Car Issues after a bad rainstorm with puddles -_- HELP PLZ

[Jack Rot]

so i was driving home last week and it was raining cats and balls, but i was leaving work so i was destined to get home...anyways i hit several puddles and a few hundred feet away from my doorstep i hit one(a puddle) that caused my car to start bogging, and ever since it gives me issues on startup, the rpm drops till it almost turns the car off, and sometimes it does, and it seems to be wasting alot of gas, the mechanic told me it is the mass airflow sensor, possibly got wet and damaged....if any of you have any idea's as to anything else that it might be please let me know....

[Balls]

Do you have a CAI? If so you problaby got water in your engine.....bad!

[Balls]

Oh yeah, I was no where near florida last week, how could have been raining me? LOL

[pasadena_commut]

the mechanic told me it is the mass airflow sensor, possibly got wet and damaged....

If that's all it is consider yourself lucky.

When a significant amount of water gets sucked all the way into the motor it can bend or break metal pieces. Worst case: a cylinder fills with water, the valves close, the piston moves up, the water has nowhere to go, and it wont compress enough to release the pressure. When that happens kiss the motor good bye.

[azmp5]

CAI are not worth the risk. 1 extra HP. Good Luck and be careful driving.

[iSpoon]

What you might wanna try is taking out your spark plugs and turning it over to see if water comes out of the cylinders. I got trapped in a flash flood with my car and took in water through the cai. I am of the uniquely lucky in that after draining all water out of the intercooler, intake, throttle, turbo, and turning it over with plugs out to shoot the water out.. it started right up after it was put back together.

[Jack Rot]

What you might wanna try is taking out your spark plugs and turning it over to see if water comes out of the cylinders. I got trapped in a flash flood with my car and took in water through the cai. I am of the uniquely lucky in that after draining all water out of the intercooler, intake, throttle, turbo, and turning it over with plugs out to shoot the water out.. it started right up after it was put back together.


I will NEVER have a CAI in south Florida....thats just suicide. im taking it to the mechanics in the morning, good thing is they dont charge me for testing shit and diagnosing... i will have them try your theory out...

god damnit i hope my engine isnt shot....

[Jack Rot]

What you might wanna try is taking out your spark plugs and turning it over to see if water comes out of the cylinders. I got trapped in a flash flood with my car and took in water through the cai. I am of the uniquely lucky in that after draining all water out of the intercooler, intake, throttle, turbo, and turning it over with plugs out to shoot the water out.. it started right up after it was put back together.


I will NEVER have a CAI in south Florida....thats just suicide. im taking it to the mechanics in the morning, good thing is they dont charge me for testing shit and diagnosing... i will have them try your theory out...

god damnit i hope my engine isnt shot....

anymore suggestions?

[iSpoon]

As I said I was extremely lucky. My car is garaged and I don't normally take it out in foul weather which is why the cai never worried me. Fate happened and is a fair warning. I do have a fellow Mazda friend locally who had some hesitation issues during or after heavy rains and he would remove the plugs, turn it over, get the water out, and then runs fine afterwards.

[Jack Rot]

it's been about a week, so hopefully i havent waited too long on it...

[iSpoon]

On the bright side it still runs. I also changed the oil and used a couple additives designed to remove water and ultra lubricate.

[Jack Rot]

oh i just had 2 oil leaks plugged up, and prior to the oil change i had them run the seafoam treatment, i just put mobile 1 full synth, into it i cant afford another oil change when i just replaced it -_-, but i guess they'll tell me what needs to be done, what are those additives if you remember by any chance?

[iSpoon]

One was an STP additive that is actually designed to remove water. It's for winter treatment in case there is ice or anything. You might wanna try pulling the plugs out at home to see if water comes out before taking it to someone. Would save you money right there. Just make sure you have someone there to see if anything comes up while you're in the car turning it over.

[Jack Rot]

Im assuming the additive goes into the oil? i'll try that in the morning

[iSpoon]

Good luck... you'll need it and lots of praying.. (angel)

[Jack Rot]

I've learned that praying gets you fucked... just take it from the tourettes guy :D i'll hope! lol. worst case scenario the engine dies and i swap it with a v6 and turbo charge it! >=)


hah....i wish....i had the money for that, that is. lol

[skullcandy]

Rain.....:mad:

[iSpoon]

Yeah for you Florida guys I'd probably stick with short ram for sure.

[slavrenz]

I will NEVER have a CAI in south Florida....thats just suicide. im taking it to the mechanics in the morning, good thing is they dont charge me for testing shit and diagnosing... i will have them try your theory out...

god damnit i hope my engine isnt shot....

anymore suggestions?

So.... you didn't have a CAI??

[Jack Rot]

Nope.

[slavrenz]

Get some CRC electronics cleaner (it comes in the aerosol spray can), and try cleaning out all of your sensor connectors. Other than this, the only other likely culprit is some exposed wiring that is shorting from the water.

[iSpoon]

Any luck?

[Jack Rot]

got the sensor replaced today... works beautifully, also had my leaky oil pressure switch replaced....the car feels like its accelerating so much better now, actually feels somewhat fast!......but now i need a Idle Air Control Valve, if anyone has a WORKING one, please let me know ASAP!

[iSpoon]

So they were damaged by water or just going bad naturally?

[Jack Rot]

definately had to be the water, my car was running perfect before the water hit, but it never accelerated so quickly now, im guessing an old airflow sensor gets worn over time but having a brand new one definately feels like there was a performance increase

i gotta relocate my k&n intake though, its sitting like right behind the radiator fans and getting all the hot air so im going to relocate to behind the left head lamp where there is a whole for piping to go into for cold air intake, but im not putting it down there, just sitting it above it, should give me a huge mileage increase on gas the mechanic said!

*edit; whole (hole)*

[iSpoon]

Well that's good. Hopefully you are good to go and it keeps running for a long time.

[Jack Rot]

i hope so too..im running out of money to dump into this thing -_- lol

[iSpoon]

Welcome to the club. (drinks)

[Jack Rot]

Eventually when i rob a bank or get a decent job (whichever comes first) i'll engine swap with forged internal's and and turbo, i really like the protege that much, plus i dont think i'd ever buy a BRAND NEW car unless i really had the money, being 20 with a part time sucks ;D but job's are really bad here in south florida so im at least lucky to have one

[iSpoon]

Here in Ohio it's not much better. I'm lucky to have a good one right now, only took me 10 years to finally land one.

[skullcandy]

werd (thumb)

[slavrenz]

definately had to be the water, my car was running perfect before the water hit, but it never accelerated so quickly now, im guessing an old airflow sensor gets worn over time but having a brand new one definately feels like there was a performance increase

i gotta relocate my k&n intake though, its sitting like right behind the radiator fans and getting all the hot air so im going to relocate to behind the left head lamp where there is a whole for piping to go into for cold air intake, but im not putting it down there, just sitting it above it, should give me a huge mileage increase on gas the mechanic said!

*edit; whole (hole)*

If your intake is sitting up in your engine bay, there's no way that water could've reached it unless you were submerged up to your headlights. Glad you got the issue fixed tho :)

[Jack Rot]

idk i was going like 20-25 through the puddles for like 20 minutes on and off.....regardless the water did a number on the parts, so thats why they have to be replaced, lol