R56 Don't Drive Through Water!
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 593
Likes: 2
From: Montreal
if you hydro lock a motor the connecting rods usually blow out the side of the engine block, so that would make sense if you have oil coming out the motor.
it only takes less then 1/2 a cup to screwup a motor water is not compressible and when it tried to compress the water stays and the metal brakes. NO filter can stop the water from passing through.
with a MINI bumper or air dam just slightly below the water it will cause quite a wake at 10mph that can easily go over the headlight intake.....
it only takes less then 1/2 a cup to screwup a motor water is not compressible and when it tried to compress the water stays and the metal brakes. NO filter can stop the water from passing through.
with a MINI bumper or air dam just slightly below the water it will cause quite a wake at 10mph that can easily go over the headlight intake.....
I live in Phoenix, AZ and we just had a big storm last night. I work at a local hospital, and there was a lot of standing water in the parking lot. None of it was over the curb, as I could see the top of the curb.
I stopped and then SLOWLY drove through the water (5-10mph), thinking "hey, don't stall". Well, after about 30 feet the car stalled and would not re-start. All the lights on my instrument panel were on, but when I keyed the starter it just clicked.
So I get out and push the car to a dry parking spot, wait and hour and then try and start the car. Nada...but all the lights work. So I call roadside assistance and 2 hours later a flatbed shows up. The driver and I push the car about 20 feet to line it up with the back of the tow-truck. He hooks up the cable, tips the bed back and proceeds to winch my Mini up onto the flatbed.
About 10 feet up the back of the truck, oil begins to POUR from the bottom of my car. The driver and I are dumbfounded, as there is no oil in the parking spot, or in the area where we pushed the car.
We get to Mini of North Scottsdale, I tell the guy what happened, and he said "Oh, I'm pretty sure you hydrolocked your engine. We saw a few of these last week durring another big storm".
He said that the water under the hood got sucked through the intake and into the engine, where it proceeded to blow out the back of the engine, thus causing the oil leak when the car was at an angle.
He said it is not covered under warranty and that I should have a good insurance company, as it is going to cost $8000-$10000 for a new engine!
The car is a year old with 20,000 miles. I have driven through a lot of water in Florida and Missouri and have never had this happen. In fact the rental they gave me was a Mazda 6 and I went back and drove it through that same water 4 times with no problem.
Sorry this is so long, but I am pissed that Mini had the nerve to tell me it's not covered. It obviously sounds like it has been a know problem for a while, yet nothing is said to the owner, nor is anything done to fix it, like moving the air intake to a safer (drier) spot.
Shouldn't the air filter just get clogged causing the car to stall out? I mean, the water droplets are bigger than air, so they should just block the flow of air to the engine once they hit the filter? There were no loud noises, no bangs, nothing that sounded like a rod going through the engine. I just figured that something got wet and shorted out a relay or something.
Alright, enough said.
I stopped and then SLOWLY drove through the water (5-10mph), thinking "hey, don't stall". Well, after about 30 feet the car stalled and would not re-start. All the lights on my instrument panel were on, but when I keyed the starter it just clicked.
So I get out and push the car to a dry parking spot, wait and hour and then try and start the car. Nada...but all the lights work. So I call roadside assistance and 2 hours later a flatbed shows up. The driver and I push the car about 20 feet to line it up with the back of the tow-truck. He hooks up the cable, tips the bed back and proceeds to winch my Mini up onto the flatbed.
About 10 feet up the back of the truck, oil begins to POUR from the bottom of my car. The driver and I are dumbfounded, as there is no oil in the parking spot, or in the area where we pushed the car.
We get to Mini of North Scottsdale, I tell the guy what happened, and he said "Oh, I'm pretty sure you hydrolocked your engine. We saw a few of these last week durring another big storm".
He said that the water under the hood got sucked through the intake and into the engine, where it proceeded to blow out the back of the engine, thus causing the oil leak when the car was at an angle.
He said it is not covered under warranty and that I should have a good insurance company, as it is going to cost $8000-$10000 for a new engine!
The car is a year old with 20,000 miles. I have driven through a lot of water in Florida and Missouri and have never had this happen. In fact the rental they gave me was a Mazda 6 and I went back and drove it through that same water 4 times with no problem.
Sorry this is so long, but I am pissed that Mini had the nerve to tell me it's not covered. It obviously sounds like it has been a know problem for a while, yet nothing is said to the owner, nor is anything done to fix it, like moving the air intake to a safer (drier) spot.
Shouldn't the air filter just get clogged causing the car to stall out? I mean, the water droplets are bigger than air, so they should just block the flow of air to the engine once they hit the filter? There were no loud noises, no bangs, nothing that sounded like a rod going through the engine. I just figured that something got wet and shorted out a relay or something.
Alright, enough said.
HOLY COW! I feel SO VERY lucky now. I really hope things work out for you. I certainly will be more careful with your lesson!
A weekend ago, I was taking my grandmother's old beaten-up and beaten-down Subaru station wagon back to my uncle's house (he uses it as a daily driver since she's in a elder home) - and he lives out in the middle of a civil war battlefield (read: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in the woods on a dirt road!) My husband was following me in his BMW. We had just passed a lady on this little dirt road, and she never made ANY warning signs signals, etc. that there was a problem ahead of me. I knew there was a little stream coming up on the route, but didn't realize it had rained. (Took grandma to the movies - we were inside the whole time!) The stream looked a little more "restless" than I'd seen it before, but I didn't think it was that bad, so I started across. Luckily the hubby stopped on the near side to wait for me to finish crossing. I got about halfway through the "stream" when the RIVER it actually turned out to be started washing ME AND THE CAR downstream! The car of course had stalled, and I was now facing the flow of water, streaming into the engine. OH CRAP. When the water had reached the bottom edge of the window, I called my uncle (hurriedly) to "COME GET ME, AND BRING TOW STRAPS!" while I kept trying to maneuver the car out of the water. I finally, after many starts and stalls, got the car out to the far side of the water. By the time Uncle drove up with family reinforcements, I was literally bailing water out of the back seat with all doors open and the hood propped. My poor husband was a nervous wreck on the other side of the water.
My aunt was particularly UNhelpful: "Why didn't you check the water marker before you crossed!?!?" WHAT WATER MARKER???? Oh, the one I could finally see WASHED DOWNSTREAM from the far side of the water. Hm. 
I drove the wagon around and it seemed fine.... Uncle kept making jokes about the "Army way of fording vehicles" and that the Subaru didn't stand for "SUB"marine...etc. HA HA HA. I felt so bad.
A weekend ago, I was taking my grandmother's old beaten-up and beaten-down Subaru station wagon back to my uncle's house (he uses it as a daily driver since she's in a elder home) - and he lives out in the middle of a civil war battlefield (read: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in the woods on a dirt road!) My husband was following me in his BMW. We had just passed a lady on this little dirt road, and she never made ANY warning signs signals, etc. that there was a problem ahead of me. I knew there was a little stream coming up on the route, but didn't realize it had rained. (Took grandma to the movies - we were inside the whole time!) The stream looked a little more "restless" than I'd seen it before, but I didn't think it was that bad, so I started across. Luckily the hubby stopped on the near side to wait for me to finish crossing. I got about halfway through the "stream" when the RIVER it actually turned out to be started washing ME AND THE CAR downstream! The car of course had stalled, and I was now facing the flow of water, streaming into the engine. OH CRAP. When the water had reached the bottom edge of the window, I called my uncle (hurriedly) to "COME GET ME, AND BRING TOW STRAPS!" while I kept trying to maneuver the car out of the water. I finally, after many starts and stalls, got the car out to the far side of the water. By the time Uncle drove up with family reinforcements, I was literally bailing water out of the back seat with all doors open and the hood propped. My poor husband was a nervous wreck on the other side of the water.
My aunt was particularly UNhelpful: "Why didn't you check the water marker before you crossed!?!?" WHAT WATER MARKER???? Oh, the one I could finally see WASHED DOWNSTREAM from the far side of the water. Hm. I drove the wagon around and it seemed fine.... Uncle kept making jokes about the "Army way of fording vehicles" and that the Subaru didn't stand for "SUB"marine...etc. HA HA HA. I felt so bad.
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 7,578
Likes: 5
From: Paradise
Ouch! That's horrible. I hope your insurance comes through.
Did you measure the actual depth of the water where you stalled? Where was it on the wheels, your ankles, etc.? It would be helpful for the rest of us to know. Even though you could see the curbs, the parking lot may not have been flat.
Did you measure the actual depth of the water where you stalled? Where was it on the wheels, your ankles, etc.? It would be helpful for the rest of us to know. Even though you could see the curbs, the parking lot may not have been flat.
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 188
Likes: 0
From: San Diego
Wow... this thread makes me glad I've decided to keep my Jeep once the MINI arrives. I've gone off-road through some bumper deep water that splashes over the hood (and sometimes the roof 
) without incident.
Luckily it rarely rains here in SoCal so i'll spend most of my days in the MINI
) without incident.Luckily it rarely rains here in SoCal so i'll spend most of my days in the MINI
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 251
Likes: 18
From: Central CT
How is any of this Mini's fault? The car isn't designed to be driven through deep standing water. I understand the frustration, but people yelling out that it's a design flaw are way out of line. Some of the "facts" and comments in this thread are crazy.
I would expect insurance to cover this, and know of people who have done so. Your rates will likely go up, rightly so. The OP's experience with Mini Roadside Assistance is really unfortunate.
I would expect insurance to cover this, and know of people who have done so. Your rates will likely go up, rightly so. The OP's experience with Mini Roadside Assistance is really unfortunate.
How is any of this Mini's fault? The car isn't designed to be driven through deep standing water. I understand the frustration, but people yelling out that it's a design flaw are way out of line. Some of the "facts" and comments in this thread are crazy.
I would expect insurance to cover this, and know of people who have done so. Your rates will likely go up, rightly so. The OP's experience with Mini Roadside Assistance is really unfortunate.
I would expect insurance to cover this, and know of people who have done so. Your rates will likely go up, rightly so. The OP's experience with Mini Roadside Assistance is really unfortunate.
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 251
Likes: 18
From: Central CT
I understand there are two different events here, but essentially they are the same issue and many people commented that this (regardless of circumstances) is Mini's problem.
Ok, well...I'll just have to +1 Robin Casady.... I can't personally speak to whose fault it is (I wouldn't immediately assume it's MINIs), but the depths of the circumstance WOULD make a difference.
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
The question I have is, is it possible for enough rain to get sucked into the intake while driving that it can cause "Hydrolock"? By rain I do not mean from a puddle, or stream. I mean just normal falling rain while driving "Into" it's general direction. Is it possible to "Rain" hard enough to cause this to happen?
4th Gear
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 375
Likes: 0
From: Birmingham, AL
Wow... this thread makes me glad I've decided to keep my Jeep once the MINI arrives. I've gone off-road through some bumper deep water that splashes over the hood (and sometimes the roof ) without incident.
Luckily it rarely rains here in SoCal so i'll spend most of my days in the MINI
) without incident.Luckily it rarely rains here in SoCal so i'll spend most of my days in the MINI
I'm with you John. I have an FJ Cruiser, and I've actually intentionally crossed a river in it, and driven up a stream.
This thread scares the bejesus out of me.
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 593
Likes: 2
From: Montreal
The question I have is, is it possible for enough rain to get sucked into the intake while driving that it can cause "Hydrolock"? By rain I do not mean from a puddle, or stream. I mean just normal falling rain while driving "Into" it's general direction. Is it possible to "Rain" hard enough to cause this to happen?
NO
5th Gear
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 734
Likes: 0
That would have to be some SERIOUS rain.... if that ever happens, you shouldn't have been driving in it to begin with! 
But yeah... your MINI should be covered under warranty if it states you can drive up to a foot of water. That's deep anyhow!
But yeah... your MINI should be covered under warranty if it states you can drive up to a foot of water. That's deep anyhow!
6th Gear
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,258
Likes: 3
From: H-town
Wow...old thread but the same problem pops up again. Back when I was young and green I tried driving my then new '83 GTI down the flooded street to my house. About a hundred feet short of my driveway it quit running and would not crank. We pushed it up in my driveway and did nothing. Next morning the road had cleared and me and my roommates tried to push start it, when I let out the clutch it made a godawful noise as the front wheels locked up solid. Only then did I check the dipstick. The oil level was all the way to the top and looked like coffee with cream....basically my engine was totally filled with water from sucking it up the intake. In retrospect, it's quite possible that if I had just pushed the car up in the driveway, drained the bad oil/water out, and refilled it with fresh oil the engine might have escaped damage. But instead forcing the engine to try turning over by pushstarting it bent three of the rods and blew the head gasket. Of course VW wouldn't warranty it but I found out about the insurance connection way back then and my engine rebuild was covered by them. I learned a valuable lesson back then and that's not to drive through any water that you might even REMOTELY think will cause a problem. And know where your air intake is on your car, they still put them in low because they work better there, pulling in cool fresh air from the front of the car. Driving through high water also increases the possibility of damaging electrics, your braking system, etc. Use some common sense and don't try to blame MINI when your car stalls out.
Neutral
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
2002 Cooper hydrolocked
Bumping this thread . . . after 6.5 years of cluelessly driving in some standing water (not beyond the bounds of safety or reasonableness for the height of the car, but unaware of the low intake) I was educated last week on this curious design "feature." After towing to the dealer I got the bad news - new engine needed, est ~$8.3k (USD).
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
Bumping this thread . . . after 6.5 years of cluelessly driving in some standing water (not beyond the bounds of safety or reasonableness for the height of the car, but unaware of the low intake) I was educated last week on this curious design "feature." After towing to the dealer I got the bad news - new engine needed, est ~$8.3k (USD).
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
4th Gear
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 500
Likes: 3
HOLY COW! I feel SO VERY lucky now. I really hope things work out for you. I certainly will be more careful with your lesson!
A weekend ago, I was taking my grandmother's old beaten-up and beaten-down Subaru station wagon back to my uncle's house (he uses it as a daily driver since she's in a elder home) - and he lives out in the middle of a civil war battlefield (read: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in the woods on a dirt road!) My husband was following me in his BMW. We had just passed a lady on this little dirt road, and she never made ANY warning signs signals, etc. that there was a problem ahead of me. I knew there was a little stream coming up on the route, but didn't realize it had rained. (Took grandma to the movies - we were inside the whole time!) The stream looked a little more "restless" than I'd seen it before, but I didn't think it was that bad, so I started across. Luckily the hubby stopped on the near side to wait for me to finish crossing. I got about halfway through the "stream" when the RIVER it actually turned out to be started washing ME AND THE CAR downstream! The car of course had stalled, and I was now facing the flow of water, streaming into the engine. OH CRAP. When the water had reached the bottom edge of the window, I called my uncle (hurriedly) to "COME GET ME, AND BRING TOW STRAPS!" while I kept trying to maneuver the car out of the water. I finally, after many starts and stalls, got the car out to the far side of the water. By the time Uncle drove up with family reinforcements, I was literally bailing water out of the back seat with all doors open and the hood propped. My poor husband was a nervous wreck on the other side of the water. My aunt was particularly UNhelpful: "Why didn't you check the water marker before you crossed!?!?" WHAT WATER MARKER???? Oh, the one I could finally see WASHED DOWNSTREAM from the far side of the water. Hm. I drove the wagon around and it seemed fine.... Uncle kept making jokes about the "Army way of fording vehicles" and that the Subaru didn't stand for "SUB"marine...etc. HA HA HA. I felt so bad.
A weekend ago, I was taking my grandmother's old beaten-up and beaten-down Subaru station wagon back to my uncle's house (he uses it as a daily driver since she's in a elder home) - and he lives out in the middle of a civil war battlefield (read: MIDDLE OF NOWHERE in the woods on a dirt road!) My husband was following me in his BMW. We had just passed a lady on this little dirt road, and she never made ANY warning signs signals, etc. that there was a problem ahead of me. I knew there was a little stream coming up on the route, but didn't realize it had rained. (Took grandma to the movies - we were inside the whole time!) The stream looked a little more "restless" than I'd seen it before, but I didn't think it was that bad, so I started across. Luckily the hubby stopped on the near side to wait for me to finish crossing. I got about halfway through the "stream" when the RIVER it actually turned out to be started washing ME AND THE CAR downstream! The car of course had stalled, and I was now facing the flow of water, streaming into the engine. OH CRAP. When the water had reached the bottom edge of the window, I called my uncle (hurriedly) to "COME GET ME, AND BRING TOW STRAPS!" while I kept trying to maneuver the car out of the water. I finally, after many starts and stalls, got the car out to the far side of the water. By the time Uncle drove up with family reinforcements, I was literally bailing water out of the back seat with all doors open and the hood propped. My poor husband was a nervous wreck on the other side of the water.
My aunt was particularly UNhelpful: "Why didn't you check the water marker before you crossed!?!?" WHAT WATER MARKER???? Oh, the one I could finally see WASHED DOWNSTREAM from the far side of the water. Hm. I drove the wagon around and it seemed fine.... Uncle kept making jokes about the "Army way of fording vehicles" and that the Subaru didn't stand for "SUB"marine...etc. HA HA HA. I felt so bad.It may have enough engine for 5 Minis plus and it literally requires your soul to fill up the tank, but 4wd and slight flooding is a beautiful thing.
3rd Gear
iTrader: (2)
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: Camano Island, WA, but wish was still Oahu, Hawaii
Have the insurance pay to have Jan rebuild it!!! 
Bumping this thread . . . after 6.5 years of cluelessly driving in some standing water (not beyond the bounds of safety or reasonableness for the height of the car, but unaware of the low intake) I was educated last week on this curious design "feature." After towing to the dealer I got the bad news - new engine needed, est ~$8.3k (USD).
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
My insurance will cover it but my dilemma is complicated by the fact I have already ordered an '09 Clubman and it's completed and awaiting shipping (ETA 3 weeks). I have already asked for some information on/assurance that this design flaw (and, yes, I view it as a flaw - the amount of water was neglible and people drove through it before and after me, with not much more clearance). I'll post when I hear from them.
Do I have a new engine put in my '02 for >$8k? Do I sell it sans running engine (I expected to get ~$10k trade or ~$12 if I sold it myself - it's in good condition)? Do I try to get a rebuilt engine for it? Find a buyer who was in a crash but still has a sound engine?
All reasonable input will be appreciated. TIA.
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