Repair And Fix it

Water and fuel dont mix, so its never a good idea to put water into a cars gas tank. However, when water does get into a gas tank, either accidentally, or as the result of a malicious prank, the result is engine trouble.

Condensation

Water can get into a gas tank even if you didnt put it there. Sometimes water gets in through a badly sealed cap on the tank, or by natural condensation on the inside of the gas tank

Problems

Water in the gas tank may lead to the car bucking, stalling or not starting at all, or starting the car could be difficult. This is because the water and fuel separate, especially when the car has been sitting for a while, and the water sinks to the bottom with the fuel on top. Water can also get into other parts of the engine causing rust and corrosion.

Removal

The method you use to get rid of water in your cars gas tank depends on how much got in there in the first place. In the case of only a little water, an additive that dries up water could be used. The additive combines with the water as it goes through the running engine. If there is a lot of water, a mechanic will have to remove the gas. This may include removing the fuel tank from the car and putting in new filters. The tank is then put back and is filled with clean gas.

The Caravan is a family minivan manufactured by Chrysler under its Dodge brand since 1984. The 1997 Model is a third-generation Caravan that had a choice of several different engines, including a 6-cylinder 3.3-liter engine. This engine uses a belt-driven water pump to circulate coolant around the engine. If you need to replace the water pump in a 97 Caravan, you must access it from underneath the vehicle.

Instructions

1

Remove the cable from the negative terminal of the battery with a socket wrench. This will prevent you from starting the engine during the water pump replacement procedure. Place a drain pan under the drain plug for the radiator and open the drain plug. Allow the coolant to drain into the drain pan.

2

Remove the serpentine drive belt with a socket wrench. Raise the vehicle with a jack and support it on jack stands. Disconnect the right front wheel and the lower shield on the right front fender.

3

Disconnect the pulley for the water pump with a socket wrench. Remove the mounting bolts for the water pump and detach the water pump from the engine. Discard the O-ring for the water pump and clean the mounting surface for the O-ring with a shop towel.

4

Place the new O-ring onto its mounting surface on the new water pump. Install the new water pump onto the engine and tighten its mounting bolts to 108 in. lbs. with a torque wrench. Install the pulley for the water pump and tighten its mounting bolts to 20 ft. lbs.

5

Connect the lower shield for the right front fender with a socket wrench and install the right front wheel. Connect the lug nuts for the right front wheel and torque them to 95 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench. Lower the vehicle and connect the serpentine drive belt. Fill the radiator with a mixture of 50 percent water and 50 percent ethylene glycol antifreeze.

6

Connect the cable to the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench. Start the engine and allow it to run until the thermostat opens. Turn the engine off and allow it to cool. Check and correct any leaks in the coolant system.

A Chevrolet K1500 is a pickup truck with four-wheel drive and a nominal carrying capacity of 1/2 ton. The 1994 model belongs to the fourth generation of this series, which was in production from 1988 to 2000. The water pump in the 1994 Chevrolet K1500 attaches to the front of the engine and is accessible from the engine compartment. The replacement of the water pump in this vehicle also requires you to drain the cooling system and remove additional components from the engine.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the cable to the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench to ensure you dont inadvertently start the engine. Put a drain pan under the radiator and open the radiator drain. Allow the coolant to drain from the radiator and replace the radiator drain plug.

2

Disconnect the drive belts on the engine with a socket wrench and remove the alternator. Disconnect the cooling fan assembly, including the clutch and pulley. You might also need to remove some accessory brackets to access the water pump. Remove the radiator hose and heater hose from the water pump. Disconnect the bypass hose from the water pump if your vehicle has a 7.4-liter engine.

3

Use a socket wrench to remove the mounting bolts that attach the water pump to the timing chain cover. Detach the water pump from the timing chain cover and discard the water pumps gasket.

4

Clean the timing chain cover with a shop towel to remove any traces of the old gasket. Install the new water pump and gasket to the timing chain cover. Tighten the mounting bolts for the water pump to 30 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench.

5

Connect the hoses to the water pump. Install the alternator and any other components you removed to access the water pump. Connect the drive belts to their respective pulleys. Fill the radiator with coolant and connect the cable for the batterys negative terminal.

Automobiles, like many forms of life on Earth, long ago left the oceans for drier climes; and like most others evolved to land, autos arent particularly keen on going back to the depths. Whether or not a car runs after a good dunking partly depends upon the engine in question, partly on how much water it encountered, and why it stalled in the first place.

Puddles

Splashing through deep puddles -- those no deeper than about 6 inches, or slightly above the bottom of the oil pan -- is common enough that most manufacturers build cars to account for it. If a quick dunk into a puddle or a brief splash causes your engine to stall, then odds are water got into something electrical and shorted it. Most low-hanging sensors likely to encounter water -- the oxygen sensors and crankshaft position sensors -- arent prone to damage by it, but water in the will interrupt the signal they produce. Odds are good the car will start after you unplug the electrical connectors and dry them out.

Immersion Up to the Engine Block

Lets say you live in a flood-prone area and you wake up one morning to find your car standing in about a foot of water -- right up to the engine block or the bottom of the doors, but not past them. If the car refuses to start under these conditions, then its almost certainly because water has penetrated the lowest-hanging electrical connectors. The car may not start while its in standing water, but it should be fine afterward as long as the fuse block or computer hasnt gotten wet. Even a completely submerged computer may not be beyond saving as long as you dont send any power through it while it still is wet -- but dont count on it working after you dry it out.

Immersion Up to the Valve Covers

Unless you own a Jeep or a Hummer H1, immersion up to the valve covers is well beyond what the factory had in mind when they designed your car. If your car stalled while going through water up to the door handles or the bottom of the valve covers, you may have more significant problems than those electrical in nature. If it didnt stall because of an electrical short, then odds are that it stalled because water in the pipe created enough backpressure to halt the combustion process. Once the engine stalls, all of that pressure goes away and water comes flooding up through the exhaust system. At the very least, you may expect serious thermal shock damage to the catalytic converter core, and possibly a completely flooded engine.

Total Flooding -- Car vs. Submarine

In the above scenario, where the car stalled with water above the level of the exhaust ports in the engine, then water would flood up through the manifold and into the cylinders. Try to start the car with the cylinders full of water -- assuming the starter works -- and you end up permanently damaging the engine through hydro-lock. Once that happens, your engine is effectively toast. However, say the engine didnt stall until water got up past the intake system. In that case, youre looking at gallons of water sucked into the engine and almost certain hydro-lock. At that point, nothing can save it.

Salvaging the Vehicle

The good news is that as long as your engine didnt go into hydro-lock, theres no reason it shouldnt run after a thorough drying and replacement of the oil and any damaged electrical components. In cases of prolonged immersion, youll also need to drain the fuel tank and lines. Certain components, such as the computer, ignition module and possibly the ignition coil, are almost sure to go following immersion, but theyre replaceable. The guys at BBCs "Top Gear" television program proved this while attempting to destroy a diesel Toyota Hilux pickup truck by dropping it at the bottom of the English Channel and leaving it overnight. After a bit of drying, fluid replacement and electrical work, host Jeremy Clarkson started the truck and drove it home from the beach.

The Northstar series of engines was manufactured by General Motors from 1991 to 2010. They are fuel-injected engines with double overhead camshafts. Northstar engines are most common in Cadillac vehicles such as the 1997 Eldorado, which has an eight-cylinder 4.6-liter engine. The water pump in a 1997 Northstar engine prevents overheating by circulating water and coolant around the engine. The procedure for replacing the water pump is generally the same for all Cadillac cars made from 1990 to 1998.

Instructions

1

Park the car, turn off the engine and open the hood. Detach the cable from the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench to avoid accidentally starting the engine. Position a container under the radiator drain and open the drain. Allow the coolant to drain into the container and seal it for later use. Close the drain.

2

Disconnect the air cleaner with a socket wrench. Remove the mounting bolts for the water pump pulley, and detach the drive belt from the pulley. Disconnect the water pump pulley.

3

Remove the mounting bolts for the water pump, and disconnect the pump from the engine. Discard the gasket for the water pump, and clean the mounting surfaces for the gasket with a clean cloth.

4

Mount the new gasket to the studs of the water pump, and install the new water pump. Tighten the mounting bolts for the water pump to 5 foot-pounds with a torque wrench.

5

Install the water pump pulley. Install the water pump pulley bolts finger tight. Install the drive belt. Tighten the water pump pulley bolts to 22 foot-pounds.

6

Connect the air cleaner and the cable for the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench. Replace the coolant in the radiator and check for coolant leaks.

7

Run the engine until it reaches its normal operating temperature. Check for coolant leaks again and top off the coolant if necessary.