Hydrolocked and Recovered but...

[mudwisr]

Hey there,

I have a 99 TJ auto straight 6, and I just need some advice on what my next course of action should be.

So I went muddin.. its like my 5th time, but you can call me a beginner. Not having judged the depth of the pit correctly, I had plunged into a deep one and the engine had died eventually after several attempts to get out. After I got pulled out I tried starting it twice and then hydrolocked. Closer look under the hood showed a pool of mud in my air intake box. I threw the air filter out and drained the mud. We removed all spark plugs and found out 2 were dirty.. turned the engine over.. it shot mud out. We put oil through the spark plug holes.. turned it over again, then put everything back together.. no air filter at this time though. Engine started on the second attempt and I was actually able to drive it almost all the way back home.. (about 80 mi).. although, i could barely go over 50 mph, acceleration was horrible, engine was hesitating and sluggish.. it just felt like there was barely any push.. It stalled twice along the way but it started back up almost right away. While driving I heard a loud snap and the exhaust noise got even louder. When I finally got home I realized that the pipe that connects the muffler and the catalytic converter broke off and partly melted.. (it was rusty to begin with).. I guess that explained the awful smell. So far I have bought a k&m air filter and installed it.. the whole ride home I didnt have one. At this time I haven't fixed the exhaust yet. It starts every time and the engine sounds normal but I refuse to drive it until I get some assurance that I would not damage the engine even more. Any suggestions on maintenance, repair, parts needed, etc.. would be very much appreciated. I already decided to get a snorkel after everything is repaired to prevent this from happening again. So far all I heard from my buddies besides replacing the catalytic converter and exhaust system is to replace oil, put in some fuel injector cleaner in the gas, some engine cleaner in the oil. Others have told me I may need to clean the cylinders (don't know how).. I am just hoping it's not going to be a big repair bill. Thanks in advance.

 

[TwistedCU]

In addition to your above mentioned plans, change all fluids in the Jeep (Transmission, transfer case, both differentials), and clean your brakes. Grease all of your grease fittings.

I would change the oil again too.

 

[Craig]

I did the same thing, only about 200 kms out into the the mountains in the middle of no where. I got so much muddy water into my intake that is sucked my K&N filter right through the intake hose almost into the motor. Thats why I now have a snorkel on my jeep. I changed my oil right away and pulled off the air intake. I used a whole bottle of some kind of carb cleaner to clean everything out in the intake. Also sprayed a bunch into each of the spark plug holes. I changed all the other fluids in my diffs, transfer case and transmission. I drove it for about 50 kms, then changed the oil again to be sure I got all the crap out. I made my next oil change after 500 kms just to be sure. This was over 4 years ago and it still runs great. You might also want to check inside your distributor cap.... it could also be full of mud. Also your starter.

 

[firemanharry]

I'm with TC and Craig, better to waste some oil than a motor. How does your transmission fluid look?

 

[redrooster]

You can buy a snorkel or do the smart thing and stay out of the deep stuff. The snorkel only protects the air intake from water. There are alot of other fluids and electronics that need to be protected.
First of all does the engine smoke now? Is the oil milky looking? If not then you might be ok. The first thing I would do regardless, is change the engine oil and filter. When you change the oil, run it for a an hour or less and change it again.
Fix the ehxhaust to make sure that your sputtering is not a result of O2 sensor issues.
Wash the radiator fins out with a garden hose to make sure mud doesn't dry in there and prevent cooling.
Are you getting a "Service engine light"? If so, read the code and tell us what it says. The engine has a crank position sensor in the back of the block that doesn't like mud. It may be possible to remove the torque converter cover and clean the sensor. Not sure.
It would also be wise to change your differential fluid and check the condition of your transmission and transfer case fluid. All of these have breather vents which can allow water to enter them.
Another issue is wheel bearings. They are not totally immune to mud either. The seals are designed to keep grease in and not necessarily keep mud out. They are a single lip design.
You will find that playing in the deep stuff can get expensive real quick. I'll agree that it is fun, just requires a lot of maintenance to prevent damage. I prefer to stay out of anything that is deeper than the hub.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

I was actually able to drive it almost all the way back home.. (about 80 mi).. although, i could barely go over 50 mph, acceleration was horrible, engine was hesitating and sluggish.. it just felt like there was barely any push.. It stalled twice along the way but it started back up almost right away. .

This part has me worried, I guess the easiest way here is to do a compression test, this will tell you if you need to take the time and pull the head checking the vales, rocker arms and rods for any bending. The head for any warping and the gasket for any blow by.