Drowned engines

[Rere3]

Hey! I have a question recently my shop was flooded and I had 2 brushchtters laying on the floor. When I turned up they were completely submerged under water. What should I do before trying to start them? Let them dry, clean carbs, replace spark plugs, put new fuel in ect? 

I'm guessing they were underwater for a day or two. 

[Gary Prentice]

56 minutes ago, Rere3 said:

Hey! I have a question recently my shop was flooded and I had 2 brushchtters laying on the floor. When I turned up they were completely submerged under water. What should I do before trying to start them? Let them dry, clean carbs, replace spark plugs, put new fuel in ect? 

I'm guessing they were underwater for a day or two. 

Assuming these are 2 strokes, drain them first - water will have filled the cylinders through the exhaust ports.

 

Plugs might be okay once dry but I'd assume that the fuel is contaminated, water getting in through the breathers.

 

Dropped a couple of saws in rivers and canals before and started them immediately after draining and refuelling without problems, but prolonged immersion might have other consequences. 

 

 

[gary112]

1 hour ago, Rere3 said:

Hey! I have a question recently my shop was flooded and I had 2 brushchtters laying on the floor. When I turned up they were completely submerged under water. What should I do before trying to start them? Let them dry, clean carbs, replace spark plugs, put new fuel in ect? 

I'm guessing they were underwater for a day or two. 

Last year i lost a saw 6 feet deep in a river,ask on here for advice,dry it out put new fuel in and hey presto away she went,still going perfect to this day

[spudulike]

Clear excess water, refuel and run ASAP, the damage will happen if the saw rusts/corrodes, getting it running PDQ means it generates heat and will coat engine parts in oil. I have had clutch bearings seize overnight from getting wet.

[GardenKit]

If you can claim them on insurance then crack on. It will be best in the long run.

Water will have got in the bearings of the shaft, gearbox and engine. Rust may well have formed which will turn any remaining grease into a grinding paste, shortening life.

Water will also have penetrated down any Bowden type throttle cables and these will surely fail prematurely.

Otherwise do as others have said, but be prepared for a shortened life.

I will never guarantee a repair on a flood damaged machine again, been

caught too many times.

[Silverhooker]

I’ve posted a few times that I’ve dropped my old mittox in the river a couple of times, I emptied it and refuelled immediately and ran it hard. Then left it over night in the airing cupboard (wife didn’t love that) and sprayed it all down with WD40 the next day. It worked fine for years. But I do have OCD about keeping my kit clean, sharp and lubricated.

[spudulike]

The last two posts are about right and mirror what I said, if your engine gets a dunk, you need to get it started PDQ as it generates heat, the water gets driven out and parts get covered in oil again otherwise it will rust very fast.

[openspaceman]

4 minutes ago, spudulike said:

The last two posts are about right and mirror what I said, if your engine gets a dunk, you need to get it started PDQ as it generates heat, the water gets driven out and parts get covered in oil again otherwise it will rust very fast.

That makes best sense but having said that I was presented with a Stihl 361 which went in the river whilst running. It sat in the workshop for over a year before I was asked to look at it. The flywheel key had sheared and @GardenKit did me a deal on an old stock flywheel, which I fitted and the saw was still working fine when I was retired a year or so after.

[spudulike]

And I, in the early days, washed a McCulloch down with a bit of water and detergent, next day, the clutch was solid and needed work to shift it again. Looks like you got lucky, amazed it didn't corrode as I also had an old Solo, poured a cup of water out of the bore when I got it and it was solid. I did get it running.....for 10 seconds before it permanently died as the piston was badly corroded to the bore.

I guess there are always exceptions but my experience is bare steel covered in water rusts very quickly.....think car disks, leave them a weekend in the rain and bingo....rust and very grabby brakes for the first few applications.