driving through puddles

[mildwin]

May be a silly question but....................what sort of problems could be caused to a car after driving through rather huge puddles??

[NORMANTHEDOG]

driving through large deep puddles can cause a lot of problems,you can stall the engine,get water in the electrics,water can get in the car itself,it does not do the brakes any good,allways pump them after,try and avoid them or you could be stuck for hours while the engine dries out.

[homer75]

As well as what Norman says - the water can damage the catalytic convertor - they run very hot and the sudden cooling can cause damage to the ceramic core.

[katangel26]

And rust! Or so I'm told (hence why I always avoid puddles now lol)

[Toureman]

It will only cause rust if you park it in the sea for a few weeks kata.

[Littlejohn]

One major problem on many modern cars is the fact that a lot of cars now have their air intakes mounted very low down within the engine compartment. Older cars used to have relatively small air cleaners with short air intakes mounted near to the carb, but since the introduction of fuel injection the actual point at which air enters the air cleaner has often become much lower down. The problem with such a design is that any puddle encountered does not have to be very deep before there is a risk of water being drawn into the air cleaner and thus into the engine. This water ingestion can totally wreck an engine.

[Catso]

On the early Minis (IE 1960s) driving through a puddle too fast frequently killed the engine. Water got into the distributor, and you had to wait for the heat of the engine to dry it out before you could continue.

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[mildwin]

I ask because I have been having a few problems with my car, Fiesta auto 1994. Firstly had a flat battery & was advised to get new one, which I did. 10 days later that one went flat too. Mechanic has checked alternator & it is fine & he can find nothing draining the battery. I then remembered that I had driven through a rather large puddle 2 days previous. It then became reluctant to start & needed a lot of revs to get it going for those 2 days, then on the 3rd day it was flat, my brand new battery. As I am no mechanic & know nothing about cars/engines etc, I was just wondering whether the water could have been a factor??

[Catso]

I would say it seems unlikely. Although you've had it checked, it does sound more like a faulty alternator. It would be an odd fault that was caused by splashed water that still remained days after, as the engine heat would dry everything off.

The wife has a '96 Fiesta and the alternator packed up on that earlier this year. Very similar symptoms to yours - looked as though it was working (IE no warning light) but battery always flat. Eventually diagnosed as one/two diodes gone in the alternator rectifer, so not producing full charge current. A replacement alternator required.

[mildwin]

Thanks. Alternator has been checked by my mechanic & he says it is fine, charging properly, etc. He took the new battery out to recharge it fully & replaced it with an old battery. As he said, if there was a drain or the alternator was playing up the old battery would go flat relatively quickly, that was 5 days ago & car is starting first time, no problems, old battery has not yet gone flat. He is coming to put the new battery back. He thinks I must of left something on as the problem has not, as yet, reoccurred. I may not know anything about cars, am a complete girl when it comes to them, but I know I did not leave anything on. That is why I was clutching at straws with regards to the water.

[mildwin]

mechanics just been again & it IS the alternator. Got to get a new one.....................any ideas how much?