Can the Engine Be Started Again After Water Ingestion?
2 Answers
Engine water ingestion prohibits restart attempts, as secondary ignition may lead to the following scenarios: 1. The engine may initially start post-water exposure, but with water entering the air filter. The engine inhales moisture-laden air, forming steam. When water vapor mixes with gasoline for complete combustion, the impact on the engine remains minimal; 2. Minor water ingress reaching the cylinders contaminates engine oil, degrading its quality. Water-contaminated oil accelerates engine component wear, manifesting as increased noise and vibration during operation; 3. The most severe scenario occurs when the engine stalls seconds after starting and becomes inoperable despite multiple attempts. Since water is incompressible, its presence in cylinders during high-speed operation can bend valves/connecting rods, seize pistons, severely score cylinder walls, and warp crankshafts.
I remember last summer when there was a heavy rainstorm here. My car suddenly stalled while driving through a waterlogged section, and I immediately thought about trying to restart it. An experienced driver next to me quickly stopped me, saying, 'Don’t be foolish! If water gets into the engine and you try to restart it, the water trapped in the cylinders can cause the pistons to compress and bend the connecting rods, potentially ruining the entire engine block.' Thinking back now, it still scares me. If I had tried to restart it then, I would’ve ended up spending an extra 20,000 to 30,000 yuan on engine repairs. So, the smart thing to do when your car stalls is to turn off the power, take a video to document the water level at the scene, and immediately call a tow truck to take it to a professional repair shop to remove the spark plugs and drain the water.