Water Problem

[VmaN!]

OK, this was a bad idea from the beginning , but heres the background before I get to the problem:

I had to pick up my sister from school and it was raining heavily. I live in Las Vegas so the streets flood easily. It was early on and the water was just coating the ground, so I thought my car would be fine. When I get to my sister's school, the water is pretty high, but I had to go through because the area is under construction so I was blocked off. So basically I'm stuck, and I have to go through the water, which is about 1/4, maybe a few inches higher up on my rims. It is a 1989 240sx fastback.

So I get home and I know there is something wrong with my car. The idle is VERY rough, the car shakes quite violently, black smoke is coming out of my exhaust, and I can smell gas. I checked my air filter and there WAS water on the inside of the casing, and I also switched out the air filter.

This happened earlier in the day, so its been sitting in my garage for a few hours now. Is there anything I can do??? Thanks.

Edit: I just checked it, idle isnt as bad as it was before, but there is still black smoke from my exhaust. Also there is this screeching sound when I start the car.

[DAEDALUS]

2 possibilities I think. The intake is just really damp and needs to dry out. IMO this is most likely the cause unless the water was deeper than you thought, but the engine never died, so that's a really good sign. The other possibiliy is that you got a lot of water in the engine and hydrolocked it. There might be water damage to other things...maybe you cracked something, or somehow the O2 sensor broke, which could explain the black smoke. You most likely got a tensioner bearing wet, and that's causing the squealing. You can try tightening the belt, but if the tensioner's worn out it will need to be replaced. Basically give the car a chance to dry out for a few days...start it up occasionally to warm it up and note any changes, and then fix any problems if they're still around.

[s13sr20chris]

reccomendation:drive it for a while and hope it goes away. engine stayed running which is a good sign. im glad daedalus mentioned the o2 sensor as i would not have thought of that. o2 sensors are heated(most are anyway) and if water gets in one, the element can crack. unfortunately the maf has the same type of operation and is much more critical. if you ate a maf, its aint gonna be cheap.

[VmaN!]

Alright I drove it today and everything seems fine. The idle has stabilized, no more smoke, and no more screeching.

I still have the gas smell, but I checked the ECU a week or so ago, and the codes were 32 and 45: EGR function and injector leak, respectively. Can I check/fix those problems myself? Or is it something that is pretty complicated? I am noobie when it comes to motors, but I can do basic work. Thanks in advance.

PS: I'll post again in the next few days to see if anything else presents itself.

[s13sr20chris]

egr will not usually cause drivability issue. if it was stuck open she would really run rough or not at all. injector leak is rarely a leaky injector and usually a bad maf. may be temp though.

[VmaN!]

Well the engine check light has been on since I got the car in June. The weird thing is that it turns on when i start the car, but sometimes it goes away after i drive it on the freeway. Then it comes back when I drive at lower speeds.

Another thing- when I go to fill up my tank, the indicator in the dash NEVER goes all the way to FULL. It stops a little higher than the 2nd mark from the top. My gas mileage also seems to be pretty bad. Thanks again for the help.

[s13sr20chris]

bad gas milage? running rich most likely. you may have maf probs. seen some bad maf's and some bad grounds to maf. newer models have ecm issues.

[VmaN!]

is this something i can check personally or is it recommended to take it into a shop?

[s13sr20chris]

you can check by watching your signal voltage, ground voltage drop, and supply voltage.