I drove 380 through deep water on the road. The motor stopped running and wont start.
Any clues where to look.???

Exactly how deep was it? It is very important to the answer.

Best case scenario - shorted wiring which will dry out. $0 and some patience.

Fairly likely scenario - shorted and fried alternator, now battery is flat. New alternator - $3-500 installed.

Worst case but unlikely scenario - check your air filter and see if it's wet. If you've driven through water so deep that the intake has ingested water - could be bye bye engine. $2000-$2500 and a whole lot of pain and down time.

Step 1 - open bonnet and air it out, perhaps with a hairdryer on important electrical parts. Check battery voltage.

Step 2 - ring a mobile auto electrician and get them to come have a look.

Step 3 - regardless of the cause, once you get the engine running, take it for a BIG, LONG drive and get it nice and hot. You need to try and dry everything under the bonnet with the heat.

Step 4 - even if it's a simple fix like a shorted battery, be aware that you may have lots of future problems. If electrical or other parts were submerged, they will continue to corrode and cause problems down the track. If the alternator was flooded (even it is still working atm) it may last <6 months.

I'm sure you learnt your lesson and didn't come here for a spanking, but it would be remiss of me to forget to say... Don't, under any circumstances, drive through anything more than a puddle in a non-4wd car!!

Thanks for answer
Is the crank angle sensor getting wet a possible cause. It is situated quite low.

Was the water deep enough to cover the headlights?

Exactly how deep was it? It is very important to the answer.



Today 04:35 PMMagna diver
Was the water deep enough to cover the headlights?

?????

PS Is the irony of "Magna Diver" replying to this thread lost on anyone?

I drove 380 through deep water on the road. The motor stopped running and wont start.
Any clues where to look.???

ECU probably got wet...and the AFM assembly.

Open the bonnet and look for tide marks on the engine. Check every electrical connector that may have been water soaked. If possible, check ECU error codes which may point you in the right direction.

If you can't fix it, and you have comprehensive insurance, put in a claim. Your car may be written off as a "flood affected vehicle", like thousands of others in the current flood areas. Just watched some video of the floods, can't but help go "that is junk" whenever I see a car in flood water up to the headlights.

Hopefully these insured cars will end up on the non-repairable & written off car register, rather than tidied up and sold on to some unsuspecting buyer.
Of course, an uninsured car is a different proposition. Junk it, or fix it and sell it quickly before corrosion problems set in.

Don't, under any circumstances, drive through anything more than a puddle in a non-4wd car!!

Magna 4WD would still suffer the same fate.
Even the big 4 wheel drives can suffer from getting wet - like the crank pulley bolt going rusty so that next time you need to change the cam belt . . .