Flooded my truck and need help!

[TDPhill]

Hey guys, i have a 96 4L ranger, 2wd supercab.
Got out of hand last night and found a puddle that was too deep.
The engine cut out and i could restart it, actually coudln't even turn it over
so i am think that i hydro locked the engine, so i pulled the plugs turned it over and put new plugs in. Well it fired right up but i have a knocking now, and i am thinking a bent valve now. The ticking did get better with maybe 20 km of driving but it is very difficult to get into gear and shifts harder then it used to. So i have two problems here

1. valve problems and
2. something in the tranny, should i be dumping the tranny oil? and it is possible that when the truck sat for 2 hours water got into the clutch assembly and is interfering with the clutch/tranny?

thanks guys

 

[rusty ol ranger]

My guess is water in your motor oil and trans fluid. Change both right away, you might of got lucky.

later,
Dustin

 

[mwood1985]

the term "hydrolock" basically means you have water sitting on the top of your pistons. unlike air and fuel, water does not compress. that effect makes your engine "lock down" it keeps the pistons from moving which stops the crankshaft from rotating.. change all your fluids not just the engine and do it multiple times. the engine transmission cooling system rear diff antything that could have water in it. ive sunk mine in a pond and the worst thing you can do is try to crank it. too late for that but its still fixable

 

[Ranger44]

You cannot compress any liquid. That means fuel, water, oil, etc.

Sounds like you hydrolocked it and bent a connecting rod.

Start by changing fluids, if it still knocks, then start looking for a replacement engine. That bent rod is going to wear the bearing irregular and it will give or seize eventually.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

the engine transmission cooling system rear diff antything that could have water in it.

Um, not to sound ike a smart ass, butr why would it be bad to have water in your cooling system?

later,
Dustin

 

[TDPhill]

I know the best thing to do would have been to get a tow and not try to start it but ifreaked out.
When i had the plugs out and turned the motor over water did come shooting out, there might have been some additional water in the intake side that poured into the cylinders.
Next, i changed the oil and filter. Dropping the tranny fluid is next along with the diff.
I am still wonder about the hard shifting?

 

[TDPhill]

I do have leads on a few engines for 300 to 350. is this a reasonable price? I was told it was easier and cheaper to just change the entire engine instead of pulling the head off and messing around.

 

[Ranger44]

Muddy water in the cooling system isn't great.

Just get a different engine, the prices seem good.

 

[AllanD]

The cooling system is a closed pressurized system outside water can't get in

As for the original poster, why would you think that you'd be able to bend a valve?

When I hydrolocked my next to last 2.9 I didn't think for a moment that I had bent a
valve. when I pulled all the spark plugs and it still wouldn't turn...

I still have the #3 piston and rod.

The rod was bent so badly that the crank counterweight slamming
into the bottom of the wrist pin boss stopped the engine cold
but you could SEE that the impact tried to stretch the rod straight
again, but failed...

I'm going to say something that may seem harsh, but is actually
a kindness by saving you from WASTING more resources tring to
salvage the RMS Titanic.... Pull all six plugs and crank the engine
and look for one "soft puff" on the compression stroke

That's the one you bent.

Now that you know you've got a bent rod hold a wake for it
and get a new engine.

AD

 

[dennis461]

Yup , if it's original engine just replace it.
and
it's water PLUS mud or sand that got in.
Pure clean water is not as bab on the tranny and other stuff because you can flush it out, but the sand has been cutting into tranny parts, rear axle parts etc.

 

[mwood1985]

Um, not to sound ike a smart ass, butr why would it be bad to have water in your cooling system?

later,
Dustin

muddy water dustin its not like we sink trucks in pools of freshly purified drinking water we usually use liquid dirt...

 

[TDPhill]

The cooling system is a closed pressurized system outside water can't get in

As for the original poster, why would you think that you'd be able to bend a valve?

When I hydrolocked my next to last 2.9 I didn't think for a moment that I had bent a
valve. when I pulled all the spark plugs and it still wouldn't turn...

I still have the #3 piston and rod.

The rod was bent so badly that the crank counterweight slamming
into the bottom of the wrist pin boss stopped the engine cold
but you could SEE that the impact tried to stretch the rod straight
again, but failed...

I'm going to say something that may seem harsh, but is actually
a kindness by saving you from WASTING more resources tring to
salvage the RMS Titanic.... Pull all six plugs and crank the engine
and look for one "soft puff" on the compression stroke

That's the one you bent.

Now that you know you've got a bent rod hold a wake for it
and get a new engine.

AD

Ok i have come to grips with the fact i will need to replace the engine. I will check for the weak compression and locate the bend rod(s). Next step, I hope i can squeeze a few mile out of it to get home before i can do the swap.
another thing any comment on my shifting issues?

sh***y thing is that the engine only has 190k on it and i know it has or had more left in it. So what years of ranger/mazda/explorer should i be looking for and can i just swap my accessories onto the new engine?

 

[adsm08]

muddy water dustin its not like we sink trucks in pools of freshly purified drinking water we usually use liquid dirt...

I sank my truck in a pool of freshly purified drinking water once.

Well, ok, not so much that as a rapidly moving, just over knee deep, rush of fresh slightly muddied rain water. I managed to cut thru it and keep my air inlet just out of the water, got the exhaust all wet tho. By the time I decided that it wasn't such a good idea to go thru moving water that deep it was already starting to get shallower. The lesson, of course, here is to not drive through any amount of moving water because it is an idiotic idea.

 

[AllanD]

on a 1995-00 OHV engine any 1995-00 engine will do as a replacement,
though you may have to move your sensors onto the new engine...

DO be sure to disassemble the engine and rescue your trophy

AD

 

[holyford86]

Ok i have come to grips with the fact i will need to replace the engine. I will check for the weak compression and locate the bend rod(s). Next step, I hope i can squeeze a few mile out of it to get home before i can do the swap.

change the oil and drive it 'till it quits, could be 2 miles, could be hundreds.

another thing any comment on my shifting issues?

drain and refill the transmission, it uses ATF. Bleed your clutch.