:( Flooded Engine
12 November 2010, 11:26 AM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunderland
Posts: 2,446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
:( Flooded Engine
Feel like a bit of a tool today.
Previously when we have had high winds, tiles have blew off the roof and damaged my old car. So when it was so windy last night I thought I would go out and reverse it back along the drive a couple of metres.
Got in the car this morning & it wouldn't start.
Rang the RAC, who turned up about 15 minutes later. He must have been in the car about 30 seconds before he had it running.
He told me because I had reversed it & not driven forward I had flooded the engine. Fairly common issue he reckons.
News to me
Previously when we have had high winds, tiles have blew off the roof and damaged my old car. So when it was so windy last night I thought I would go out and reverse it back along the drive a couple of metres.
Got in the car this morning & it wouldn't start.
Rang the RAC, who turned up about 15 minutes later. He must have been in the car about 30 seconds before he had it running.
He told me because I had reversed it & not driven forward I had flooded the engine. Fairly common issue he reckons.
News to me
12 November 2010, 11:39 AM
#2
No, nothing to do with going forwards or backwards (typcal RAC/AA dimwit response), its purely just you ran a cold engine for a few seconds and shut it off. Most petrol engines hate that...especially large capacity ones (and Fords - for some reason).
The reason is a cold engine runs a heavily enriched fuel mixture (bit like a choke, but its not a choke - chokes restrict intake...Fuel injected cars do not do this
). This wets the combustion chamber and spark plugs with partially burnt fuel and moisture (water is a large combustion by-product of burning petrol). Which after turning off with a cold engine will all condense.
This dampness on the spark plugs and lack of air creates an electrical bridge, stopping the spark from jumping and igniting the fuel. This is whilst the fuel injectors are dumping in even more fuel whilst you are trying to restart the engine, making it worse.
Simple fix:
FLOOR the accelerator and keep cranking it with it held down until you hear the engine "try" to fire up (it may cough, splutter or backfire) then slowely back off the accelerator pedal. This may take up to 60 seconds of continued cranking, and sometimes four or five attempts. You may have to hold the starter on whilst the engine is still trying to splutter into life.
NOTE: On almost all modern fuel injection engines made over the past twenty years, using full-throttle whilst cranking actually stops any fuel being injected, clearing any excess fuel. This is mapped solely to clear a flooded engine - and actually printed in the owner's manual (if anyone bothers to read them ).
If that fails, it a case of removing the spark plugs and drying them out with a gas torch (I also fire the gas torch down the spark plug hole which clears out any excess fuel, and its fun when it does ignite
).
Now be thankful you are not me with a Jag v12, which if it doesn't get its monthly Italian tune up, will foul at least two of its twelve spark plugs. The only cure to get it up an running on all cylinders again is a long blast at 6000rpm in 2nd gear (115mph) or removing all the plugs.
The reason is a cold engine runs a heavily enriched fuel mixture (bit like a choke, but its not a choke - chokes restrict intake...Fuel injected cars do not do this
). This wets the combustion chamber and spark plugs with partially burnt fuel and moisture (water is a large combustion by-product of burning petrol). Which after turning off with a cold engine will all condense.This dampness on the spark plugs and lack of air creates an electrical bridge, stopping the spark from jumping and igniting the fuel. This is whilst the fuel injectors are dumping in even more fuel whilst you are trying to restart the engine, making it worse.
Simple fix:
FLOOR the accelerator and keep cranking it with it held down until you hear the engine "try" to fire up (it may cough, splutter or backfire) then slowely back off the accelerator pedal. This may take up to 60 seconds of continued cranking, and sometimes four or five attempts. You may have to hold the starter on whilst the engine is still trying to splutter into life.
NOTE: On almost all modern fuel injection engines made over the past twenty years, using full-throttle whilst cranking actually stops any fuel being injected, clearing any excess fuel. This is mapped solely to clear a flooded engine - and actually printed in the owner's manual (if anyone bothers to read them
).If that fails, it a case of removing the spark plugs and drying them out with a gas torch (I also fire the gas torch down the spark plug hole which clears out any excess fuel, and its fun when it does ignite
).Now be thankful you are not me with a Jag v12, which if it doesn't get its monthly Italian tune up, will foul at least two of its twelve spark plugs. The only cure to get it up an running on all cylinders again is a long blast at 6000rpm in 2nd gear (115mph) or removing all the plugs.
Last edited by ALi-B; 12 November 2010 at 11:49 AM.
12 November 2010, 12:12 PM
#3
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sunderland
Posts: 2,446
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I wouldn't have thought about pressing the accelerator, I thought that would have flooded the engine.
RAC bloke turned it over till it started trying to fire up then pressed the accelerator and cleared it.
I was wary of keep trying to turn it over in case there was a more serious problem and I made it worse.
Its only only a 1.6 astra but it went for its first service the other day. I think reading on here about engines randomly failing has made me paranoid.
In hindsight I should probably have posted on here. But then again that's what I pay my RAC membership for.
wonder what a copper would say to that excuse for speeding.
RAC bloke turned it over till it started trying to fire up then pressed the accelerator and cleared it.
I was wary of keep trying to turn it over in case there was a more serious problem and I made it worse.
Its only only a 1.6 astra but it went for its first service the other day. I think reading on here about engines randomly failing has made me paranoid.
In hindsight I should probably have posted on here. But then again that's what I pay my RAC membership for.
Now be thankful you are not me with a Jag v12, which if it doesn't get its monthly Italian tune up, will foul at least two of its twelve spark plugs. The only cure to get it up an running on all cylinders again is a long blast at 6000rpm in 2nd gear (115mph) or removing all the plugs.
wonder what a copper would say to that excuse for speeding.
12 November 2010, 12:58 PM
#7
Scooby Senior
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Radiator Springs
Posts: 14,810
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trending Topics
12 November 2010, 04:36 PM
#11
I used to occaisionally flood the engine of my Fiat Coupe I had years ago. My "fix" was to take the fuse out for the fuel pump. Turn the car over until it splutters back into life before dying due to no fuel. This cleared the cyclinders of any excess fuel. Popped the fuse back in and it would start up fine afterwards.
13 November 2010, 06:02 AM
#14
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 10,329
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
13 November 2010, 11:30 AM
#16
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 39,877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Les
13 November 2010, 11:59 AM
#17
I've had a two stoke scrambler (1981 Yamaha DT125 ) nearly stall then fire up reverse on one occasion - not knowing until I tried to pull away.
That was an evil bike, after trying the start the thing for what seemed like an eternity it backfired, blowing the head gasket...splattering my leg with crud. Would also blow lightbulbs if I took it past 8,000rpm
Restored it in the end then couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground in the first three gears.
That was an evil bike, after trying the start the thing for what seemed like an eternity it backfired, blowing the head gasket...splattering my leg with crud. Would also blow lightbulbs if I took it past 8,000rpm
Restored it in the end then couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground in the first three gears.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Mattybr5@MB Developments
Full Cars Breaking For Spares
28
28 December 2015 11:07 PM
Sam Witwicky
Engine Management and ECU Remapping
17
13 November 2015 10:49 AM
Brzoza
Engine Management and ECU Remapping
1
02 October 2015 05:26 PM
