The Houston 04 SE

[78F350]

The point of this post is: in my experience with flooded boat engines is that the quicker you could get one running (usually hours) the better. Detailing can happen later.

I have been feeling that I really need to get this running, then follow up with the rest.
I did put in a little time today and checked the transmission and gas tank for water. All clear.
The video:
https://youtu.be/DmuX9u-529c

Revised plan:
Monday:

• Put it back together with lots of substitute (known good) parts.
• Carefully power everything essential back up, one fuse at a time:
• https://youtu.be/EFu6Q8T_gvo
• Start the engine and idle for 10 minutes.
• Check for problems, pull oil filter cup and examine.
• Put some seats in and bolt an exhaust back on.

Tuesday:

• Drive a mile to the Tag Agency (Local DMV) and show them some receipts for parts and file for a 'rebuilt title'
• Drive home and start taking it all back apart.

[Smallblock454]

Originally Posted by 911monty

I'm just going to throw this out there as something to consider. I can tell by what you've already accomplished that you have no reservations to getting your hands dirty.
I question how "oily" the cats can be. Let's think about the sequence of events and how oil came to be in the cats in the first place.
Flood waters rise and enter the muffler. water fills the entire exhaust system and enters a couple cylinders, (intake valves are at top), then displaces oil to the TOP of the crankcase and back out through the cylinders. Because the exhaust system is entirely full and due to phase separation (oil floating on top of the water) then the only contact of oil to the cats is at the top of the substrate as the oil migrates out the exhaust in a thin stream at the surface of the water. What does this mean? It is likely there was only a minor stream of oil in the exhaust at any given time, far less than the flood that would be seen from a failed AOS that experienced hydrolock. The water/oil did not form an emulsion since it was never sheared. Certainly cleaning is not going to hurt anything but is it necessary?
Regardless I am enjoying this thread. Keep up the good work!

The point of this post is: in my experience with flooded boat engines is that the quicker you could get one running (usually hours) the better. Detailing can happen later.

I think you've made some good points here. Let's think about in detail. What options do we have when the car was flooded and what damage can be caused. I try to keep it short.

Materials:
Engine casing: alloy. Pistons: steel. Oil control rings: steel (can rust). Piston rings: steel (can rust). In general some carbon resedue, because it's a used engine. Catalytic converter housing: stainless steel. Catalytic converter: ceramics, and materials that start the redox reaction above around 500° C / 932° F.

Time:
Car did sit für 4 months and was flodded with sweet water. Sweet water is a plus, because salt water would have been much more agressive. But the not stainless steel / not alloy parts can be corroded a bit. Will it make a difference if it sits 2 days or 4 months? I would say yes. Will it make a difference if it sits 4 months and 2 weeks. I would say no. Also the conditions in which it sat might make a difference.

Debree:
Was the water conatminated with sand or debree? If yes that seems intake wise to be stopped by the air intake filter. In that case Exhaust wise sand / debree can have found it's way into the combustion chamber. Water could also pass oil control rings and piston ring gaps and get into engine housing. Very small debree might sit in between them or passed. That would be a minus, because of the alloy block. (I suspect in sweet water rivers / lakes you have cleaner water (OK maybe not in harbors)). Will water have solved the carbon inside the combustion chamber in 4 weeks? Probably not.

Parameters we / i don't know:
Was the engine running and hot, when the poor car was flooded. Was the engine stopped by flooded water coming in the intake system. And would that make a difference?

How was the car saved? For example: if the front was lifted while saving it initially, this would be a plus, because fluids could run out of the exhaust system. But we don't know that.

Oily cats and what kind of oil/water consistency might we find there:
If the engine was flooded while running i suspect the redox reaction in the cats was stopped before the oil was flushed into them. So i suspect they were "cold".
Could there be an oil/water mixture caused while the engine running? Hm, to me that seems to be improbable.
Could be oil / water be sucked back into the engine if the header / exhaust systen is connected to the engine while starting for the first time? I would say no, but Honestly not shure about that. If the car was raised in the front, most of the liquid will be come out of the exhaust system. And because 78F350 said the muffler is off the car now i would say fluids have had their change to drain away the exhaust system.

So i think 911monty is right on that. Kind of hydrolocking will be not possible. Headers don't need to be removed, but i think it's a good idea to remove the muffler and lift the front of the car before starting it.

Grand childen:
Seems to have a very good influence. Videos have sound tracks now.

All fingers crossed!

Regards, Markus

[78F350]

Not much progress today, as it should be. A little break is good. Tomorrow should be a busy day working on the car.
Installing the coils:
https://youtu.be/HfNgOWQjFEY

[78F350]

I started the car today and ran it for a short time. I wanted to run it longer, but the radiator leak is more severe than I expected. I have a repaired radiator to put in temporarily while I wait for a new one to arrive. I tried to install it for another run, but it was dark before I was done.
On this first run, the O2 sensors were still removed and header was unbolted behind the cat. Lots of oily, wet mess still in the exhaust system. I don't want to put it in the garage until The exhaust is cleared out. Not sure if I'm going to drive it on the road tomorrow. Lots to accomplish still.

As I type, the video is still uploading:
https://youtu.be/OVfvKD2GIW8

[Smallblock454]

Engine sounds good to me. All cylinders seems to be present.

On top of that - fingers crossed.

Regards, Markus

[GTA_G20]

Well done. Could turn out to be a great find

[RedTele58]

It's alive! Yay!

[paulofto]

Very cool!

Should this work out and you get it back in top shape this effort will be worthy of an Excellence and/or Panorama feature.

Good luck!

[10/10ths]

Indeed. This is PCA worthy. Good on ya!

[dghii]

Three cheers!! I know you have lots to do but hearing that motor run is a big incentive to continue to push forward.

A big pat on the back...great job!

[aviorperformance]

I would suspect the radiator issue is due to the forklift drivers at Copart. Mine had same issue but passenger side. Guessing they don't like the pressure from being lifted up.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by aviorperformance

I would suspect the radiator issue is due to the forklift drivers at Copart. Mine had same issue but passenger side. Guessing they don't like the pressure from being lifted up.

Yes, exactly. It also has a slight crease on both side of the bumper.

If I took the time to look up new parts and shop time for the damage caused BY COPART on this car, it would be well into the thousands. Radiators and brackets, bumper, plastic panels, suspension parts, and right rear tire. I have bought three cars from the Houston lot over the years, and every one was damaged by them. My local lot in Fayetteville Arkansas, handles them much better.

[78F350]

I'm starting a week of day shifts now, 7 am to 7 pm, so not planning to do much work on the car. I will post a summary (edit)before the weekend. I had a busy day today, no time.... I drove the car on my lawn yesterday and parked it in the garage. I have a lot of electrical issues to track down (as expected) such as the passenger side window and spoiler. I also had the low oil pressure warning come on. It could be serious, or it could be simple. I suspect that it was from residual water causing foam in the oil, or impeding the filter. Don't worry - I shut the car off immediately when the warning light came on. (edit) Ran the car a little this evening, no low oil pressure, still lots of slop blowing out the exhaust.

[78F350]

It's all going to be easy now, Right?
Tuesday was going to be a big day. The car had run on Monday and I was pretty sure that I could finish putting it back together enough to drive to the Tag Agency (DMV) and file for a rebuilt title. What did I have to do?

• Finish replacing a radiator.
• Put the front bumper cover on.
• Bolt the exhaust back together, or just replace it.
• Flush engine the oil and refill.
• Add coolant.
• Put wheels on.
• Install headlights.
• Put the seats and some interior trim back in.
• Organize paperwork showing the purchase of repair parts.

I had most of the day available, and until 4:30 to get in the door. If all the work went smoothly it would be easy.
I started with the radiator. After removing the original radiator I saw that it looked better than my replacement (note to self: dispose of the replacement). It just had a broken stub, leaving a small hole. I decided to do a JB Weld patch and work on other stuff while it set. A brand new radiator was already ordered.

[78F350]

Exhaust-ing...
Next, replace the muffler. The old muffler was still ½ full (or ½ empty) of oily water. Working in a small puddle under the car, on my back with the sun in my eyes and oily goo on my gloves, I removed the last few nuts and bolts. I tried to pull the muffler out. It would not fit between the bumper and rear of the transmission. Rocked it, rolled it, tipped it, it was not coming out. The rear bumper cover would have to come off.
To remove the rear bumper, the spoiler has to be raised to get access to screws. There is a switch on the fuse panel to raise the spoiler, but it didn't work. I ohmed out the switch and connector. They were good. Next, I looked at the relay in the trunk. I had originally thought that the (rear) trunk electronics didn't get flooded. I was wrong. Opening the relay, I saw rust. I replaced all the relays. Still no spoiler movement. Must be a problem in the mechanism itself. ...Okay, the bumper was not going to come off that day. Instead, I'd bolt the original exhaust back together.
Where did I put those nuts and bolts? I like to put nuts, bolts, and small parts in zip lock bags as I remove them. I label the bags with a marker, so I know where they all came from. The “Exhaust” baggie was nowhere to be found.
Stop. Walk away. Wife makes lunch.

[78F350]

'All day' isn't so long anymore.
Back to the radiator. The JB Weld repair looks good. I used “KwikWeld”, not for a permanent fix, but good enough for a few days. The radiator is pretty easy to install. The hardest part is getting the hoses in place and clamped. It can be hard to reach with the radiator in place, so I just put one bolt part way in while I got everything set. To tighten the lower hose, I put my head underneath and looked up. Perfect position to have the radiator fall off the one loose bolt and smack me in the face. I'd have a black eye, or worse, but fortunately I was wearing safety glasses. With the radiator installed, I topped the car off with distilled water, then noticed a slight leak from the radiator on the other side. No big deal, just a slow drip. Woody (https://www.facebook.com/Woodys-Parts-LLC-866155110110548/posts?) is sending me a good used replacement and a spare.

With coolant, I could finally run the engine enough to warm it up and burn some of the moisture out of the engine. It started easily and ran smooth. Lots of white smoke as it warmed up. About 10 minutes in, the Low Oil Pressure light came on. Not good. These engines die catastrophically without good oil flow. I shut it down immediately and hoped for the best.

Time for an oil change. The oil that came out still had a lot more moisture in it than I expected. It was a milky caramel color rather than translucent maple syrup I had hoped it would be. At least the filter looked good. I refilled with about 9 quarts of cheap synthetic, had a cup of coffee and thought about what to do next.
Video:
https://youtu.be/9zIiqB1FHmc

[78F350]

Nope, not today
It was nearing 3 pm and I was not likely to have it ready to drive by 4:30. Rather than get in a rush and start breaking expensive things, I decided to just keep going and get as far as daylight would take me. Driving, or pushing the car into my garage at the end of the day would be good enough.
I finally found my baggie of exhaust hardware underneath my fuse diagrams on the passenger side and got to work reassembling. It all went together well except for the “C- pipe” on the right side. That took some prying and convincing, but eventually went on.

I ran the car again. This time, with the full exhaust on. It was a smokey mess, pushing the water – oil mix out the tail pipe. It ran smooth, but again the low oil pressure light came on after about 10 minutes. I was glad that it ran that long, but still troubled by this. I tried a couple re-starts and the warning light came back on quickly. I thought of my contingency plans: Pull the engine and start a tear-down. Make this into another Audi V8 swap. Strip all the good parts and sell the ones I don't have use for.... Not so fast. Keep faith. It's probably just a minor issue caused by water still in the system. I did another oil change This car takes about 9 quarts of oil per change and I ran out of buckets to put it in. The guys at Autozone were not too happy when they saw me dumping all that intermix into their waste oil tank, but glad to sell another 10 quarts.

I was resigned to putting it back together and rolling it to my garage. Before dark, I had the lawn cleaned up and the car back together with wheels, bumper, and a seat from an Audi A4. I decided to start it and check for the warning light. There was a brief flicker, then it went out and stayed out. I put it in gear and drove a couple circles on my lawn, then parked it in the garage. Another victory. Another small step towards completion.
Video:
https://youtu.be/McrcEr8_2jU

[911monty]

Good Stuff!

[BruceH]

Busy day, great progress

[78F350]

What are opinions on dumping some Marvel Mystery oil in with my next oil change? Bad in a Boxster? A few people outside the forum suggested it.