Disaster strikes

M

M Darrah

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My car's been a victim of the heaviest rainfall in Chicago area history. I went out today to take it for a spin and noticed signs of major flooding in my parking lot. We've had these about three or four times over the last ten years and my car was never bothered because it sat on a high point in the lot. Anyway, not this time.

By all accounts, it sat in knee deep water for an unknown amount of time. There was a clear line of debris (grass clippings and mulch) stuck to the tire about even with the top of the wheel. Needless to say I was not looking forward to seeing the inside. I opened the door expecting water to come rushing out, but there was "only" about an inch of standing water in the floor.

Further survey revealed:

The carpet at the bottom of the door was dry, so the water never got above the door sills inside. I felt under the seats and the foam wasn't wet. So it looks like the door seals kept most of the water out.

The passenger seat back was in the fully reclined position and the controls do not respond. Nor does the drivers seat, although luckily it's in the normal driving position. I checked the fuses, and the #12 (passenger seat) was blown, but replacing it didn't restore seat control. Obviously the wiring harnesses or maybe the motors got soaked and are shorting out.

After checking the engine oil for water, I started it up and it started and ran just fine... although it spewed out about two gallons of water out the tail pipes. :(

It drives normally, no message center alerts. I did notice that the seat belt warning light was on. Jiggling the "male" part of the belt got rid of it for now.

I took it to the car wash and vacuumed out most of the water from the carpets, but of course they're still very damp. I couldn't get under the seats because I couldn't move them of course.

So...

I've decided it would be prudent to pull the seats and carpet and dry everything out. I'm also looking for suggestions on what else to do and what to look for. Hidden areas that can hold water, things like that. And of course tips on dealing with the electrical gremlins. Do these things usually "fix themselves" after drying or am I looking at buying another set of seat tracks?
 
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That's insane... :mad:

weather sucks :D

let me know if you have any ideas on dealing with the 'wet' smell... :rolleyes:
 
OMG... how awful! :(

I would suspect water in the differential, possibly the transmission, so be sure to check them both.
 
Sonofa... I didn't even think about the tranny, let alone the diff. Now that I've read about what water does to trannies, that's now top priority. I thought the tranny was pretty well sealed up, but apparently it's not. If water's in there and I drove it, then it's toast.

I read that the fluid will look like a "strawberry milkshake" if water is in it. If I check it tomorrow and it looks normal can I relax, or can it still be contaminated and not show to the naked eye? Do repair shops have a surefire way to test for water?

As for the differential, will I need to remove the cover and drain it or can I check the fluid via the fill hole?


I'm still a bit mystified that more water didn't get inside the car. I suppose the "debris lines" on the tires could have been washed up by a passing car. Wishful thinking probably.

UGH!
 
Very sorry to hear this Marc.

Yes, I'd check the trans fluid for the milkshake look and a higher than normal level. Same with the diff, open the fill hole and look for any fluid coming out. Put
your finger or a plastic straw in and look at the fluid.

When you take the seats and carpet out, you should be able to see how high the water went. Look for any wire connectors under the water line, disconnect them, and dry them out along with everything else.

For the seats, when you get them out, I'd take the modules apart first and dry them out, and check for corrosion on the boards. If it looks like the motors got wet, I'd take them apart and dry them too.

Let us know what you find.
 
will your insurance cover any of the damage? If so i would let the pros handle it.
Good luck
 
Both the transmission and differential have vents. It's whether or not the water was over the vents.

If it were mine, even if the fluids checked normal, I would think about draining and flushing with new fluid just to be sure.

Could you determine any other water mark that would validate the depth of the water? Have you checked the normal drains as in the doors and quarter panels? How 'bout the spare tire well?

Funny side note... I was watching Top Gear and there was an episode where they filled test car passenger compartments with water and drove them to see which would go the furthest. The later model Fiero with 'electronics' didn't even get off the starting line while an old school Buick Roadmaster Wagon (of all things) hilariously won with over 2500 gallons sloshing around. :fart
 
Well, the trans fluid isn't milky, although I could see a few tiny bubbles clinging to the indicator under the fluid. Not sure if that's normal or not, but probably not. On a side note, the fluid was about a half quart low, which obviously has nothing to do with the water. I took care of that. I think I'm gonna try to take off work tomorrow to get all the fluids flushed.

I'm not sure what to do about the seats. I can't get to the rear bolts to get them out of the car, and of course I can't move the seats. The carpets are only damp now, so I'm gonna keep trying over the next couple days to see if the controls magically start working again. Worst-case, I'll have to replace the tracks and possibly some wiring harnesses.

For what it's worth, the spare tire well was dry, and I can't find anything else to indicate how high the water actually got. Another thing that occurred to me was the air ride compressor. If it got submerged, will I need to replace the dryer, or is it sealed up?
 
I think the suspension dryer will be OK. It's really a sealed unit. You may have issues with the vent solenoid - I've found them to not be so sealed.

The passenger seat on my '96 was a bear to remove when it quit working - it was positioned all the way back and down. If I remember, I was able to get an open end wrench in there for a 1/8th revolution each stroke. Painstakingly slow, but I eventually managed to get the seat out. Interestingly enough, I found nothing wrong and can only presume it was a bad harness connection.

From the sounds of things, I think the water may not have been as high as you first thought. I guess that's a good thing.
 
I'd stick a dehumidifier in the interior somehow (remove back seat bottom, and place it there), run a cord from the house, and let it do the job. If for some reason still will not move, you can take the cushion, and foam out, and access the bolts thru the top. I had to do it before on a broken seat. Not fun, but doable.
 
Mad1stGen said:
I'd stick a dehumidifier in the interior somehow (remove back seat bottom, and place it there), run a cord from the house, and let it do the job. If for some reason still will not move, you can take the cushion, and foam out, and access the bolts thru the top. I had to do it before on a broken seat. Not fun, but doable.
Click to expand...
DampRid is a good choice.
 
Looks like I dodged a bullet. Both the tranny fluid and the differential fluid checked out A-OK. Both were clean and crystal clear. I went ahead with the tranny flush, but left the diff alone. Now I just have to deal with the seats. Not too worried about that. Thanks for the suggestion on the DampRid. I'm gonna pick some up later today. A dehumidifier is out of the question unless I leave the car at Mike and Sharons's. Apartment life sucks big juicy donkey testicles.
 
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