So we had some bad flooding and I got water in the engine...yes I was driving and went through water about 2 Feet or so...at one point it got up to the headlight...the car ran all the way home...but not good and I should have stopped but like a dumb *** kept going...when I stopped at home the car's idle sounded like crap and white smoke was coming out the exhaust...I turned the car off and disconnected the battery and let her sit...after a few hours I tried to restart her...engine wouldn't turn over...when turned the key it was a weird kind of sound like a small vibration and some clicking...I then checked the oil...milky with water...so do you think this is it? Still waiting to hear back from my mechanic and insurance adjuster...whole thing sucks as I've put so much into the car...if the engine is trashed what are my options...if the trannyy went under water would it be trashed too

 

Remove and check the spark plugs.
Charge the battery.
Change oil and add some oil (5-10ml) in each cylinder.
Change air filter (it may be damp)
Try to rotate en engine w/o spark plugs - if it still rotates - replace a spark plugs and try to start an engine.
If the engine won't turn over even w/o spark plugs - i have a bad news for you...

 

It's unlikely that you got much water inside the engine, so flush out the oil and replace with new, replace air and oil filters and clean / dry all electrical connectors. Water will have gone down the spark plug holes causing mis fires so blow the water out with a blast of compressed air and remove plugs. Teaspoon of oil down each bore, clean spark plugs and replace. I bet all will be well.

 

Also, i reccomend to check the transmission fluid ASAP, the water can get inside of the tranny via the breather.

 

my mechanic has confirmed...engine will not turn...something is bent...looks like a new engine...what is my best option on getting a new engine? mechanically i've done like everything under the sun to the car...so getting a new engine might be a good approach...what you guys think...

 

Doesn't make sense to me. If you'd aspirated water into the engine and got an hydraulic lock there'd have been a big bang and an instantly seized engine - possibly with con rods sticking out of the block.
We used to live by a ford and I've seen several guys trying to drive through during a flood - instant car death and I'd get the tractor to pull the car out so it didn't get washed down and block the footbridge.
Was your oil level very high on the dipstick?
Worth a few more checks/second opinion before scrapping the engine.
The no-turn over could just be a starter full of water.

 

Oil level was pretty normal...just milky...yes I was wondering the same thing how I would have made it home ...could it have locked as it was cooling down after I got home?

 

PS - is it normal that the insurance company will just declare it a loss due to the age of the car and the extent of repair...obviously the car is worth more than I am sure they will offer so trying to figure out options

 

I would drain the oil and try to turn the engine over with a socket on the flywheel bolt. If it turns a full rotation nicely then its likely a starter issue. A little compressed air and some wd-40 should cure that.

 

No, the damage would have been immediate -can you get a socket on the crank pulley bolt and gently try to turn the engine ?
The correct direction is the one that makes the fan want to suck air through the radiator !
- posted at the same time as Walleye - great minds !

 

Whatever they will offer for the car, take it. Buy the car back from them, and you will have a salvage title. This should leave you with enough money to buy the engine, and pay for the labor to swap them. Do the math.

However,.....your story DOES NOT make sense. The car with water in the cylinders would not get you home. As others said,....hydrolock is INSTANT DEATH for the engine. How much faith do you have in your mechanic? If this was me, I'd take the matter in my own hands, and perform the procedures outlined in the previous comments. There is NO WAY that your engine is siezed. Dry everything (sunshine, airflow, WD40), pull the plugs, change oil, new filters, lube the cyl walls, new plugs, and you should be good to go. Hell,.....as someone else said, before you spend ANY money on oil, plugs, filters, etc.......pull the plugs and turn the thing by hand. That alone will speak volumes.

___and a third post at the same time, suggesting the same thing------

 

'I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true'
The Hunting of the Snark

 

There IS a way that engine can be siezed. It can be not hydrolock case, but spun bearing. Oil with a water is a bad lubricant for a bearings and a pistons. There may be a jammed piston or spun bearing. While enigne was running - it produces enough power to keep running. Once it was stopped - oops, it's siezed.
But, anyway, try to rotate a crank via the pulley bolt.

 

Possible but I've ploughed with a tractor when the dry liner seal went and the lubrication was 50-50 oil/water.
Let's hope for the best.

 

I'm not a pessimist and hoping for the best.
But, CHECK THE TRANNY FLUID ASAP. If it's milky - drain and refill! Or the clutch packs and torque converter clutch may become bad.

 

X2. Change the Duffy fluid as well.

 

I meant diffy not Duffy lol.

 

Diff fluid is not such an emergency as a tranny fluid, but should be checked/replaced too.
Also, if the engine will turn over and start - check and grease the cooling fan (or they will fail) and check an alternator for a water/dampness inside.

 

Actually this is very typical -- it is similar to running an engine without oil ... In effect the water in the oil is just that.

the engine will continue to run for quite a while .... but has been fatally damaged -- once the engines is turned off the starter motor can not tun the car over.


If you have physical damage on the car -- take the money and run. if you want another Jaguar -- use the money and buy a good one.


The only way it works out to buy a car back is when you have the ability to fix the car yourself - or have a second car .... and then keep it. The car will be almost worthless with a salvage title - so selling them is difficult.

 

Am I able to insure a car with a salvaged title? Won't it be more expensive?

Today the insurance appraiser called and said they would consider the car a loss...he told me someone will call me in a few days after they review his findings...I am sure whatever the insurance offer me will be less than what it is worth and all the work I put into it...so If I buy a new engine how much do you think that would set me back and how easy is it to get a good used engine?