Flooding: Before & After
Restoring Vital Services — Automobiles
If at all possible, move automobiles, trucks and other vehicles to higher ground before floodwater inundates your property. If you must drive in water, take care and drive slowly, as brakes, transmissions and engines could be damaged.
If your automobile is flooded out, it may be reconditioned, but will take time, patience and money. It should be restored to safe condition by reliable automotive repairmen.
The amount of reconditioning depends on how high the water got and how long the vehicle was flooded. Most vehicles can take only about one foot of flood water before damage occurs. Flood water contains silt and other debris and possibly salt. These contaminants seep into every opening and are difficult to remove.
If you are going to recondition the vehicle yourself, the following suggestions should be helpful but are not all-inclusive.
Washing
Start by removing the battery to avoid electrical shorts.
Wash and clean the vehicle inside and out and under the hood as soon as possible. Be careful not to let excessive water pressure damage parts of the vehicle and try not to get water into the engine air intake. Allow the vehicle to dry thoroughly. Use hair dryers and fans to help dry the vehicle, being careful of over heating and observing electrical safety.
Upholstery needs special care (which can be found in other sections of this publication). Wet upholstery tears easily, so handle with care. Remove cushions, seats, carpets, rugs and door panels, and dry and clean outside the vehicle if possible. After they are dry, you might want to use a vacuum cleaner on them. Be sure these items are totally dry before re-installing them in the vehicle. When the cushions, etc. are out of the vehicle, clean the interior thoroughly and let it dry.
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Reconditioning
The engine, power train and electrical components will require careful reconditioning. The following steps are suggested:
- The battery will be "dead" if submerged and probably will not recharge. A new battery will be needed. Do not install a new battery until the power train has been reconditioned.
- Crankcase oil, gear box oils, etc., should be drained and replaced. Filters should be replaced also. Change the crankcase oil and filter again after a few hours of operation to remove residual dirt and water. Then change at normal service intervals.
- Remove the spark plugs and drain the water out of the cylinders. Clean and regap the old plugs or gap and use new ones. Spray or place rust inhibitor or lubricant in the cylinders. Do not replace the spark plugs until the engine is turned over several times to make sure the cylinders are free of water.
- Remove the starter and alternator and dry them completely. An electric hair dryer may work well for this task. Re-install and observe for proper operation. If they don't operate properly, have them rebuilt or replaced.
- Using an electric hair dryer or fan, thoroughly dry all electrical components and connectors. Good cleaning and drying will salvage most electrical parts without replacement. Under-the-dash electrical parts are going to be hard to dry properly. A radio or other audio equipment will probably have to be replaced. Electric motors that are not waterproof will be difficult to dry and probably will have to be replaced.
- Remove the air cleaner. If you are lucky, the air cleaner filter will have kept the carburetor fairly clean. Clean the filter housing and replace filter with a new one. Drain caruretor fuel lines and fuel tank completely. Dry, reconnect and install new filters and add clean fresh fuel.
- Drain and replace hydraulic fluids and filters. It may be advisable to have a qualified automatic transmission repairman recondition the transmission prior to operation. After a short break-in period, change the fluid and filter again to remove residual dirt from the system. Drain and replace the power steering fluid.
- The brake fluid should be drained and replaced and the brakes completely serviced to assure proper operation.
- The radiator is watertight and is probably in good shape. Wash out cooling fins and drain and replace fluids.
- Install the battery. After one last check, crank the engine a few times with spark plugs and coil wire removed. Then install the plugs and turn the engine over against compression a few times. Again, check the engine for problems. Replace the coil wire and crank the engine after you are satisfied all components have been reconditioned properly. Observe gauges and engine sounds and appearances to verify everything is performing properly.