hydro locked Maserati

I was up at my mechanic's shop yesterday and he showed me this Grand Sport engine with holes either side of the block. It had gone through some water which was ingested through the very low intake and hydro locked the motor sending a rod and bits out both sides of the block.
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Nasty.

 

Ouch!

 

Options now ?
Parts car or a quick detail and good to go, it amazes me how many people with low slung cars still drive into standing water ???

 

Amazing! Rather expensive physics 101 experiment proving liquids are not compressible.


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The air intake on these is far too low - a large puddle could be enough to goose the engine.

 

Horrific!

 

Same problem with the 612 too I think...

 

No think, does.

poor connecting rods

 

No Hydrolock is caused by the air intake being mounted very low and when you drive through water that is too deep the water gets sucked into the engine causing the engine to break. Water is not compressible causing the engine to basically explode. It has nothing to do with poor connecting rods.

 

Many claim that ingestion of water can help clean an engine.

see: Chinese Water Torture (a SeaFoam recipe) - Turbobricks Forums

 

Interesting I noticed years ago the cylinder ingesting water from a bad head gasket was literally squeaky clean, always wondered about using water to steam clean cylinders.


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I suspect the "poor connecting rods" was more of an expression of sympathy for the torture of the rods should water be ingested, rather than blaming the con rods as the cause.

 

I recall one of the guys on the <ahem> Maserati forum (which must not be named) had this very same thing happen a few years ago.

Really horrible design flaw, when you think about it. Obviously it's best to avoid flooded areas in ANY kind of car, since it' often hard to tell how deep the water is, but when you can just drive through a simple puddle & it kills your car, that's a major issue.

 

There are other cars that have low mounted air intakes, Saabs, Nissan 300, some BMWs. so it is a good idea to verify where your intake is located

 

What about the cars like 360, 430 with the scoops at the top rear channelling water into the intake during a severe downpour? Is there anything to be worried about?

 

First off, this is a moot point because everyone knows 360's & 430's melt in the rain.

But on a purely theoretical basis, check the image, I believe there is at least one vent on the underside of the first tube in the system which should reduce the risk. Look carefully at the pic. I also thought there was another drain, but either it's for a 430, or I'm just mistaken. I'll defer to the pros as to the hydro lock possibility.

http://www.ricambiamerica.com/parts_catalogs.php?M=FE&P=&V=diag&I=571


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There's a great thread in the 612 forum, where a guy bought a hydrolocked 612.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/612-599/453306-heres-pic-me-pulling-engine-out-my-612-yesterday.html

The guy left nothing out describing his rebuild. The good, the bad, etc. It's a great (if somewhat long) read

Sid

 

My brother bent rods on an 80s 325 BMW. But he was purposefully driving through puddles repeatedly in a parking lot. Didn't realize intake was low. These cars aren't for bombing through deep puddles. The good news is I expect insurance would cover this. Sudden and Accidental. Unforeseen, etc.

 

No, nothing to worry about. This is not an issue as the air intake has drain holes before the filters and the air box is big. Any water blown in simply drains out easily.

 

True, in moderation, of course - many years ago I TC'd my Corolla and used a modified aquarium pump to mist the intake so as to cool the intake charge.

Side benefit I learned was that any deposits were "pressure washed" out the exhaust pipe.