I posted this in the w211 forum, but thought this section may yield better results. Please help in any way. Thanks in advance.

I have an '06 cdi. I was driving in heavy rains and was going through some deep water. I drove through similar deep water about 2 weeks ago with no problem. normally, a diesel engine doesn't have that much problem with it. But this time, the car stalled. I was out of the water and trying to drive into a driveway (slight incline). I tried waiting for a couple of minutes and trying to start it again and it doesn't crank at all. when I put the key in the ignition, i turn the key and wait for the glow plug light to turn off, then, try cranking it. The lights that are showing up, i don't know. so a couple of questions....


1. which lights are supposed to be displayed when starting the car. if i know this, then i can know for sure which lights remain on. that may help to diagnose the problem.

2. There is not even a sound from the engine when I try and crank it So I am assuming it is electrical. The battery seems fine. could it be the starter fuse maybe?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

 

It sounds as if you need the expert help of an auto electrician.

Electrical gear such as starter motors ,alternators, relays , sensors & electrical connections do not like being immersed in water.

In my humble opinion it is a mistake to drive through deep water. You are probably lucky not to hydraulic your pistons.

I would open your bonnet to the sun or fan for a day or two to see if things dry out. Your air filter could be saturated & need replacing. Your starter relay could be wet.

With the ignition on & before starting I would think that the ignition light ( low system voltage) & low oil pressure light should be illuminated.

Good luck & let us know how you go.

 

If the water is more than 5" deep no car should be driving through it, especially a highly computerized one such as yours. If all you've got is a waterlogged starter or crank position sensor then consider yourself lucky and drive a different route next time. If its a perpetual problem with the driveway a culvert needs to be installed.

 

Carsy: Thanks. I will check on the air filter and starter relay. and keep everyone posted. I realized it was a mistake. Past precedence gave me the confidence to try it again. Bad judgement call, i'd agree to that. When I turn the ignition to the ON position, it shows the low fuel indicator, Parking Brake light, check engine, ABS/ESP Warning Lamp (Triangle with Exclamation Point), Distance Warning Lamp (Triangle with Car symbol), SRS light, ABS Light, Fasten Seat Belt, temp warning indicators are all on. Also, the glow plug light turns on briefly then goes away.

240D 3.0T: This is not a perpetual thing, I was driving in heavy rains and was kinda lost and made a wrong turn (in the worst sense of the phrase) and here I am.

I will keep everyone posted. Tomorrow I plan on removing the underbody splash covers and have a look underneath to see which components look waterlogged. Thanks again for the replies....any other opinions would also be a great help. Thank you.

 

UPDATE: I went underneath the car and looked at the starter. I tested it and found the starter was dead. At first, i thought it may have actually hydrolocked but there wasn't any water in the air filter. but as a precaution, i checked to make sure the crankshaft turned and it did. so major crisis averted!!! I took down the starter (which was a major pain in the ****). I will be replacing it in the next week or so after i get my new starter. Thanks for everyone who viewed/replied.

 

That is a relief to your pocket.Thanks for the update.

 

I put in another starter and now the engine cranks but it seems to be starving for fuel now. The engine tries to turn over but doesn't quite turn over fully. I thought maybe that since the car was inclined about 12-14" off the ground, that may pose an issue so I turned the key off and on until the glow plug indicator turns on and off. I did this about 15-20 times just in case fuel wasn't getting to the engine. This was just pure conjecture. I'm sure this wasn't necessary but i tried it.

Any ideas as to what this could be caused by? The car was left on car ramps for over 2 weeks. The battery was left disconnected as well during this time. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

The car started up today. After trying to start it a few times, I looked in the manual and read the part that talks about what to do if you run out of diesel. After I did that a couple of times, it started up fine. The car being on an incline for a long period of time must have caused the problem. Thanks again for to those who posted.

 

Good to hear that you are under way. Stay away from water !!