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?

Were you panicking a bit when you stalled? I seem to stall when im stressed. Reversing for another car is never fun. The two may not be linked.

I would just phone a local garage tomorrow and ask their advice. You could book it in for a service and ask them to check it over at the same time.

She restarted it fine and drove home fine, though?

That doesn't mean there's no damage.

As a former driving instructor, I've never had trouble driving through deep puddles in an ordinary car. (I did once accidentally buy a Peugeot that had been water damaged, and the dealer had covered this up, so it does happen.) Here are my tips for driving through very big puddles:

• The water is often shallowest in the middle of the road, and deep at the edges, as most roads slope up in the middle. Drive in the middle of the road to get through a flood; sometimes this means you have to let oncoming traffic through first. (Do not swerve in front of oncoming traffic to avoid a flood.)
• Go through VERY SLOWLY. It is tempting to go through as quickly as you can, but this makes the water spray upwards underneath the car. By going through slowly, you do not disturb the water so much, and it is less likely to cause damage.
• After going through the water, test your brakes by stopping, but be aware of traffic behind you.
• Be aware of pedestrians when there are big puddles. If you cannot avoid a puddle, slow right down.

If the engine is damaged by water, this is likely to happen immediately.

A separate problem is that after heavy rain, it can be difficult to start the engine on an older car after it has sat in rain overnight: this is because of dampness in the components, rather than water damage. Some people advocate spraying WD40 over the engine to cure this, which I have done occasionally; I don't know if this is a good idea though.

Was there any water in your car @Unddd? It’s not so much the engine that’s the worry, it’s the electrics. If there was no water in your car, I think you’ll be ok.

Drive very slowly so the water doesn't splash up into the engine.

Never drive through puddles so deep the exhaust is submerged.

All cars have wading depths. It's just for many cars it's more of a measure of how deep a puddle you can get through. It's a good idea to know your wading depth, but it's only half useful, as you often can't actually see how deep flooded roads are. Useful if you've managed to see other cars get safely through though.

BMWs are notorious for being bad in flooded conditions, as the air intake for the engine tends to be very low down (even in their SUV models). And you really don't want water being sucked into the engine via that. When I had my BMW, I didn't drive through any water higher than the kerb, as I know my ability to estimate measurements is poor and it wasn't worth the risk!

@Neinneinnein it would never occur to me get my car checked over because there might be damage when it runs perfectly fine 🤷‍♀️

I'm wondering how knowing the wading depth of your car translates into practicality. Does one get out of the car and wade through the puddle to check the depth for suitability before attempting?

Really?
You don't ever get a service or an MOT?

You sit and watch other braver drivers have a go first usually!! 😂White van men or 4x4 drivers are usually a good bet. As they drive slowly through, you can usually see the depth from the wash they create. Or if there is a kerb, that helps you estimate.

In the dark, on my own, I'd turn around and find an alternative route if the water was higher than the kerb and couldn't estimate.

Alternatively, yes, you could go wading if you really wanted / it was an emergency.

Knowing the exact depth is probably moot, but it's a good idea to know if your car is a type that's going to be particularly poor in flood water.

@Neinneinnein you know that's not what I was referring to 🙄

I meant if I'd driven through floodwater and my car was driving as normal, it wouldn't occur to me to go and get it looked at?

Right, well I disagree.
There could well be other damage from water and dirt.

There could be, but it still wouldn't occur to me to rush to a garage if my car was working fine with no warning lights or anything on the dashboard.

You're not supposed to restart a car if it stalls in flood water so really OP has already done the risky bit.

This is what we were advised to do in Iceland (where fords are frequent)... Not just to check the depth but also to check for unseen rocks or debris.

driving through water would provide more resistance against the he car moving forward so it is easier to stall ( like driving uphill) so it could be due to driver error. The fact it is still starting and driving ok suggests this is the most likely explanation.

Apparently water covering the exhaust can cause the engine to stalk too I think.

As previous posters have said if water was deep enough to get into the air intake you can suck water into the engine and even cause hydrolock.

Get it checked but I wouldn't panic yet.

Good advice.

I might add drive through water in low gear and high revs so if water gets near the exhaust pipe it wont flow inwards

This spring I saw 'white van man bailing out his vehicle after driving it into water under a railway bridge. My local knowledge told me that the water would be deep there and there was nothing eg the centreline of the road showing that might indicate how deep it was so I would have stayed well away

Have not gone through whole thread do apologies if this has been done to death, but the thing with driving through water is the air intake which usually sits at the top of the radiator of the car.

so, drive SLOWLY through deep water, and make sure that the water doesn’t go over the top of the bonnet.

I know the water didn’t go above the level of where you step to get in the car (sorry don’t know the actual name for that bit!). But other than that I don’t know how high it was

OP, I wouldn't worry.

Your car drove fine last night and presumably has no warning lights on or issues with the electrics? If there was damage, you'd likely not have been able to start it again yesterday.

Just to add to this - it's actually pretty difficult to assess how deep flood-water is particularly at night so best avoided altogether

This shows how water can be much deeper than it appears.

Just be aware also, that you might be driving slowly and carefully though flood water that is below your own ‘wading depth’, but if a gung-ho 4x4 with a snorkel charges through from the other end and creates a bow wave …. You’re sunk

have seen it happen

@Unddd Just keep an eye on the car when driving it today and I am sure it will be fine - if you receive any warnings then call a main dealer of whatever make it is.

The fact the car started and has been driven is a good sign, yes there may be some damage but not likely.

For those asking about the wading depth of cars, some do nave a designated maximum wading depth which my possibly be displayed on a screen internally, others (probably non SUV) will have a max depth somewhere in the handbook.

Sometimes there are deep puddles to go through, very slowly is sensible with the caveat if you are not sure do not go through.

Try not to worry unduly OP I think you will be ok. If the car started and the brakes are working, feel no different then that should be it.