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Need a little starting help?

3K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  delzy 
#1 ·
Hi all my name is david,
I just bought my son a 97 deville i think the starter may be bad but here are the probs.I got the car from a lady that drove it into some high water it stalled and she tried to restart it .she said it tried to turn over a couple of time then nada so she got it pulled home and let it dry out.her husband tried to start it a couple of weeks later and still nothing a new battery and still nothing.So here it is 6 mths later and we have the car.It eill be my sons first car but we need to get it running.Do you folks have any suggestions?Could it be the starter shorted out?If so how and where is it located it would be the first spot i guess to check.It does click when trying to turn it over,any help would be appreciated.
david
 
#2 ·
Hi all my name is david,
I just bought my son a 97 deville i think the starter may be bad but here are the probs.I got the car from a lady that drove it into some high water it stalled and she tried to restart it .she said it tried to turn over a couple of time then nada so she got it pulled home and let it dry out.her husband tried to start it a couple of weeks later and still nothing a new battery and still nothing.So here it is 6 mths later and we have the car.It eill be my sons first car but we need to get it running.Do you folks have any suggestions?Could it be the starter shorted out?If so how and where is it located it would be the first spot i guess to check.It does click when trying to turn it over,any help would be appreciated.
david
How high's the water Momma? Over the floor? Over the hood? Over the roof? Did it stop Kerchunk?
 
#4 ·
She said it was not over the hood but it was up to the front bumper.I pulled the plugs they looked fine it still would not crank though.I was just wondering if it might have blown a fuse or shorted the starter or solinoid?I cant even find the d#$%n starter on this thing.
 
#10 ·
Well it does look like it is locked up.I could not turn the thing at all.No oil leaks.so mayby i should try a rebuild?What do you folks think?I cant belive i did not try to turn the thing over i just figured the starter was shot!!!rack one up for dumb rass.Any thoughts folks?
david
 
#11 ·
well get those spark plugs out shoot some air in the cyclinders to clean the water out....get some WD-40 and coat those cyclinders good, let it sit overnight, then bet your biggest breaker bar out and start turning it get it so it is easy then use the starter as an assist, clean out those cyclinders before you reinstall the plugs....say a couple hail marys, sprinkle some holy water on it and pray no rods bent......
 
#12 ·
I can't remember where I heard it, but I want to say that there is some penetrating oil that is marketed for or does a good job at this exact thing. It uses the same process as the one tech described. Maybe it was here that I heard about it. There was a thread about a poor guy whos engine was hydrolocked and some butt-head laughed at him and the same thing happened to him.
 
#13 ·
If the engine hydrolocked it probably bent the connecting rods.

Did you drain the oil? If it hasn't been changed it should have water in it. If it's very clean it probably was changed. Hydrolocking locks the engine while the water is in the cylinders, once you get the water out it should spin. If it was left for months with the water in it the cylinders are probably rusty. The easiest fix would be a used engine.
 
#15 ·
If the engine hydrolocked it probably bent the connecting rods.

Did you drain the oil? If it hasn't been changed it should have water in it. If it's very clean it probably was changed. Hydrolocking locks the engine while the water is in the cylinders, once you get the water out it should spin. If it was left for months with the water in it the cylinders are probably rusty. The easiest fix would be a used engine.
That would be my vote it indeed it is hydrolocked.
 
#16 ·
With my 94 sts, I tried to start it up once and heard what was probably that same clicking noise.. it turned out to be that a couple of the 50 and 60 watt fuses in the fuse compartment under the hood were missing.. tho which circuits they were associated with I'm not too sure.

It seems possible that with the water sloshing up into the engine compartment, and all the electrical.. that maybe one of those fuses shorted out? Try checking the fuses if you haven't already, the 50/60 watts in particular. Worth a shot I guess.
 
#19 ·
1) I know the current owner's insc won't cover hydrolocking. I just threw that information in. Your insurance never covers previous damage (that I know of).

2) Ranger is right, my son did not immerse his Jeep. He hit standing water at about 50mph. The spray got sucked into the engine.
 
#20 ·
Sounds like hydrolock to me for sure. My brother did it last night in Central Florida to his 2000 BMW 740IL. He drove through about 14" of water at about 20 and when he pulled the plugs and moved the crank, out fell about a dozen grenade fragments. And by fragments, I mean chunks of aluminum block that were held in place by a broken connecting rod. Still waiting to hear what the ins. co. is going to do.

Anyway, putting liquid in the compression chamber is not the best practice.
 
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