What are the symptoms of water entering the exhaust pipe?
3 Answers
There are no obvious symptoms of water entering the exhaust pipe. You can determine whether water has entered the exhaust pipe through the following methods: 1. Check the engine oil color: Inspect whether the engine oil color is abnormal. If the engine oil turns milky white, it indicates that water has entered the fuel tank or engine. Check the air filter and the lower housing of the air filter one by one for obvious signs of water ingress, and inspect the intake pipe and intake manifold for clear traces of water. 2. Check the spark plugs: Remove the spark plugs from each cylinder and check if they are damp. If they are damp, it indicates signs of water entering the engine. 3. Check the engine cylinder walls for carbon deposits: When the engine is working normally, the pistons of each cylinder reach the same top dead center position, and the top dead center position on the cylinder walls is clear. When water enters the engine, since water is difficult to compress, the pistons cannot reach the original top dead center position, the piston stroke becomes shorter, and the top dead center position will show a noticeable downward shift.
If water enters the exhaust pipe, the vehicle will exhibit noticeable abnormal reactions. I once experienced this while driving through a waterlogged area during heavy rain—the engine sound became noticeably muffled, as if something was blocking it. Pressing the accelerator resulted in sluggish acceleration, and the entire car shook. In severe cases, white smoke would puff out of the exhaust pipe. Under no circumstances should you attempt to force-start the engine—I made this mistake once, and it cost me thousands in repairs. If your vehicle has been through water, I recommend pulling over immediately and calling a tow truck to take it to a repair shop. Water entering the exhaust pipe can damage the catalytic converter, ruin the oxygen sensor, or even cause engine failure. It’s best to check the exhaust pipe position before heavy rain and avoid parking in low-lying areas.
My car developed several symptoms after the exhaust pipe took in water last time. It struggles terribly during startup, with the engine making clicking noises but failing to ignite. After barely starting, the vehicle shakes violently at idle, as if it might stall at any moment. The exhaust sound becomes intermittent, mixed with gurgling water noises. While driving, there's a noticeable lack of power when pressing the accelerator, making even small slopes difficult to climb. The engine warning light on the dashboard also came on. These issues all appeared after driving through a deep puddle during heavy rain, likely due to water backing up into the exhaust pipe. In such situations, it's best to turn off the engine immediately, drain the accumulated water before driving again, otherwise repairing water in the cylinder block would be much more troublesome.
