Fixed hydrolock
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 16
Likes: 4
2011 S550
Fixed hydrolock
Dear all
a year ago stupid me drove through s storm in like 4 inches of rain and hydrolocked
most if not all would say the motor is toast
i researched
Cylinder 1 hydro locked on idle
I didn’t believe the no sayers
so we took about the ENTIRE motor to get to the cylinder rod which was BENT
So backing up
remove bolts from transmission
then mounts and front of motor
gotta cut the wiring harness
drain oul
drain coolant
then hoist motor out
put on motor stand
THEN take apart
Valve covers
oil pan
Remove alternator
remove manifold
remove square brain
REMOVE TIMING CHAIN - need specialty tools
crank case
remove bent piston
I may have missed something
REVERSE
buy new gaskets for everything
bought new starter, belt oil
solder back harness
u gotta buy the silicon glue to have it glued back as gasket to crankcase
took 3 months little by little
go to church every Sunday
then forgot about it 7 months
and
Hallelulah ITS ALIVE
now I gotta pay the god damn registration
Any questions welcomed
i Think since hydrolocked while idling the cylinder wall NOT damaged
only cylinder rod bent
spent like 5k as I was determined to fix
and I’m not doing this again
aloha from hawaii
a year ago stupid me drove through s storm in like 4 inches of rain and hydrolocked
most if not all would say the motor is toast
i researched
Cylinder 1 hydro locked on idle
I didn’t believe the no sayers
so we took about the ENTIRE motor to get to the cylinder rod which was BENT
So backing up
remove bolts from transmission
then mounts and front of motor
gotta cut the wiring harness
drain oul
drain coolant
then hoist motor out
put on motor stand
THEN take apart
Valve covers
oil pan
Remove alternator
remove manifold
remove square brain
REMOVE TIMING CHAIN - need specialty tools
crank case
remove bent piston
I may have missed something
REVERSE
buy new gaskets for everything
bought new starter, belt oil
solder back harness
u gotta buy the silicon glue to have it glued back as gasket to crankcase
took 3 months little by little
go to church every Sunday
then forgot about it 7 months
and
Hallelulah ITS ALIVE
now I gotta pay the god damn registration
Any questions welcomed
i Think since hydrolocked while idling the cylinder wall NOT damaged
only cylinder rod bent
spent like 5k as I was determined to fix
and I’m not doing this again
aloha from hawaii
MBWorld God!
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 33,134
Likes: 6,570
Dear all
a year ago stupid me drove through s storm in like 4 inches of rain and hydrolocked
most if not all would say the motor is toast
i researched
Cylinder 1 hydro locked on idle
I didn’t believe the no sayers
so we took about the ENTIRE motor to get to the cylinder rod which was BENT
So backing up
remove bolts from transmission
then mounts and front of motor
gotta cut the wiring harness
drain oul
drain coolant
then hoist motor out
put on motor stand
THEN take apart
Valve covers
oil pan
Remove alternator
remove manifold
remove square brain
REMOVE TIMING CHAIN - need specialty tools
crank case
remove bent piston
I may have missed something
REVERSE
buy new gaskets for everything
bought new starter, belt oil
solder back harness
u gotta buy the silicon glue to have it glued back as gasket to crankcase
took 3 months little by little
go to church every Sunday
then forgot about it 7 months
and
Hallelulah ITS ALIVE
now I gotta pay the god damn registration
Any questions welcomed
i Think since hydrolocked while idling the cylinder wall NOT damaged
only cylinder rod bent
spent like 5k as I was determined to fix
and I’m not doing this again
aloha from hawaii
a year ago stupid me drove through s storm in like 4 inches of rain and hydrolocked
most if not all would say the motor is toast
i researched
Cylinder 1 hydro locked on idle
I didn’t believe the no sayers
so we took about the ENTIRE motor to get to the cylinder rod which was BENT
So backing up
remove bolts from transmission
then mounts and front of motor
gotta cut the wiring harness
drain oul
drain coolant
then hoist motor out
put on motor stand
THEN take apart
Valve covers
oil pan
Remove alternator
remove manifold
remove square brain
REMOVE TIMING CHAIN - need specialty tools
crank case
remove bent piston
I may have missed something
REVERSE
buy new gaskets for everything
bought new starter, belt oil
solder back harness
u gotta buy the silicon glue to have it glued back as gasket to crankcase
took 3 months little by little
go to church every Sunday
then forgot about it 7 months
and
Hallelulah ITS ALIVE
now I gotta pay the god damn registration
Any questions welcomed
i Think since hydrolocked while idling the cylinder wall NOT damaged
only cylinder rod bent
spent like 5k as I was determined to fix
and I’m not doing this again
aloha from hawaii
Good for you, glad you fixed it.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,142
Likes: 1,295
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
How can you hydro lock an engine driving the car thru rain? I drive very often in rain where your visibility is 50 ft max. Should I rather stop and wait than drive?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 16
Likes: 4
2011 S550
Driving
Oh one small detail
theres was A LOT of wind and A LOT of rain was coming sideways and entered the air intake in the front grille and eventually made it into the manifold and cylinder where it locked
yes u should wait and stop IF there’s STRONG WIND
thx for asking
theres was A LOT of wind and A LOT of rain was coming sideways and entered the air intake in the front grille and eventually made it into the manifold and cylinder where it locked
yes u should wait and stop IF there’s STRONG WIND
thx for asking
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,142
Likes: 1,295
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Any chance that you lost spark in cyl. 1 and it got cold that allowed it to flood?
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Super Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 861
Likes: 506
From: Washington, DC
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
There is a very good youtuber doing a vlog of cars and he actually did a live video of him driving his car on the PA Turnpike where there is only a low divider between opposing traffic and a semi went through a major flooded highway creating a wall of water that plunged his almost new $93K C63 AMG into and substantially under water. The next thing you see as the water clears his hood is all the dash lights going crazy and the tach at zero. Has to tow it to the Mercedes dealer whose service manager then calmly explains how the car hydrolocked and it was going to cost him $63K to acquire, replace and install his AMG engine (hand-built only available from Germany) and they would work with his insurance company to total the car. He did a follow-up video as they auctioned the totaled car ($53K) and another idiot repaired the hydrolock with Pattern parts from China to escape using expensive Mercedes parts.
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 520
Likes: 203
From: Scottsdale AZ
2015 SL550 & 2012 S550 4matic
Score one for the DIY dudes! Congratulations on a job well done. I hope you will be able to drive your car in rainstorms without issues, but you can always pull over and enjoy it (with the engine off). If I recall Hawaiian storms are mostly short lived and you are mostly out of typhoon paths relative to others in the beautiful Pacific.
Keep us posted
Keep us posted
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,142
Likes: 1,295
From: Southern US
2010 E550, 273 Engine: 2012 S550, 278 Engine
Seriously folks, it is possible to hydro lock a car engine just driving it in heavy rain!!??!!
I must have been very lucky as down south we have down pours you cannot hardly see 50 ft ahead and I keep going as fast as possible. I used to put rainex in the windshield so I don’t need to slow down and never thought the engine could hydro lock.
Just driving behind a semi in a moderate rain creates very wet conditions for the engine and I have been in such conditions for thousands of miles. Have not had any engine issues yet.
Is this for real???
I must have been very lucky as down south we have down pours you cannot hardly see 50 ft ahead and I keep going as fast as possible. I used to put rainex in the windshield so I don’t need to slow down and never thought the engine could hydro lock.
Just driving behind a semi in a moderate rain creates very wet conditions for the engine and I have been in such conditions for thousands of miles. Have not had any engine issues yet.
Is this for real???
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 4,391
Likes: 957
W212 FL
Seriously folks, it is possible to hydro lock a car engine just driving it in heavy rain!!??!!
I must have been very lucky as down south we have down pours you cannot hardly see 50 ft ahead and I keep going as fast as possible. I used to put rainex in the windshield so I don’t need to slow down and never thought the engine could hydro lock.
Just driving behind a semi in a moderate rain creates very wet conditions for the engine and I have been in such conditions for thousands of miles. Have not had any engine issues yet.
Is this for real???
I must have been very lucky as down south we have down pours you cannot hardly see 50 ft ahead and I keep going as fast as possible. I used to put rainex in the windshield so I don’t need to slow down and never thought the engine could hydro lock.
Just driving behind a semi in a moderate rain creates very wet conditions for the engine and I have been in such conditions for thousands of miles. Have not had any engine issues yet.
Is this for real???
Super Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 861
Likes: 506
From: Washington, DC
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
Here is the C63 hydrolock story. He is a little long winded but this one talk about the insurance settlement
MBWorld God!
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 33,134
Likes: 6,570
Here is hi story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l3zPQczQL4&t=208s
