Technical HMS Panda

[SB1500]

Driving home through scarily deep water as the roads are flooded and there's a thunderstorm and the Panda did excellent! Kept it in fourth gear and high revs to get through. The odd squeak from the alternator Belt came and went which I expected. I followed a Mitsubishi Pajero up hills and rural roads flooded until finally passing a big outlet of water from a field.. after that it was a normal wet day with thunder it seemed so I drove a bit faster to hope to 'clear the car out' if that even applied.

Only thing is, engine light flashing on and off a few times - then it stays off for a minute or two - back on again - off etc.

Just before I got out, turned the car off and on to make sure it started. Yep, no problem. Just like normal. Looked under the bonnet. Bit wet, but most things looked dry. So I assume everything is fine.

Anything I should do as a matter of course or avoid doing before driving tomorrow?

 

[SB1500]

We passed a LOT of broken down cars ... old Focus's abandoned. A lot of French cars and one 60,000+ AMG 3 door fast Mercedes abandoned ...

Time to hit Shop4Parts...

 

[Wee Smurf]

It was a tad on the damp side up your way. Saw some pics of the floods.

Sometimes it's good to live uphill.

 

[SB1500]

It was a tad on the damp side up your way. Saw some pics of the floods.



Sometimes it's good to live uphill.

Can't guarantee the authenticity of this image.. but it was a little bit like this ;-) haha

 

[AB100]

Can't guarantee the authenticity of this image.. but it was a little bit like this ;-) haha

View attachment 183623

It's have been more realistic if you'd have photoshopped an Audi 3 inches from your stern, trying to get past.

 

[DaveMcT]

The main issue with deep water is the engine ingesting water though the air filter. Petrol engines are less at risk than diesels (throttle valve) but a half decent slug of water will kill an engine just as well as a bucket of sand in the sump.

Dont use more throttle than you have to and only rev enough to keep the exhaust clear. Generally the exhaust will look after itself.

Avoid going too fast. The bow wave causes the damage even more if its a diesel with air intake behind front bumper (as some saes of car do).

You warning light could be pretty much anything. Open covers and squirt in some WD40. If very wet, blow water out with an air pump or hair dryer if that's all you have.

 

[SB1500]

I've driven the car since and not a single occurrence of the engine light! Everything is going well!

Except over a few speed bumps it was rather harsh so I'll be taking a look next week at all the suspension and steering parts to make sure there's no damage gone unnoticed.

 

[AndyRKett]

All that water appears to have dissolved your wheel trim

 

[SB1500]

All that water appears to have dissolved your wheel trim

Thought I'd explain how that happened.. in the form of a quick iPad drawing.. and remember, I'm no artist.

1. Our side of the road was flooded badly, and a line of traffic including vans were lined up behind a few dark, assumably flooded and wrecked cars.. they didn't want to risk driving through the flood so what hope did we have?! I decided to drive half up on the kerb on the right side of the road (no kerb and deep water on the left). This road is on the side of a hill so the water literally flowed downhill, across the road.

2. This kerb.. I found out.. had two missing bloody pieces. So DOWN we fell, and UP we crashed.. before the second, I thought 'f*ck this, it's going to wreck my car!!

3. Nearing the end of the water, I dropped back into the flood and away from the kerb, assumably, this is when my wheel slid off the kerb taking the wheel trim with it!

Hope the drawing illustrates it somewhat!

 

[Wee Smurf]

Very artistic!

 

[DaveMcT]

Just drive slow enough to avoid a bow wave and get on with it. Ideally, watch another vehicle so you can see how deep the water is. Don't follow another vehicle or you could get caught out by their incompetence.

The Panda should be fine in 6" and might be ok in 12" if its not flowing fast. Any deeper risks the car floating away.

The big issue is avoiding making a bow wave that floods your air intake.

Drivig over the kerb is all very well until you drop into a side road "down kerb" and bend the sill or smack the wheel into the Up kerb. Both risk damage much worse than water in the engine.

 

[AndyRKett]

In the world of off roading the plan is to make a wave with the front of the car, which causes a depression I. The water behind it lowering the water level around the engine, however that's off road cars designed for the purpose.

Any normal road car shouldn't be driven in water deeper than the sills, not only will the water get up into the cabin via drainage holes, but the gearbox and engine all have breathers that are lower down in the engine bay than the air intake, any holes or nics in seals or gaitors and water can wash away the grease and help set in rust.

The last thing you want is a gear box full of water, the effect of cold water on the outside of the gear box cools it suddenly including the oil and the air, making it actually suck the water in as the, internal temperatures drop.

 

[AndyRKett]

Hope the drawing illustrates it somewhat!

View attachment 183674

So the water dissolved it, it was there when you went into the water and dissolved when you came out the other side.

 

[SB1500]

So the water dissolved it, it was there when you went into the water and dissolved when you came out the other side.

I was thinking it more smashed off the kerb and floated away!

 

[DaveMcT]

Moral of the story - If you cant' see the kerb, don't drive with one wheel on the kerb. You stand to lose a lot more than a wheel trim.

 

[andydiver]

Don't beat yourself up! I remember having a romantic trip to the north Norfolk coast many years ago ;-) and taking a direct route south navigates some very random lanes. Got to a Ford, with houses the other side. Crystal clear still water, Mid summer, low level with a reasonable slope in and out. Had a Renault Laguna at the time. Rolled in, low gear high revs.. Not fast. Oops! The water washed over the roof. . Much deeper than it looked.. Engine hesitates badly then recovered half way through. Dared not stop for some miles after. It took 6 weeks for the water to dry from the headlights. . . The farm vehicles only sign applies all year then.. !! ?

 

[SB1500]

Don't beat yourself up! I remember having a romantic trip to the north Norfolk coast many years ago ;-) and taking a direct route south navigates some very random lanes. Got to a Ford, with houses the other side. Crystal clear still water, Mid summer, low level with a reasonable slope in and out. Had a Renault Laguna at the time. Rolled in, low gear high revs.. Not fast. Oops! The water washed over the roof. . Much deeper than it looked.. Engine hesitates badly then recovered half way through. Dared not stop for some miles after. It took 6 weeks for the water to dry from the headlights. . . The farm vehicles only sign applies all year then.. !! [emoji1]

The refraction of the light makes the water look shallow then you find that out!!! Even worse, my problem was at night so I'm a fool squared for attempting it!

Nevertheless, Panda is fine almost two weeks on! Pulled a twig out from the steering rack though a few days ago!

 

[DaveMcT]

Back in the mid 1980s my brother in law (a farmer) bought himself a Vauxhall Carlton diesel. Woo Hoo can run it on farm fuel and water wont stop the sparks.

A week later, he wazzed it through a fairly shallow ford not realising the air intake was only a bit higher than the front bumper.

BANG

He bent the crank and at least one con-rod making all that cheap fuel just a tad expensive.