Will the Engine Get Waterlogged If the Car Door Doesn't?

[DelPaislee]

If the car door doesn't get waterlogged, the engine won't either. Here are the relevant details: 1. Maximum Wading Depth: This refers to the distance between the tire contact point and the engine air intake. The maximum wading depth is the greatest depth a vehicle can safely traverse under normal driving conditions, also known as the safe depth. It is a crucial metric for evaluating a vehicle's off-road capability—the greater the maximum wading depth, the stronger its water-crossing ability. 2. Car Engine: The engine is the power-generating unit of a car, acting as its heart. It determines the vehicle's performance, fuel efficiency, stability, and environmental friendliness. Depending on the power source, car engines can be categorized into diesel engines, gasoline engines, electric motors for electric vehicles, and hybrid systems, among others.

[McMatthew]

A guy asked me the same thing a couple of days ago—he was worried after driving his brand-new car home in the rain. At worst, a damaged door seal will just leave the floor mats a bit damp, which is totally different from water getting into the engine bay! Engine flooding isn’t determined by the doors; it depends on the air intake position and the engine bay’s sealing. Once, my friend drove his SUV through a puddle with water halfway up the wheels, and it sucked water into the air filter through gaps in the chassis. But modern cars have waterproof designs—wiring connectors in the engine bay have rubber sleeves, and the spark plugs even have dust covers. For the engine to stall from flooding, water would have to rise past the exhaust pipe. Just avoid blasting the engine bay with a high-pressure washer during regular car washes.

[LincolnLee]

I've seen quite a few water-damaged vehicle cases during my auto repair experience. Whether water enters the engine isn't related to the doors - it depends on wading depth and air intake position. For example, sedan air intakes are generally near the front grille, and water exceeding half the wheel hub height can easily cause ingestion. Last time I saw an off-roader with a modified raised intake snorkel that crossed waist-deep water without issues. Most wiring harness connectors in the engine bay now have waterproof plugs, but aged rubber seals on older vehicles might still leak. The worst are sudden deep potholes - where water surges through chassis gaps and floods the air filter box directly, which is the real culprit behind engine hydro-lock. During rainy driving, you need to monitor the splash height from vehicles ahead to judge conditions.

[LeAva]

Well, it depends on the specific situation. My decade-old car stalled suddenly when passing through standing water under an overpass during heavy rain last year, even though the doors were tightly shut. At the repair shop, they found the air filter completely soaked. The mechanic said water surged in through gaps in the underbody shield and flooded the intake pipe. Newer models are better in this regard—German cars, for example, typically have their air intakes positioned high under the hood, and the underbody features drainage channels. Still, be cautious when washing the car; avoid blasting water directly at the radiator grille with a high-pressure hose, as aged sensor connectors can't withstand soaking.