axle(for rear wheel drive cars) has oil in it that could have been flooded.
Basicly change all the fluids before you start driving around again. Water does funny things to the inside of car parts. :)
2007-07-14 05:04:12 · answer #1 · answered by 2cute 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have a major problem.
1. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY
2. Remove the entire interior. May want to remove the drain covers from the floor pans
3. Scrub out floor boards
4. Clean the seats. If water submerged the seats, may want to remove upholstery and work some soap into the foam.
5. Remove all fuses & relays, locate the computer & unplug
6. Drain all fluids from engine, transmission & diff and replace with new.
Allow ample time to dry. Replace all electrical connections & try starting. If everything functions, then replace the interior.
Good luck. . .
_ _ _
2007-07-14 11:56:53 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i was working in a shop in NC when hurricane floyd hit.there is a lot of work ahead of you.first thing is to take all the seats and carpet out.open all the windows and let everything dry out.spray the interior with lysol or some kind of disinfectant to keep mold from growing.don't worry about electronics until you are sure the car is dry.then it's just wait and see what does not work and replace it.there is a reason why NC requires a disclouser on the title if a vehicle has been flooded
2007-07-14 11:59:20 · answer #3 · answered by wrenchr2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm so sorry about the trouble...and this is gona be a deal.you need to drain all the oiland water out of the engine,transfer case and get some water remover and put in engine and transfer case... it did'nt hurt it if you didnt run it when it flooded,but if you kept on running the engine and did untill it died,the damage is done badly.... the water ,if it gets on top of the piston,will bend a rod,and mess things up bad... but if you didn't take it to a shope and they will flush out the remaining water... and the smell of the water will be in that car for such a long time,if you don't know the right people with the right stuff to get the smell out... i did that to one of my cars one time,and i never got the smell out,especially when it got humid and a hot day.. it just came out..... i'm sorry for the mess..........and it sure is one,too,huh?
2007-07-14 11:54:47 · answer #4 · answered by jcr 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would be my suggestion to remove the seats and carpet. Under the carpet you may find plugs that you can remove to help drain the rest of the water out. The carpet could be Shop Vacuumed and left in a warm airy place to dry.
2007-07-14 11:48:26 · answer #5 · answered by Arthur S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are going to have to replace the carpet and the padding at least.
Maybe more depending on how wet it all got.
Once mold sets in there is not much you can do but trash it.
Let the car air out after removing the carpet/padding.
You can still drive it.
2007-07-14 11:47:57 · answer #6 · answered by cgriffin1972 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is a loss most fllod cars dont last long after they been filled with water. the electronics will give out . your car is really a loss . i had a honda accord that got flooded and after that i spent too much money tryng to get it running right again .talk to your insurance company and see what they say.
2007-07-14 11:50:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋