Engine got soaked, won't start

[Jackie Thielen]

Son drove 99 Protege through flooding - no way around it - drove for awhile after, to let things dry out. Now, can't get the car to start. Something obviously didn't like the bath, but where do I start looking? Standard transmission, will push start and run fine. I'm Supermom with a little mechanical knowledge, would like to rule out the simple things before we break down and take it to the shop.

[irishkev90]

You can push start it, but it don't start by itself? I'd probably have the starter tested.

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[nerd racing]

or check under the distributor cap if equipped or might have water down the spark plug holes.

[1st Gen]

or check under the distributor cap if equipped or might have water down the spark plug holes.

Can you jump start it?

Throw the cables in the trunk and go for a long drive, obviously being sure not to turn the engine off until you're in a safe place. If the sustained heat doesn't dry everything out then it may take some intervention. My experience with water is that it takes time to get everything dry.

Does it run rough now? Make sure the spark plug holes and distributor cap are dry, then start looking at other plugs that may have water in them. I pressure washed my car a while back and got water in the throttle position sensor plug (tps) and spark plug holes. The remedy was to unplug everything and let is sit for a while with the engine warm. Worked fine.

Water in the starter may cause this. I don't know.
Does this car have a distributor cap?

[DuRWooD]

Starter solenoid is probably full of water, and may be cooked. Does it make any noise when you try and start it with the key? May want to soak the top of the starter with some penetrating oil to blast out the water, then you may have to give it a tap with a hammer to free it up. Once you get it to go once, turn it off and do it again a few times to free it up some more.