True, but would you want to own one of them? You don't have to scratch the web very deep to find many accounts of people unknowingly getting stuck with a car that has been in deep water (not necessarily even submerged). As soon as the water reaches major components, harnesses and connections, that car is going to have gremlins forever. I'm thinking of stories of Katrina cars that got cleaned up, had their histories scrubbed, and had their moist carcasses shipped off several states away to be sold. But floods happen everywhere, and so these cars can come from anywhere. It might be fun to try to get a car like that running as a matter of beating the odds. But I don't think I'd consider it a keeper after that.

As to the Porsche, the "sentimental value" makes a person work a little harder to resurrect it than maybe prudence would dictate. But *IF* you could isolate the components under the seat that were affected, you might have a shot at getting her back on the road with no lasting effects. But if an ins. co. dangled a nice compensation in front of me, that would probably persuade me to throw in the (soaked) towel.

 

I wanted to give you all a quick update on the flood damage, and I have a brainstorming question for you…
But first- thank you for all of your inputs. Indycam, thanks for the links and laugh. Jrichard, I sent you a PM.

Well, it’s been almost three weeks since the flood now, and the replacement DME is due to a arrive at the dealership today. (It’s worth mentioning that in the event you do ever need a replacement DME, Porsche in Germany will need to receive yours first before they will send out the replacement. Apparently they’re not made any more, just refurbished. So, that shipping oversight cost me 1.5 weeks).

After the new DME is installed, the car will undergo diagnostics tests (via the Hammer), the engine will (hopefully) run, and the car will be thoroughly inspected to assess the damage.

Your brainstorm is greatly appreciated here:

Aside from the obvious components that need to be replaced, (DME, all other electronics under the seats, and carpet, padding, and plywood), can you think of any other items that should be replaced immediately? Please keep in mind that the high-water-mark was about 2 inches above my floor mats. The parking lot where I parked turned into a lake, and the water came from below and worked itself up, rather than down. The subject of immediate failures from the flood vs. latent failures down the road continues to haunt me. I’m thinking about items like wheel speed sensors, brake pad wear sensors, fuel pump, etc. I know some of these items were designed to be exposed to the elements, but not submerged. Can you think of any items I need to replace immediately? (This is a '90 C4 Coupe).

Thanks in advance,
David R.

 

I addition to your list, I would check your PDAS controller its in the front trunk. I would also confirm that your oil cooler and AC condensor fans are operational. I would think the wheel speed sensors should be ok.

 

How much does a porsche factory rebuilt DME cost these days ?

 

Thanks Rocket Rob- yes, the front oil cooler fan and A/C condensor fans are on my list. Indycam, if you go through a Porsche Dealership, a replacement factory rebuilt DME will cost $3200.

Here's a question to ponder- if you submerged your engine in a pool, do you think any water would get inside of it? My answer is yes. So I requested that the insurance adjuster have the oil (and transmission fluid) changed, just to be on the safe side. I'd do the work myself, but the car is at the dealership, and I don't think they'd appreciate me changing the oil and tranny fluid in the parking lot. The adjuster disagrees with me, claiming that both the engine and transmission are sealed units, and that therefore no fluid change is necessary. I see his point, but we all know these engines are not "sealed". Do you agree?
I'm also wondering if I have an argument to replace items like the secondary distributor belt or spark plug wires?
Thanks again in advance.
David

 

The tranny is definitely not sealed. It has a open vent on the top that would allow water in if submerged. As for the engine, did water reach the air intake? I wouldn't worry about water inside the engine. The crank case vent is on the top of the oil tank, if I remember correctly. Could water damage the distributor? Not sure but I think its unlikely.

Did your tail lights get submerged? The water could damage the sockets.

 

If the water got high enough, it would come in through the exhaust outlet and enter any cylinder in which the exhaust valve was in an open position.

 

Good point. I forgot about the exhaust.

 

I bet it will run after drying out !!! I live 6 meters below sealevel in the Netherlands, I know what I am talking about..... modern cars with loads of electronics will die when sunmerged.. but not a 911 aircooled machine
I keep my fingers crossed for you !

 

Another thought, can you rotate the engine by hand? If yes, I would feel better about it. You could also pull the spark plugs and inspect them for signs of water (corrosion).

 

The water will go in very slowly in if the intake valve is not also open .
The air in the exhaust system and cylinder would need to be pushed past the rings and then out of the case if the intake valve isn't opened .

 

I saw in your list break pad wear sensors, don't worry about them they are basically plastic around a wire that will ground out against the disk once the pads wear to 2mm. Very basic in design.
Check all electrical connections under the car which may have been submerged for corrosion or moisture. That's really my little 2 cents worth. -D ²

PS: The electrical connections; dry and use contact grease if you feel the need.

 

David,

Got your pm, small world. Hey I wouldn't get too worked up over things, most of the stuff you mentioned, fuel pump, wheel sensors etc... are pretty robust and are effectively waterproof, the big things like the DME and the ABS module are the things to be concerned with, the other thing that may be an issue is the alarm module, being it is under the passenger seat at the same level as the DME it may be shot, but I think a quick trip to 20th street would take care of that. Getting the floor dry will be important, the big sponge of soundproofing under the carpets can soak up an amazing amount of water.

I think alot of the question will be the height of the water. The AC and Oil cooler fan motors are relatively high, the horn? As far as the engine is concerned I would only worry about the water up through the exhaust, all the other paths are pretty high, but if you have a stock exhaust I doubt you have water through the exhaust it actually snakes up pretty high before going back down to the heat exchangers.

The thing that sucks would be if it was muddy water and you get silt in everything. The heat exchangers, crossover pipe and the tubes that run in the rockers from front to rear. Anyway I really don't think any of it is worth totalling the car, so I got my fingers crossed for ya. Let us know how it goes.

best

Jim

 

The car was declared a total loss.
I don't know what I'm legally allowed to tell you about the car.

https://www.iaai.com/Vehicles/Vehicl...orLoginDetails

David

 

We had our 2001 Audi A4 floode in a parking lot with similar circumstances. The water level was up over the door sills by a couple inches, so when we got it out of the lot, the interior was full of water right up to the door sills. After thorough drying w/ shop vac and fans the car started. I think it required $600-$700 repair (drain / flush all fluids and oil). We did not replace any interior or carpet. It has been 2 years since now and there have been no long term issues. You cannot tell that the carpet or seats have ever been wet. No musty odors or anything at all. But we worked really hard on the clean up as soon as we got the car towed home.

Anyway sorry to here about your loss.