Almost killed the car today.

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Gromit

Über Member
Location
York
Coming back from my work placement in Cawood heading back to York, non stop rain all day flooding most of the road, tried to avoid some of the puddles but couldn't due to oncoming traffic.

Got just passed Naburn and there was the mother of all puddles, slowed right down put it in 3rd, going through it as slowly as possible. She got through it fine.

She then starts juddering when put in 1st and 2nd gears. It stopped however further down Fulford Road.

Stopped at traffic lights and she didn't want to get going at all, juddered to a holt, managed to get her started again and pulled her over to the side of the road.

I waited for a bit got her started and joined the flow of traffic again. Anyway the stop start flow of traffic gave her time to dry out a bit, she was fine and got me home.

Joelene is a good car, she is useful for long distances and getting me to my work placement. I would cycle there however the road over there is not safe and I don't think I could do 28 miles and lots of physical work. Bit embarrassing really. ;) :smile:
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Good old Jolene, she's a trooper.

If it's any consolation, work was miserable today (well, the conditions, the people as ever, were great). And thanks to a conference in the main room, we couldn't sit by the fire at lunchtime....
 
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Gromit

Gromit

Über Member
Location
York
Arch said:
Good old Jolene, she's a trooper.

If it's any consolation, work was miserable today (well, the conditions, the people as ever, were great). And thanks to a conference in the main room, we couldn't sit by the fire at lunchtime....

Dam them conference people. Grrrr
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Gromit said:
Dam them conference people. Grrrr

Grrr.... And Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I was so cold and wet! Still, David and I had had a sausage butty each mid morning from the Snack Shack - only a quid to us!
 
Location
Rammy
Get her running again and take her for a good run on a decent day to help her dry out

before doing so tho check your oil, make sure it's not runny and rainbowy as, unlikely as it is, water could have got in

a bit of wd40 around the electrics wouldn't go amiss to help drying out.

My method for wading through puddles is keep as close to centre of road as it's shallowest, 2nd gear, enter at 10 mph and gently accelerate pushing a wave of water as this actually has the effect of making the under bonnet water level lower!

Try to avoid meeting a car coming the other way and if you stall in deep water don't try to re start.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
I think this is an 'older car'...... because it carried on working............new cars..oh no....

New cars.... especially diesels (god damn awful things that cyclists should hate - particulate sh1t.........) have low air intakes - water goes up, and it hydro locks the engine.....ace............ ?

Simples.. or the drivers of most cars are............... FFS, don't drive through a flood...

There are certain cars, especially diesels that will die very fast in a 'wake' in a big puddle..........

I don't even try sh1t like that in my petrol car...... on my bike then ....whooooooo...
 
Location
Rammy
fossyant said:
I think this is an 'older car'...... because it carried on working............new cars..oh no....

New cars.... especially diesels (god damn awful things that cyclists should hate - particulate sh1t.........) have low air intakes - water goes up, and it hydro locks the engine.....ace............ ?

Simples.. or the drivers of most cars are............... FFS, don't drive through a flood...

There are certain cars, especially diesels that will die very fast in a 'wake' in a big puddle..........

I don't even try sh1t like that in my petrol car...... on my bike then ....whooooooo...


I've done deep water in a car with it's air intake and air box being in the front right inner wing only two feet off the ground

got through where a new 407 had died and also an X3 was sat in the middle of the puddle.

then drove the little 1996 swift through the bit of lake coniston that decided it wanted a holiday in the field across the road from the lake, and back, and again and back and again. (the B&B was down this particular road and no way was flood going to spoil our weekend)

its not so much the new car that's the problem (although you should avoid dunking a hot catalyst) it's the fact that most people have never encountered the conditions before.

i've also taken a diesel C2 through a ford (tissington) a couple of times for the fun of it.
 
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Gromit

Gromit

Über Member
Location
York
Thank you for the advice everyone, next time I go through a large puddle I will use some of the techniques.

She is an N reg fiat punto, picked her up for £200 a few years ago, was warned by a few friends that she had a dodgy head gasket, which she had no such thing. I spent a bit of money on her recently to get her in good condition, she is quite a reliable car, starts first time and everything. :biggrin:

We are going to take her out for a run today see if still works.
 
Gromit said:
Thank you for the advice everyone, next time I go through a large puddle I will use some of the techniques.

Some years back when we had unexpected floods but I had to get to work, I went through a 50 yard stretch of 3-4 inch deep water using the 'keep the revs high' technique. Exhaust was fine, but the alternator wasn't. £70 for a replacement. :biggrin:
 
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Gromit

Gromit

Über Member
Location
York
Update on the car, took her out today to pick up some very large boxes with Bikepete and she is perfectly fine. Jolene is a good car. :biggrin:
 
beanzontoast said:
Some years back when we had unexpected floods but I had to get to work, I went through a 50 yard stretch of 3-4 inch deep water using the 'keep the revs high' technique. Exhaust was fine, but the alternator wasn't. £70 for a replacement. :biggrin:

What happened to the alternator? Should have been fine in water that deep shallow;): I took my old Volvo 240 through two hundred yards of water up to the bottoms of the doors not too long ago and it was fine.
 
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