How to Determine if a Vehicle Has Been Flooded

[GavinFitz]

Methods to determine if a vehicle has been flooded are as follows: 1. Check the engine oil: The simplest method is to inspect the color of the engine oil for abnormalities. If the oil turns milky white, it indicates water has entered the fuel tank or engine. 2. Inspect various pipelines for water ingress: Examine the air filter and the lower housing of the air filter for obvious signs of water ingress, and check the intake pipe and intake manifold for clear traces of water. 3. Check the spark plugs: Remove the spark plugs from each cylinder and inspect if they are damp. If they are, it suggests signs of water in the engine. 4. Examine the engine cylinder walls for carbon deposits: During normal engine operation, the position where each piston reaches top dead center is the same, and the top dead center position on the cylinder wall is clear. When water enters the engine, since water is difficult to compress, the piston cannot reach its original top dead center position, resulting in a shorter piston stroke and a noticeable downward shift in the top dead center position.