| Author |
Message |
kenneth wayne smith (Ksmith)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2001 - 10:30 pm: | |
some companies will want to total a vehicle when the water level gets into the dash. reason being the electronics. fluids- engine oil, transmission fluid, rear end or transaxle lube- can usually be drained, flushed, and refilled without major problems. uphosterly, carpets, and seatcovers can be cleaned, or replaced if need be. however water in the electrical/electronic systems can cause hard-to-trace/diagnose and expensive problems, and some of those may not show up until weeks or months later- resulting in re-opens and call-backs for large supplementals. if any doubt about when to total a vehicle, check with the storm super or company people.
also, some companies will set up special salvage procedures for a cat involving substantial numbers of flooded/submerged vehicles. be sure and check for those, and follow the guidelines.
one thing you NEVER do with a motor that has been submerged is try to crank it or even turn it over without first pulling the plugs. reason being is that water on top of a piston does not compress very well, and may cause a bent or broke connecting rod if the motor is turned over, which will lock up the motor. in severe cases that connecting rod might even come through the block.
ALWAYS pull the sparkplugs before trying to turn over any motor that might have water on the pistons on in the intake manifolds. the water will normally then be forced out the open plug hole with no internal damage. the engine can then be drained and flushed internally with a light oil. provided this is done reasonably soon after submersion, you can generally expect to have little or no significant internal damage from clean fresh water (salt or dirty water may be another matter).
for 2 cycle engines- outboard motors that get submerged in fresh water, probably one of the best things to do is to pull the plugs immediately when the motor comes up out of the water, squirt light lubricating oil in through the plug holes, and through the carbs onto the reed valves, then turn over the motor several times to flush out the powerhead. change out any contaminated fluids. then crank it and run it until it's thoroughly warm, and let the heat help dry it out. provided that a submerged outboard gets proper attention reasonably soon after immersion, probably the worst to commonly expect is the draining and flushing, plus maybe carb overhaul/cleaning and maybe replacement of the powerpacks. frequently, not always, you won't need to change out the gas in the tank.
in clean fresh water, most of the motor/mechancal damage occurs after the object is removed from the water and exposed to air. in fresh water, if you can't properly care for it right away, you might consider just leaving it in the water for a short time until you can properly care for it. with salt water, and some dirty waters, damage starts occuring immediately. in that case, you want to get it out and cleaned up asap to minimize damage/maximize salvage. |
R.D. Hood (Dave)
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2000 - 3:44 pm: | |
There are more questionable "deals" on automobiles/trucks than you would care to believe.
One way to verify an anticipated purchase of a vehicle, that seems to be "too good to be true"
(and it usually is) is to check the records available.
Here is a web site that will provide any buyer all of the available information on any vehicle
As always "Caveat Emptor"
http://www.carfax.com/ |
Chuck Deaton (Chuck)
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2000 - 2:33 pm: | |
Engines, bearings and differential components are the least likely components to be damaged by water and the most repairable. Electronic items, which are pervasive in all new vehicles, to include vehicles other than automobiles,are vulnerable and difficult to diagnose and to repair. With shop labor rates exceeding $55 per hour in many areas repair becomes expensive immediately.
Many vehicles have ABS braking systems and cruise control, which if immersed in water, especially salt water,can be rendered dangerous.
Salvage value is a major concern with water losses. High values make immediate stablization of salvage a priority.
State laws concerning the sale of flood and salvage vehicles should be reviewed. |
Tom Toll (Tom)
| | Posted on Monday, December 04, 2000 - 1:39 pm: | |
I think this is an excellent idea by Roy Cupps. Many adjusters will be handling auto claims due to flooding and of hail. Any of you up to snuff casualty guys and gals are requested to post on this forum to assist the younger, not quite knowledgable adjusters out there.
Lets start with flood submersion and how to protect/repair the engine, underdash items, bearings, and differential components of the automobile, after flooding. Is it possible to save a car, within 2 years old, that has been flooded to the top of the seats, or is it a total loss. |
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