Need Help! Water!

[KHoffRunner]

Okay so its not a 4runner but my buddy's has a '92 4x4 pickup with the orginal 3.0 engine, 150,000 miles. We got into a little more than we could handle and we ended up having to cross a fairly deep creek. I went first in my '95 4runner 5 speed, water came over the hood but I gunned it and continued driving, my idea was to not let any water settle in the engine but anyways he attempted to cross and took on equal amount of water as I did but was not going as fast as me and his engine just killed on him. We tried to start it again but all it wouldnt even crank, we tried to jump it but it was pointless. Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Clone of the Mean]

Sounds like a hydro lock, pull the plugs and crank the motor. Get all the water out, change the oil. Lather rinse and repeat.

 

[BucknutBob]

Agreed with Clone--he probably hydro-locked. Unfortunately, that may very well mean the engine is toast, with either piston or connecting rod failure from the pressure. Since water doesn't compress, something else has to give. Hopefully it died before the damage was done, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. As mentioned above, pull the plugs to allow the water to escape, and try cranking the engine. He may get it going again, but there's a very real possibility that things were weakened internally, and could still fail down the road. If you're going to be running in that kind of water again, consider a snorkel--they're a lot cheaper than an engine. Hope it works out for your buddy!