The sign says flood

[Captain Jack]

Hah, I drove up to a flooded road but half-way in when I couldn't see the line marks, I chickened out and reversed... remember Trem1's story.

Still, it seems that only petrol engines seem to drown. Where IS the air intake? I think it's somewhere behind the front bumper but not exactly sure. I could always cut the thing off higher up to avoid this.

[steve_earwig]

Driving on water? http://youtu.be/4oeJjzdlTuI

I'm sure someone posted some shots from Service Box a few years back. Basically there's one pipe from the bottom of the air filter to over the chassis rail where it joins the pipe that's behind the l/h bumper. There's a few different ones but they're like a big flexible sock affair that curls up and face inwards or backwards and should be a far way up. I remember mjb's one had collapsed and was basically sucking dirt off the inner wing. Presumably at speed there's a fair bit of water under there and there's a good chance of some of it ending up in the pipe - particularly if it's collapsed.

The pipe between the filter and the sock does unclip

[Bailes1992]

If a diesel engine has it's intake above the water it can run submerged!
Damaged gets done when it sucks up water and tried to compress it.

Looks like he got off lucky!
Saying that I drove through a few fords in both of my Peugeots no issues!

[scotty73]

Saying that I drove through a few fords in both of my Peugeots no issues!

And even after that you bought a mondeo?

[D9406]

An update.
It all seems OK and he is one lucky lad. I dropped the oil out and changed the filter the following morning and it came out looking the right colour, it had only been changed @2K ago, no grey streaks and nothing untoward on the dipstick or bottom of filler cap. Whilst underneath the car I took a look at the air intake set up. There is a solid pipe from the bottom of the air box to behind the front bumper with the opening level with the bottom of the front bumpers skirt. He said he had only gone in on tick over but as soon as the water was deep enough to cover the intakes opening it just hoovered up the water, filled the airbox and then the cylinders. I assume that as soon as hydraulic lock occurred there was not enough flywheel momentum to compress the water and bend the conrods, it just stalled the engine. At least he didn't try and restart it. Luckily the 90's don't have intercoolers otherwise that would have been filled also.
So HDi owners, do we avoid water more than 6" deep or modify the intakes. I assume the intake is placed in order to take advantage of cool, dense air but it does look a little vunerable. Your thoughts please.

[steve_earwig]

When we've discussed this before the plan was to drill small holes in the link pipe so it's got another source if the end of the pipe goes underwater. Oddly enough when I took the link pipe off my D9 I noticed it already had a few holes in it, possibly for this reason. I'd still prefer to 'ave it orf if there was any chance of a ducking.

Also, as you point out, gunning the engine as you go through the water in the traditional manner is a complete no-no because it greatly increases the chance of bent conrods etc.

It would be nice to have a permanent solution, these after-market air filters that replace the complete air filter would reduce the chance of it happening, although there is the drawback of sucking hot air from around the engine. Or there's that Nivek scoop thing they're all fitting over on the coupe club.

[Welly]

Just thinking, the water would have hit the turbo charger first, it might not have got that much further at least not a full-bore intake flood. It may simply have cut out through lack of oxygen and possibly a snuffed-out combustion stroke.

[Bailes1992]

S'what I did to my first 406. Would solve any issues.

[steve_earwig]

Apart from the breathing hot air from around the engine one...

[Bailes1992]

Apart from the breathing hot air from around the engine one...

I never noticed any heatsoak at all! I think you would be hard pressed to notice a difference on an intercooled diesel.
I used to thrash the tits off of that 406, and it was tuned and never had any heatsoak problems what so ever!

[D9406]

Just thinking, the water would have hit the turbo charger first, it might not have got that much further at least not a full-bore intake flood. It may simply have cut out through lack of oxygen and possibly a snuffed-out combustion stroke.

Quite possibly. It did a passable imitation of a multi jet fountain when it was cranked over without it's glow plugs, although some of the water would be what was in the intake pipes.