{"id":32137,"date":"2022-11-11T02:39:32","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T18:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carsome.my\/news\/item\/what-is-a-hydrolocked-car"},"modified":"2023-05-03T16:48:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T08:48:37","slug":"what-is-a-hydrolocked-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carsome.my\/news\/item\/what-is-a-hydrolocked-car","title":{"rendered":"What is a Hydrolocked Car and Why It\u2019s Important to Learn About It"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first rain showers of November\u2019s <\/span>Northeast Monsoon Season<\/span><\/a> have started to give Malaysians flashbacks to the dreaded Taman Sri Muda floods that happened last year. Even this year, that same area was struck with another <\/span>flash flood<\/span><\/a> too. Given that monsoon season is soon upon us, it pays to be prepared by understanding certain terms and care techniques for your car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Malaysian Automotive Association president <\/span>Datuk Aishah Ahmad said <\/span><\/a>that during and after flash floods, you should never attempt to start your vehicle if it has been caught in floodwaters, for a good reason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AmphibiousA common phrase people use when their car or engine gets submerged is \u201csubmerged or flooded engine\u201d. While this may be a mere sample of everyday speech, the proper term used is hydrolocked. Unless you\u2019re driving an amphibious vehicle like that submersible Lotus Esprit from that James Bond film, a hydrolocked car can cause serious damage to your engine if drivers do not know how to handle it.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a <\/span>Hydrolocked<\/span><\/a> Car?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"WaterWater and oil do not go well together, neither is water in your engine. Hydrolock is a shorthand notation of two words \u2013 hydrostatic lock or hydraulic lock. It is a phenomenon where <\/span>reciprocating parts of the engine<\/span><\/a> e.g. pistons are obstructed from moving after a certain amount of liquid has filled in the room where the moving pistons are supposed to be. When water has flooded the air chambers of the engine, fuel combustion is unable to happen. Engines need air to function.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DamangedWhen the pistons do not have the space it requires to reciprocate, that\u2019s when the engine suffers from <\/span>mechanical failure<\/span><\/a>. To make this easier to understand, take a small plastic syringe and block the end nozzle with your finger. Then, push down the plunger with your thumb. It should be able to push the air out easily. A working engine must be able to perform this in order to keep running at high RPMs. Now fill that syringe with water and push the plunger down again. Notice it’s harder to do so? Liquids are not easily compressible, unlike air.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, however, does not mean that car engines should be running dry all the time. Our engine still requires a small amount of fluid lubrication in order for the parts to be running smoothly. A hydrolocked car can suffer from a catastrophic failure if it occurs during high revs. Notably, the connecting rod of the pistons, crankshaft, engine block, crankcase, and bearings, sometimes all at once. You\u2019re going to need a new car.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read More: <\/span>Dangers of Buying a Flood-Affected Car<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How and Where Can You Get Yourself a Hydrolocked Car?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"DrivingHydrolocking, as mentioned above occurs during <\/span>heavy floods<\/span><\/a> or when a car finds itself driving too deep in watery areas. While our cars <\/span>can <\/b>withstand some depth, there are proper techniques to drive through flooded areas without having your engine hydrolocking. Other causes of hydrolocking can occur during heavy storms or driving too deep in mud puddles.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do have to drive through flooded areas, always keep your foot down on the gas and keep the vehicle in low gear. This ensures the exhaust keeps pushing out high-pressure air to prevent water from flooding the exhaust. That\u2019s why trucks with modifications for offroading have a snorkel\/exhaust system mounted on the top of the vehicle.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=e5BdCgImVnY<\/p>\n

Read More: <\/span>How to Drive Through Flooded Roads<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to Know If Your Engine is Hydrolocked?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The noise is going to sound expensive. Most notably:<\/span><\/p>\n