Will the engine definitely be damaged if it is started a second time after water ingress?
1 Answers
Not necessarily. For safety reasons, if the vehicle stalls during water wading, do not attempt to restart it immediately. A second ignition attempt may lead to situations such as water entering the air filter, a small amount of water entering the engine, or the engine starting and then stalling again. Water entering the air filter: The engine may still start after water wading, but if water enters the air filter, the engine will inhale some moisture along with the air. This moisture forms steam, and when mixed with gasoline, it can combust fully, which generally does not significantly affect the engine. A small amount of water entering the engine: If the water reaches the cylinders and mixes with the engine oil, the oil quality will deteriorate. The presence of water in the oil can increase wear on engine components, potentially leading to louder engine noise and greater vibration while driving. Starting and then stalling: If the engine starts but stalls again after a few seconds, and subsequent attempts to start it fail, this is the most severe scenario. Since water cannot be compressed, when it enters the cylinders while the engine is running at high speed, the incompressible water can cause the valves and connecting rods to bend, the pistons to seize, severe wear in the cylinder block, and the crankshaft to bend.
