Stalled twice in massive flooding, please can anyone help?! Is it safe to drive after this?

[Unddd]

Just that really… got stuck in huge floods last night and a couple of times the engine stalled (trying to get round another car on a small lane and another time reversing to let someone through) in big pools of water which seemed deep though I don’t know exactly how deep. It was very stressful and I’ve been reading online that you absolutely shouldn’t stall in water like that? I’m on my own with small dc and feel so horrendously stressed about this. Is it safe to drive?

Where are you? How far from home? If you got the engine going again there's no reason not to carry on but test your brakes if you're clear of the water now. What have you been told will happen from stalling in water?

Op each car has a water wading depth what's yours?

Did you stall the car or did the car stall due to water?

If you didn't cause the stall, then the engine may have sucked in water and by running it, you will kill the engine

Unfortunately nobody here can give you a definite answer OP.
The reality is though that driving through deep water can definitely cause problems for components of the engine.
How deep was the water?
Did you stall due to it being stressful or was it the water?
I'd probably err on the side of caution and call recovery, largely because I'm a 'rather be too cautious' type, but others might disagree.

@Jukeboxjive hi how can I find this out?

Sorry I think my OP was confusing, this happened last night and I drove back last night but have been worried all night Shiite damage that may have been caused?

Who knows that? I've never even heard that term but even if the OP does know shes been in water that she doesn't know the depth of

I don't think anyone can tell you if your car is OK, are you safely home now?

@araiwa it felt like it was me not like the water did it

What make and model of car do you have? Look up the manual online.

I'd be inclined to get it checked over by a mechanic OP, but I'm the cautious type (as already stated).

If you managed to drive it home okay then it sounds like you're in probably fine.

Agreed if you got it home it will be fine. If you wad got water in the engine you would have known by now.

OP we went through deep water once and the car died for good straight away - I think if you managed to drive on you’ll be fine! No expert but just from our own experience.

@DreamW3aver @Jukeboxjive

We had massive flooding all around us last year so I learned my cars wading depth just Google car make and model.
One of our cars is higher than the other.

Water into engine is usually a killer. It's good that you drove it home it might mean you didn't draw water in but yes, book it into a garage asap and get it checked.

Be aware that depending on the circumstances, your insurance may not cover you.

@Unddd if it is still flooded outside, dont go out! simple!! should not have even risked driving in it last night!

This happened to me, got home and then left my car for 5 days or so (was away) and it was absolutely fine.

Some cars have 'wading depths' generally 4x4 type cars as they are designed for that use. Standard road cars are not intended to go 'wading' flood water and deep puddles should be avoided, if the car has stalled then restarted it could be water in electrics possibly water in engine. A trip to the garage may be in order

If the car had been damaged it wouldn’t have restarted. I had a car which always stopped it went through any kind of water and it wouldn’t restart until it dried out!!!
You did well to negotiate all that.

If you got home then it’s fine.

i got totally stuck in a flood once, engine died in over a foot of water once. I got the car towed to the garage as I knew you’re not supposed to restart it. No idea what they did, pulled parts of my engine to bits and poured water out by the sound of it and charged me £200. Car has been fine since. You’re past that point of needing water pouring out of it though, or maybe the water was never that deeply in the engine.

The danger is the water can bend/mishape some moving parts of the engine and if this happens it’s instantly terminal…..new engine time. But the engine wouldn’t work if this had happened and yours is working.

If it was you that stalled it and not the water then I think you've probably got away with it.
The don't drive in deep water thing is cos the car can suck the water in and then combustion stops and the engine is buggered.
I think if you managed to drive home you have avoided this fate so unlikely you got a serious issue to worry about.
When is the service due? Could you get it serviced and ask them to check it while they're at it?

Not quite true.
Water or dirt could still have caused damage. 😔

Hi, I work for the Environment Agency, in flood risk management.

We recommended that you don't drive through flood water. You don't know what's beneath. Even on familiar roads, flood water can scour out potholes and lift grates and manhole covers to create unseen holes in the road.

If you must drive through, don't go deeper than axle deep( your can is unlikely to float at these depths. This is about 30 cm on most road cars, obviously less if yiu have smaller wheels.

Floor water also brings with it all sorts of other debris, and you don't know what you're driving over. Driving through flood water also creates a bow wave that can I push water forward at speed and cause damage "downstream".

Don't go deeper than exhaust pipe depth, this is a way for flood water to get into your engine. Check your own car if it is higher than your axles.

Seeing as how you have driven through a made it, then I think your car will be ok. Check your tyres for anything sharp that you may have driven through in the flood water.

Insurers differ as to whether they cover you for damage resulting from driving though flood water.

I'm glad you are home safer @Unddd

Can vipers swim?

Get it checked out. I once drove through a flood (in a fairly oldish car) on my way to the M25 and the cam belt snapped when I was driving in the middle lane and thankfully I managed to steer to the hard shoulder where I was for 3hrs on a dark December morning with an 8yr old and a chinchilla! The car was a write off