URGENT Water gone into CAI...Car not starting.

[MK4Golf]

FML...with all this massive amount of rain in QLD I hit a puddle on a blind corner, my car was surging intermittently for about 20mins. I have a long CAI down to the front bumper and ****ting myself that water has gotten into the engine.

I avoided puddles the whole way home but then it just died when it was under load going up a hill. It now wont start at all unless I rev it then it blows white smoke and dies again. After it did start and die I did smell a tiny bit of a burning smell.

Is there anything else I should check with the golfs? JCIA should cover it but still don't want that. It is on a side street, I am going to go back to it tomorrow and see if it starts.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[JustCruisn]

Call racq.
You really need to know there is no water in the engine.

[type 17]

Pretty much if there is enough water in the cylinders then your connection rods will bend the minute you turn it over, killing your motor, so be careful.

If you have a small amount of water in the cylinder it may not be a huge problem take out your spark plugs and leave them disconnected from the coil packs, then turn it over and see if water comes spluttering out of the holes. It can sometimes be cleared out like this

Though you should first disconnect your intake pipework and clean it out of any water, including your MAF, Intake Manifold, and Throttle Body. The MAF sensor may not allow you engine to fire properly if it is soaked or dirty, as it will be getting false readings

after the whole tract is cleared out, and the engine is OK'd you should change your oil and filter, inspect the head, and you would be good to go.

If you have a large amounts of water in there, im sorry to say but the chances are, youve already bent a rod, as water will not compress like air does, the piston has no where to go and the rod just levers on the gudgeon pin until it bends, or snaps

However, based on what you are saying about it actually running a little, means that it is probably the inlet tract needing to be cleared out. Unless you are hearing really bad noises, you should have an intact bottom end. Another however unlikely possibility is the the puddle has supercooled either the head or block and caused a crack or head gasket failure. But i would say the smoke out the back is because you are revving it cold when the cat isn't yet warm. Or the left over water in the engine is vapourising and turning into steam.

Good luck,

[MK4Golf]

Thanks mate, that's incredibly helpful. I will change oil and filter. It is starting and running but cuts power under load. Not sure why. Checked oil just before and no water and not cloudy which is a good sign. I will pull out spark plugs now.

[MK4Golf]

After an oil change and taking spark plugs out and turning over the car is running fine. Thanks type 17.

[h100vw]

Was there anything in the oil?

Any water that got as far as the cylinders, would disappear quickly during combustion. Assuming there wasn't much in there. More than a few cc's would most likely cause hydro lock.

If you sucked some up, it would have to go through the MAF, turbo, pipework, intercooler and throttle body before making it to the cylinder. Unless the inlet was under water for good while I find that unlikely.

Not that, that explains your surging.

Gavin

[MK4Golf]

No water in oil at all.

When I pulled off pod filter there was a lot of water sitting in the bottom of it. Cleaned it all out, there was also a bit of water around the MAF, cleaned that with contact cleaner and seems to now not be surging. Guessing it wasn't reading properly.

Now have air filter in engine bay.

[Jmac]

Im assuming you have a Turbo, sorry couldnt see what model you have , thats probably saved you, it takes a lot as the water has a fair way to go to reach the combustion chamber, sounds like a minimal amount did, Mist on the MAf could upset it, if it had been NAturally aspirated it would have stopped for good. Lucky, hope its all good now. It really doesnt take much at all.
Was hard to miss the water around town hey.
Cheers
Jmac

[MK4Golf]

Yea it is turbo. Hoping its all good, got a good dry out today anyway.

It was!! I was so cautious the whole way home then came around a corner and the water was up over the gutter and kind of all blended in and you couldnt tell and BOOM everywhere, then started surging.