RF engine Hydrolocked

Technical Area Engine, Transmission, Exhaust etc
2

I thought it would be interesting for forum members to see the damage done when water is drawn into the cylinders creating Hydrolock, more properly called hydrostatic lock,

 

 

 

 

I bought the a 67 reg Soul Red RF Auto that Rodders advertised on the forum in early February, having sold my factory in Sheffield  at the end of 2018, I often drop into Roddison Motor Sport for a cuppa and a natter.

To be honest I was not thinking of swopping my Z Sport for something more up to date, recently Paul needed to fetch a racecar back from Clive at Autotronics, as the RF needed a road test after its transplant we took it out. 

It was love at first sight !  

As I had witnessed most of the work being done by Paul I was quite happy with the cars history.

From an article by www.autoevolution.com                  

Generally, when an engine hydrolocks at speed, the force of the camshaft pushing bends the piston rods, which are folded under the piston above them. While the crankcase or the heads can be ruined in the process and the crankshaft bearings destroyed, the shock can even cause cracks in the engine block.

The effects hydrostatic locking can have on your powerplant depend on the state of the engine at the time the water enters the combustion chamber. If an unit hydrolocks when idling, it will normally stop and will not allow you top bring it back to life using just the starter motor. This is happiest case, where you might not experience any damage at all.

Unfortunately, if an engine hydrolocks when being revved, the consequences can be dire. Depending on the height level of your intake and the depth of the water, as well as on the various on-site parameters, the amount of liquid that enters the engine can reach one or more cylinders.

You can experience a case where a single piston hydrolocks, while the others provide enough power to keep the engine running for a while. However, when hydrostatic locking occurs at speed, the unit will usually come to an abrupt stop.

It has certainly made me think twice about taking my cars through fords or on flooded roads!

           

3

Ouch! I concur with your comment about avoiding unknown water depths, a new engine is not a simple or economic repair for most.

4

Just how deep was the water you went through, just so people know what to watch out for? 

5

I believe that burtonm bought the car from Roddisons after it had been fitted with a new engine following the encounter with the water.  Roddisons acquired this one as a low mileage insurance claim, with no bodywork damage whatsoever - just the wrecked engine; they fitted a new engine & advertised it on here with an explanation of what had happened.  Sold very quickly!

It would though be interesting to know how deep the water was!

 

6

I did the same with mine. Drove through 18" + of water. Got through but stopped after few miles. Garrage got it running again, year later the engine blew exactly the same way. Rebuild second hand engine is now in but not run as of yet as there was no dash or interior at the time of it being installed. As the garage would have the car for a while I decided to paint the entire interior during the summer heat of last year.

Just need to some good weather to get her back on the road.

7

Within the cars documents wallet there was a bill addressed to the previous owner, so I know her name and address,(these details were shown on the V5 up until recently,but GDPR has put paid to that) I have checked with membership, she was not a member of the owners club, details held at companies house show she is a Director of a school academy  in Wiltshire, a general enquires email address is shown, so I may be able to contact her to find out exactly  what happened to the car.I Watch this space !

Just a word of warning, take me ‘home’ on the satnav would have taken me to her house, For security reasons should my car be stolen, I have entered my home address as a few streets away from my actual address.

 

8

To be honest, I cannot understand these people who drive their cars (sometimes at high speed), without assessing the depth first. We have had quite a few floods around here and if you cannot assess the depth, the best option is to turn around and try a different route. However you can never account for the dipsticks in 4x4s who thoughtlessly drive at high speed through floods (I’m in a 4x4 so there!), producing a massive bow wave drowning you as you carefully negotiate deep water 

9

  

My thoughts exactly!

10

I would never drive an ordinary saloon car, let alone a low-slung vehicle like an MX-5 (or any other sports car for that matter) through a flooded section of road where I could not beforehand, determine the hazard’s depth.  When approaching such a flood, if there were no cars coming the other way, to help me gauge how deep the water was, I would turn around and not risk it.  Even if there did happen to be another car, if the water was anywhere near the centre-line of the road wheel, I would still turn back.

The damage that happened to the OP’s RF could of course, happen to anyone in any ‘normal’ car (except perhaps a 4x4).  And considering the cost of replacing the engine these days, and maybe not being able to claim on one’s insurance for such damage, it simply is not worth the risk. 

11

Wow, that is some damage!

Certain cars have a vulnerability to this issue for one reason or another. I think the RX8 for example with its rotary engine has suffered more than its fair share of these mishaps.

Hopefully this was an uncommon and explainable event with the MK4 and not a general concern.

The obvious entry point for water is the air intake which is why you see a lot of 4 x 4s fitted with snorkels. Would not be a good look on an MX5.  

12

It all depends on where the intake for the car comes down to within the car. A friend of mine did the same to his mk4 golf back in the day as he’d extended the intake to low down in the front bumper, it acted like a puddle pump and made mince meat of the engine. 

 

13

 

Off topic, but a used car I brought recently included the history of sat nav entries. Being a nosey parker, I had to look, to find a litany of addresses in odd parts of Manchester and Bradford, including dates late at night. Could have been worse.

 

I also know one of the previous owners was the Director of a Tech College, and that this Tech College went broke, auctioning off property, including a £8000 car.

14

 

Sometimes, there is no choice, but to plough on. I got caught in a flash flood on the Belfast-Carrickfergus road many moons ago, in my MX5. It was ok at first, though I notices cars in carparks to the side of the road looked a bit submerged. At one point, the water was appreciably higher. I couldn’t turn around as, from the rear view mirror, the road behind me was deluged… Got to within 200 years of my house, and stopped by an Army checkpoint. I was told, in no uncertain terms, to turn around, the point being rammed home by a SA80 shoved in my face. I turned around, and headed inland and uphill to be met by what I thought was logs coming down the street, but were in fact railway sleepers. Rough slept, made it to my house the next day. Of course, the waters had never reached my street let alone the house. Deep enough such that the water was over the bottom of the doors, and there was a fair bow wave.

15

“Got to within 200 years of my house”. Saz. no matter how much you modify your MX5 it will still be useless at time travel. Should have got a Tardis mate .

16

Some people are mechanical /auto biblically ignorant. Bless 'em.

Some are biblically stupid, egocentric & arrogant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn_JdVpXrNA

17

 

What sort of nerd goes so fast that they create a bow wave OVER their bonnet. The usual suspects 

18

That bit of video reminded me of the first and worst time (of three in the last 40 years) when the mighty River Pinn woke up and rose a couple of metres to flood across our road, a dual carriageway. 

The lowest part of the North side is about two feet below our side.  HGVs and buses were going through that with the water coming up over their windscreens, having seen vehicles on our side only hubcap deep. 

Eventually a local bus (driver should have known better) didn’t make it and blocked the road, which then stopped the bow waves washing into those houses - built high enough not have been flooded but for the wake from the ignorant uncaring braggarts. 

One householder stood in the road on our side with a long handled club hammer and threatened windscreens of the HGVs, who eventually gave up.  Brave man (not me!)

I had visions of the front wall (coffer dam) of my property being knocked over by the waves and then my pump would not have coped with the flow.  At only a cubic metre per minute it is OK with leakage in the non-return valve on the sewer and a bit coming down the hill, but the river would have been impossible.

 

19

Burton, I’m intrigued by the failure mode of that con-rod. I’d have thought that a hydraulic lock in the cylinder would have caused bent rods, rather than snapped.

Any clues?

20

 

Glad you liked it!

I don’t fancy the chances of his ECU, pop up motors and a few other things later down line!

Tossers.  

Used to have a flat-four engined Citroen GS with the cockpit lever that raised the car about the hight of the Eiger…that was a laugh locally in noted flood spotd when everything else was daring not to, and I just crawled less than walking pace with the car on stilts, got off the control, let the car sink back down and pissed off. Priceless.