hydro-locked engine
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clk320
hydro-locked engine
I drove through a flash flooded intersection, and water splashed up to the side of the hood and stalled the vehicle. I tried to restart the car which evidently hydro-locked the engine. Mercedes Dealership states I have to have a new engine. Insurance covers a re-built ($3000.00 cheaper then remanufactured?). Is this an accurate perception of what needs to happen? Will the rebuilt function as well as a remanufactured or should I bicker with insuranc to put in the remanufactured from Mercedes?
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Hi there, sorry for your loss. I've gone thru the same exact thing!
I've never heard of re-manufactured engine... Rebuilt is the safe way to go. What rebuilding means is that everything is taken a part and redone. Engine block is re-milled, crank is inspected and reground you get all new pistons, bearings etc... You will get a brand new engine exactly in the same shape as it came from the factory. Now the big questions is, who do you let to the rebuilding? Use Metric motors in CA, they warranty engines for 50k miles and absolutely only use original MB parts and bearing and have been in business for a long time! No after market or made in China parts.
There may not be any damage to the engine. Unfortunately you cannot really tell because you cannot see inside the engine. Primary damage will be piston rods (which will bent) and valves. What you need to do is to pull out one plug per cylinder and let all the water out. Replace both air filters and clean all the ducts. The engine should now start. If it starts and runs rough then your Mass Airflow Sensor has been damaged and needs to be replaced (get the original Boss part). This will also trigger the service engine light. The engine will run even with the bent piston rods and valves, if you hear any pinging noise then you can be sure there is severe damage (i.e. pistons come in contact with counter weights). Either case I would pull the engine and have it rebuilt as you really cannot tell the extent of the damage.
When I did mine 3 years ago Metric motors had some spare (dealer swap engines) they purchased from MB. This is full engine ready to go and comes with everything including all the accessories AC, alternator, intake, fuel injectors etc.. V8 was $12k, dealer would charge $18k. This may be a good way to go if you have high mileage. Metric motors may be able to salvage some of the parts if they are good and if you engine has low mileage. I paid about $7k for mine (had only 3017 miles on it).
Hope that helps to get you started!
BR, Juha
I've never heard of re-manufactured engine... Rebuilt is the safe way to go. What rebuilding means is that everything is taken a part and redone. Engine block is re-milled, crank is inspected and reground you get all new pistons, bearings etc... You will get a brand new engine exactly in the same shape as it came from the factory. Now the big questions is, who do you let to the rebuilding? Use Metric motors in CA, they warranty engines for 50k miles and absolutely only use original MB parts and bearing and have been in business for a long time! No after market or made in China parts.
There may not be any damage to the engine. Unfortunately you cannot really tell because you cannot see inside the engine. Primary damage will be piston rods (which will bent) and valves. What you need to do is to pull out one plug per cylinder and let all the water out. Replace both air filters and clean all the ducts. The engine should now start. If it starts and runs rough then your Mass Airflow Sensor has been damaged and needs to be replaced (get the original Boss part). This will also trigger the service engine light. The engine will run even with the bent piston rods and valves, if you hear any pinging noise then you can be sure there is severe damage (i.e. pistons come in contact with counter weights). Either case I would pull the engine and have it rebuilt as you really cannot tell the extent of the damage.
When I did mine 3 years ago Metric motors had some spare (dealer swap engines) they purchased from MB. This is full engine ready to go and comes with everything including all the accessories AC, alternator, intake, fuel injectors etc.. V8 was $12k, dealer would charge $18k. This may be a good way to go if you have high mileage. Metric motors may be able to salvage some of the parts if they are good and if you engine has low mileage. I paid about $7k for mine (had only 3017 miles on it).
Hope that helps to get you started!
BR, Juha
