Hydrolocked

I ran an open-ended tube from the PCV valve downwards after flooding my engine and barely avoiding hydrolocking. I did this to allow any residual moisture in the engine to escape at its earliest convenience.
To complete this fix, I plugged the hole in the intake phylum as not doing so caused all sorts of idle and other issues. Although, when running it that way, it seemed weirdly powerful? Perhaps the more powerful feeling was due to the increased air intake? Regardless, the difference in power was not worth the almost stalling, CEL's, and awful idle that resulted.
At any rate, I attached an open-ended tube from the PCV valve downwards because as my intent was to dry my engine, I did not want the residual water, after heated into vapor by engine heat, to then return to the intake phylum. I did not want this as the tech at the local stealer's part counter said the residual water would cause mini-hydrolocks and eventually destroy the engine.
1. I adapted my open-ended tube running from the PCV valve downwards fix from an oil-catch-can mod I read about for my MK4 TDi. In other words, directing the discharge from the PCV straight down towards the road instead of back into the engine or even through an oil catch can.
2. Immediately after sinking my truck, when first running my open-ended tube from the PCV valve downwards towards the roadway, I observed significant water condensation in the tube whenever I lifted the hood. However, at the point I am now, several months after the flooding, the same tube is constantly bone dry. The point being that simply changing the oil at much more frequent intervals would have been an imperfect means at best of drying the residual water from the engine.
3. Noting, that after being extracted from the creek by AAA and back at home, as first-line trouble shooting I changed my oil after 10 minutes of running, then after 100 miles, then 500 miles several times, and am now up to every 3k miles as those are traditional fixes for hydrolocking. I have been changing my own oil for so long, I was surprised to re-learn that walmart's most basic oil change package is $21, out-the-door.
4. I initially tried driving the truck with the oil cap off to accomplish. However, after reading on here that that throw's CEL's, I replaced the oil cap. By venting from the PCV valve I accomplished the same and did so using a designed-for-that-purpose valve. When functioning correctly, the PCV valve prevents vapor or air from backflowing into the engine.
5. Of course, the one time I venture beyond the mall parking lot, I hydrolock my engine. I did so when becoming so surprised at the huge wave or water that splashed over the hood that I inadvertently let off the gas. I have since been advised that my coming off the gas with the muffler underwater, caused the water immediately to suction through the tailpipe into the engine.
6. It was at this point that I stupidly tried starting the engine. I feel like we all do this, or try starting the engine while still sitting in the creek? However, fortunately my battery/alternator (or something?) was too weak to turn over the engine. Whatever it was that prevented the engine from turning over also preventing actual hydrolock.
7. In the end, apparently I did not actually hydrolock my engine? I instead killed it via flooding with gallons of water. However, I included "hydrolock" as the title as clickbait.

 

Its good the engine survived with no internal damage. Hopefully your wheel bearings didn't soak in the water for too long though. I have a snorkel but I only purchased it out of necessity for where I live in BFE. I hate having to drive through water and mud, everything about it is bad for vehicles essentially.

 

We were stuck in the water a good four hours. Even though it was an improved road on a military base, AAA had issues when I explained the actual situation. I believe, from here forward, I will simply say I am unmovable in the middle of the road. I will not tell them I need an extraction. Additionally, after having annoyed the only local tow company operator we sat in walmart parking lot until almost daylight the next day. That was after paying the $300 extraction fee as AAA does not cover such.

 

This look says to me, “I’m not mad,
I’m just disappointed.”

 

Not sure I understand the concept behind the PCV?
I’d probably have pulled the plugs, cranked it.
Drain the oil and inspect for water. Refill with oil and hoped for the best.

I’d probably do the Transfer Case and Diffs at your earliest convenience.

Other than that, all I can say is “It happens”
If you learned from it, even better.

 

That was before it got dark and turned into morning:

 

Venting the PCV into the atmosphere allowed all the water from the flooding not otherwise removed by draining the oil or other means a path by which to exit the engine. Had I left the pcv hose attached to the intake phylum in its factory configuration, all the water vapor created by the engine heat would have simply returned to the cylinders causing mini-hydrolocks. The stealer tech said that unmitigated, for instance by the venting the pcv valve as I did, would have inevitably caused catastrophic engine failure.

 

What? I’ve never heard of that.
And this is coming from someone that has watch people pour water into an intake to clean the combustion cambers. It was fairly common on carbureted vehicles. As it was much easier to pour the water into the intake.

BTW, it doesn’t help as much as it is claimed to help.

 

Ya, as ^^^, I took this mod from a VW TDi forum. They simply eliminate the oil catch can and instead allow that hose to vent downwards, allowing the residue to drip onto the roadway.

 

You were no where near deep enough to hydrolock your engine - at least not in those pics. In order to hydrolock your intake needs to be submerged and where you were sitting in that water your intake was at least a foot above water.

Hydrolocking occurs when water enters the engine via the intake system and fills the cylinders. Water is not compressible the way that air is, so when water fills the cylinders the crank/pistons/rods cannot compress the water that is in the cylinder. Something has to give. Meaning you can bend a rod, valve or other catastrophic damage.

There’s no way the exhaust sucked water into the engine by letting off the gas. When the engine is running there is ALWAYS exhaust flowing out of the engine thru the exhaust. The only way the exhaust would suck water would be if you literally ran the engine in reverse - which is not possible in your scenario. If you turn the engine off then the exhaust could fill with water if submerged. And an exhaust full of water could make the engine difficult or impossible to start. If the engine is off and engine is submerged so water is above the exhaust ports then water could enter the cylinders they the exhaust. But again, the engine would need to be off, as long as it’s running the exhaust gases keep the water out of the exhaust.

Your idea to drain via the PCV won’t work for hydrolocking. PCV is routed too high and isn’t directly connected to the cylinders.

It’s hard to know exactly what happen here without better info. But with how shallow that water is you had zero worry for hydrolocking. You were stuck for hours so perhaps you didn’t have this option but typically if you are submerged like this the rule is DO NOT TURN THE ENGINE OFF. Keeping the engine running keeps air flowing through it and keeps water out of your exhaust. Of course, if you are deep enough to start submerging your intake then turn it off immediately to prevent hydrolocking. But you were far, far away from that happening.

You had a scary, shitty, expensive experience. But don’t let it get you down and don’t let it make you think you can’t drive thru water.

 

Thanks and I do not know what happened either? I hit the water, water came over the hood, the truck stalled - that quickly. I agree it was not hydrolocked. However, what seemed like gallons(?) of water came out of the spark plug fixture when cranking later. Vid: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pjgsTSYphwmv3qNa7

 

No. That is so wrong. That dealer tech obviously doesn't know what a hydro-lock is. There is no such thing as a "mini-hydro-lock".

https://carbrain.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-hydrolock-your-motor

fluid is preventing the pistons from reaching the top of their stroke. For an engine to become hydrolocked requires fluid to enter one or more cylinders, and the fluid needs to be more volume than the combustion chamber allows when the piston is at its uppermost travel in the compression stroke.

The water came in through the intake more than likely. With all that water from the spark plug hole... You were hydro-locked, that is why the engine wouldn't turn over when you tried to crank it. If it is running you got lucky.

Oh and venting the PCV to the atmosphere did nothing as far as your problem with the hydro-lock goes. It isn't good for the environment either. Long ago when I was younger all engines used a draft tube to vent the crankcase. EPA stopped that for environmental reasons.

 

Did you check your air filter to see if its wet? Often times smashing through water on a stock truck can suck water through the intake as its only covered by the flimsy liner. Though it is still a shallow puddle

 

The URD TACI air filter was wet. When the water came over the hood, it startled me so much I let off the gas. Stated differently, it was not accelerating when the water was hitting the TACI air filter. While difficult to tell from the photo, that slope you see behind the truck and down which I was traveling, immediately before hitting the water, is deceptively steep. The steep slope caused the truck to hit the water while angled sharply nose down.

 

Air filter got wet, hydrolocked, done and done. Time for a snorkel, and leave the damn pcv alone will ya.

 

The air filter was wet, see last. All that water in the vid ^^^ and another huge volume of water I drained from the oil pan immediately prior to cranking, infiltrated the engine in approximately zero seconds. I definitely was not trying to power through or do anything other than simply ease in.

 

I agree and a snorkel would be top. However, if you look at the pics of the clear pvc hose ^^^, you can see how much water remained in the engine even after multiple, short-interval oil changes and cranking with the spark plug out. That hose was full of condensed moisture for weeks after installing. It has been bone dry for several months since. This occurred in April, and the truck is driving perfectly now.

 

checkout the ebay snorkel thread. Mine cost me about 175 bucks total with the mushroom top. Looks pretty legit.

Only pic i could find of it.

 

However it happened. You were hydrolocked with the amount of water I saw coming out of that cylinder you are lucky you didn't bend & break pistons and rods... and other things.

All the rest of that hogwash you read on the VW TDI forum and the dealer tech info is BS. You shouldn't repeat it, it's embarrassing.

 

The stealer tech said the water not already removed from the engine would cause "miniature/mini hydrolocks" that would destroy the engine. I remembered the pcv venting into the atmosphere to avoid an oil catch can mod from my VW interlude - I married into one. Accomplishing on my taco seems to have assisted the remaining moisture on finding the exit. I suppose I could have left it be, however why not, under the same or similar circumstances, vent into the atmosphere vs. back into the cylinders? The VW crew did it even without having water in their engine.