squampton

Ok so yesterday I was out dicking around in my 4runner since we got a whole lot of rain. I found this fair sized mud/water puddle and decided to drive through it. I had a fair amount of speed hitting it because I wasn't quite sure how deep it was and I'm glad i didn't hit it with no speed because my whole engine probably would have been submerged in water for a long time if i got stuck in the middle of it. Anyways with the speed I hit it at I was almost able to make it out but then my engine just died as I think some water may have got in my air intake from hitting it with speed and making a wave over the front of my truck (check photo). Today I checked my cold air intake today and the filter was a bit damp but not soaking and there was a very small pool of water underneath the filter.

After I stalled in the puddle my front end was out of the water but the water was still up to my bumper (check photo). I was then towed out and my truck wouldn't even turn over but I still had battery power. About 10-20 mins later I got my buddy to try to jump start me and after about 5 tries it started up and ran alright and a whole bunch of steam was coming from my exhaust pipe. Would that steam be from the water in the muffler/catalytic converter? Also later that night after work I took my 4runner for a drive and it was running like crap everytime I accelerated hard going highway speed and residential speed. It was kind of sputtering and bucking a bit but it never stalled.

When I started it this morning it blew a little bit of white steam which im guessing is the left over condensation in the exhaust. Today I was ripping around town just testing it and it runs perfect, no bucking or sputtering anymore during hard acceleration or idle and no more white steam coming from the exhaust during startup.

So what I'm asking is how much water could have got in my air intake and will it do any harm? Or did it just make it to the air filter and hopefully not the engine? I think the sputtering and bucking was from having some water under the distributor cap and the cylinders must have been misfiring from that but I think all of that moisture under the cap has dried up as my runner is running great right now. I am kind of worried right now and wondering if my 4runner will be ok as I just bought it two days ago?

Oh yeah, my 4runner is a 1990 v6 5speed 4x4.

myyota

Consider yourself lucky that your 4Runner is running ok now, you could have easily hydro locked the engine. As long as its running ok now you should be fine.

squampton

My 4runner is actually running great now and the oil is showing no signs of water. So does that mean I'm in the clear? I'm thinking it may have only been the TPS sensor that got some condensation in it and that is what maybe caused the bucking at high RPM's. Because the water I was in only was up to the bumper at the deepest so maybe a bit was sucked into the cold air intake.

HighLux

looks like it....id check the trans fluid....front and rear diff fluid...and tranfer case fluid. just to be safe.


You are lucky....that puddle could of destroyed your motor in a heartbeat.

squampton

Wow thats good to know. I will think first about hitting any type of puddle just for fun now.

So if my truck was hydro locked would I know if it was right away? Like it wouldn't run at all after getting jumpstarted? Because it is two days after the puddle incident and I am still kind of worried, even know my truck runs great and I've been driving to school and around town without any problems.

myyota

If your truck was hydro locked you would know it right a way, and you sure wouldn`t be driving it to school, in fact you wouldn`t be driving it any were, you would be looking for a new engine.

squampton

Ok thanks for the info. I will be changing the oil and checking the compression this weekend. Now I know it was a close call, hopefully the runner will be fine and I will try to avoid puddles until I get a lift kit and a air intake through the roof .

matt mildbrandt

the same exact thing happend to my 86 4runner. i hit a puddle with to much speed and stalled in the middle of it becasue of the water being sucked into my intake, i got pulled out and tryed starting it but it wouldnt turn over(still had battery power). later that night a removed the sparkplugs and turned it over and it shot water at least 15 feet out of the holes! i did that a few times to get the water out of the cylinders. put the plugs back in and it started up, it was a little rough riding after that but soon went away. i changed out the diff, tranny and motor oil and there was water in all of them....about a month later the engine blew. im guessing from the water bending a rod dureing its last stroke before it stalled.

COridinhigh

i also had the same issue hittin the puddle, this one was a good 4 feet deep and again wasnt sure, and it started boggin and i actually came out of the hole and i have the factory airbox so i decided to take off the dis cap and it was full of water, got it dry fired it up sputtering for a minute and it was fine. here in colorado they have a strict rule about hitting mud in the mountains due to erosion problems. but city limits its fine.

rattlewagon

x2. Did the same thing way back when and ended up blowing the headgasket because of a little bit of water in the engine. If it runs good now, I say your good!

COridinhigh

speak of the devil, i had to pull a buddie outa the local mud hole, he hit it a little bit hard and his intake filter was dripping wet (ford ranger) and we pulled plugs and nothing, after looking and checking everything we found out the distributor was loose and it retarded itself all the way. dont know how that happend but it did

pat

Ant954

Guys i did it this time and need help...I cant post a thread because i dont have 15 posts yet but anyways. Last night i was out and got in a river made it across fine well on the way back water level rose and i dunked under to the headlights. after a samurai and 83 yota winched me out i cant get any fire. Checked the distrubitor and dried it, still nothin anyone have any ideas..There was about 8 inches water in the cab!!!!

COridinhigh

check 3 things- spark, timing, and fuel......... if it turns over

dont forget, water doesnt compress.