Problem - Car caught in a Floodand won't start.



  • its just something someone told me once…

    hope it helps



  • Doh! still wont turn, just repeated clicking noise… Anything else I can quickly try?



  • have you tried bump starting it? take the starter out play..

    if it starts by bumping it then you'll know the problem is with the starter



  • Well 6 months ago just after it got flooded and before the battery drained in my garage, the starter motor was fine, but the engine would not start. The recovery people had a go and it sounded like it was gonna go one time, but just cut out again, so maybe there is water in the CAT like someone said…

    However, I thought it might be worth trying it again, unfortunately the car is in my garage, at the bottom of a hill, so there is no chance of bump starting it :(

    Is there any way to check if water got in the CAT?



  • right then, as I see it with an engine you need fuel, air, and spark!
    so make sure you have these.
    with the cat the only way to find out is to take the thing off. it maybe blocked as well!



  • best solution is to throw out the engine and get a ze/de :P



  • that's the easy way out lol :wink: :lol:



  • it might be the engine siezing, i know on a mates it did the same (different car) so we just turned the bottom pulley with a long bar and socket then it turned over fine.

    or try putting it in gear and getting a few mates to rock it, or basically try and push start it with a few mates help, this will force the engine to turn over especially with harsh use of the clutch, if the car stops dead in its tracks (literally making the wheels skid) when you let the clutch up you'll most probably have to get a long bar on the bottom pulley



  • so is it fixed and do we have a happy camper again?



  • No…I have a lot of work to do yet, and not too much time!

    One question about the starter before I take it out...Is it possible that my battery is fcked and thats why starter aint working?

    Its just that its been drained for ages and ive recharged it a few times and was thinking maybe the voltage aint what it used to be...

    How hard is it to take the cat off? I have a custom exhaust that goes from CAT-back, will that make a difference>?



  • yes its entirely possible, but you'd still usually be able to atleast turn it over taking it straight off charge, personally i dont think the problem lies in the starter itself, the car not starting is nothing to do with the cat



  • to remove the cat, its only 4 nuts, however they may/will be seized so a lot of wd40 and an extension on your ratchet! :D



  • breaker bar and air tools make it all so much easier :)



  • @9b8df63809=Unicorn:

    yes its entirely possible, but you'd still usually be able to atleast turn it over taking it straight off charge, personally i dont think the problem lies in the starter itself, the car not starting is nothing to do with the cat

    Well first thing is to take the starter off tomorrow then and try and fix it…I know it's not the main problem, as I tried starting the car loads of times when the starter WAS working and the engine wouldn't have it. BUT, without a working starter motor, I have no way of testing if the actual engine is working, as have no room to bump start it!

    Are you sure it would not be water in the CAT Unicorn? If it's not that then do you have any idea of what else might have been effected by the water? It's not the spark plugs, the water didn't get that high and it's not the air supply either.

    What should I do to fix this starter motor once I've removed it?

    Thanks for all the help, i'd be f***ed without you guys! If I can get it working again I will be over the moon, I love that car!



  • you can't really fix the starter, just buy another from the scrappy, but like i said i don't think the problem lies in the starter itself, i think the engine needs loosening, it could be somethings simply rusted to the flywheel, or the battery like you said.

    the cat is only part of the exhaust system, the engine would still work…in a manner even with the exhaust taken off from the cat

    like i keep saying you need get the engine to turn over first, and i think it may be the fuel pump, or atleast the wiring like i said on another page



  • @67a91e6898=Unicorn:

    you can't really fix the starter, just buy another from the scrappy, but like i said i don't think the problem lies in the starter itself, i think the engine needs loosening, it could be somethings simply rusted to the flywheel, or the battery like you said.

    the cat is only part of the exhaust system, the engine would still work…in a manner even with the exhaust taken off from the cat

    like i keep saying you need get the engine to turn over first, and i think it may be the fuel pump, or atleast the wiring like i said on another page

    So how can I get the engine to turn over without the starter? or do I need to order a new starter before doing anything else?

    The battery is buggered i think, as I just went to check it after a night hooked up to the mains charger and the voltage across it is still only 11.88…

    About the engine, the day after it was flooded the engine wouldn't start, the AA were trying to get it going, but had no luck and nothing would have rusted together in 24hours.



  • the voltage is sufficent, its Amps you need to look for, basically the amps are what pushes the voltage, like if you get struck by a quarter of a million volts of lightning, chances are you'd survive as theres few amps in it :wink:

    first i'd try getting a long bar and a socket on the bottom pulley and turn the engine manually to make sure its free, or until its free, the engine wouldn't be able to fire up while doing this…but keep it off anyway, only when i know the engine moves freely (although it is quite hard) would i look into getting a different starter or battery :wink:

    I know the story of the car, but its been sat in a garage for quite a while now, i know when i left mine out in the cold for 3 days the starter wouldn't turn it till i put a jump lead straight from the battery to the starter



  • @7b2536ab39=Unicorn:

    first i'd try getting a long bar and a socket on the bottom pulley and turn the engine manually to make sure its free, or until its free

    Thanks man, sorry if i sound stupid, but I have no idea where the bottom pulley is…I'm guessing its pretty low in the engine, is it better to do this from underneath the car or from above?



  • its better to do it from underneath, you know where the cambelt is? well its the pulley at the bottom of that, the cambelt goes around it turning the bottom end of the engine, its a big pulley, you can't really miss it, i dont think its covered up as the auxilary belt goes to it too, the one that powers the alternator, water pump and aircon




  • It's just under the bottom red circle in that pic, but that pic shows the crank without the pulley attached.

    It has two belts running off it, should be pretty obvious now you know where :)


 

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