hydrolock 101
Honda Biased
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Kennesaw, GA
Originally posted by 1stGenCRXer
I'd start by buying a compression tester and checking the compression on each cylnder to see if anything is bent or broken, which would be shown by an extreme drop of pressure compared with the others, or low readings in general. After you make sure that the engine has avoided enough damage to at least build decent compression across the board, then I'd worry about taking it to a shop to get a leakdown test done and having that code sorted out.
I'd start by buying a compression tester and checking the compression on each cylnder to see if anything is bent or broken, which would be shown by an extreme drop of pressure compared with the others, or low readings in general. After you make sure that the engine has avoided enough damage to at least build decent compression across the board, then I'd worry about taking it to a shop to get a leakdown test done and having that code sorted out.
And could u give me an approximate estimate on a leakdown test? What exactly do they do? I know about the compression, it basically tests the seals in the combustion chamber correct? And a leakdown test does what?
btw, thanx again for all ur feedback!
Dave
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: SC
a leakdown puts a known amount of pressure in to it and test to see how much leaks out. You can tell whats damaged by listening to where the extra air leaks out..
for your compression test, pull the sparkplugs out, pull the fuel pump fuse out and un plug the coil or distributor plugs. Crank the motor with the throttle wide open for about 3 secs.
to reset most check engine lights unhook the battery for 10 minutes or so.
for your compression test, pull the sparkplugs out, pull the fuel pump fuse out and un plug the coil or distributor plugs. Crank the motor with the throttle wide open for about 3 secs.
to reset most check engine lights unhook the battery for 10 minutes or so.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 139
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From: Abilene, TX
Originally posted by 1stGenCRXer
Absolute worst case scenario would be bending a valve and breaking the top ring land, a leakdown test would tell you more than a compression test, but a compression test is a very good place to start, and if you do any modifications or tune-ups on your own, a compression tester is a good thing to have anyway, so buy one. As for the leakdown tester, they can be pricey, so take it to a good shop if you want a comprehensive diagnosis before taking any action. Sometimes you can get lucky, sometimes you don't. Water on it's own doesn't hurt an engine, the super-high cylinder pressures it promotes [since water... you know, doesn't compress...] is what hurts an engine, test twice, fix once.
Absolute worst case scenario would be bending a valve and breaking the top ring land, a leakdown test would tell you more than a compression test, but a compression test is a very good place to start, and if you do any modifications or tune-ups on your own, a compression tester is a good thing to have anyway, so buy one. As for the leakdown tester, they can be pricey, so take it to a good shop if you want a comprehensive diagnosis before taking any action. Sometimes you can get lucky, sometimes you don't. Water on it's own doesn't hurt an engine, the super-high cylinder pressures it promotes [since water... you know, doesn't compress...] is what hurts an engine, test twice, fix once.
Honda Biased
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Kennesaw, GA
ok...since you might know about engine performance and damage. If i really bent/broke/blew anything or even slghtly damaged anything..would it still be running like it did before?
btw..i reset my ECU and the check engine light went away. I did it sunday and now its thursday so so far so good.
Dave
btw..i reset my ECU and the check engine light went away. I did it sunday and now its thursday so so far so good.
Dave
Senior Member
Joined: May 2002
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From: Abilene, TX
Originally posted by REbornHONDAneer
ok...since you might know about engine performance and damage. If i really bent/broke/blew anything or even slghtly damaged anything..would it still be running like it did before?
btw..i reset my ECU and the check engine light went away. I did it sunday and now its thursday so so far so good.
Dave
ok...since you might know about engine performance and damage. If i really bent/broke/blew anything or even slghtly damaged anything..would it still be running like it did before?
btw..i reset my ECU and the check engine light went away. I did it sunday and now its thursday so so far so good.
Dave
Anyways, if theres any major damage, you should notice surging power when drving at like 1200 rpm unless all 4 of your cylinders are equally fu*ked which is doubtful. Even if it seems ok, it can shorten the life of your motor.
A compression test will tell you if your rigns are blown or have bent rods.
A leakdown test will tell you if your valves and/or rings are screwed.
GWAKS- Tech Geekifier
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Hampton, VA
Originally posted by SlprTeg
umm, wouldnt the worse case scenario be a bent rod? correct me if i'm wrong.. but arent rods more expensive than piston rings? And if you blew a ring, chances are u bent a rod too... unless your rings were already shot. And how can hydrolocking bend a valve? do you mean WARP? I can see warping from the cool water cooling off the valves too quickly...
umm, wouldnt the worse case scenario be a bent rod? correct me if i'm wrong.. but arent rods more expensive than piston rings? And if you blew a ring, chances are u bent a rod too... unless your rings were already shot. And how can hydrolocking bend a valve? do you mean WARP? I can see warping from the cool water cooling off the valves too quickly...
As for the headgasket, most people are not lucky enough for a headgasket to blow and save them from the effects of hydrolocking, though that would the cheapest result. Check for cross-contamination of fluids.
I've seen engines blown up and broken in more ways than most people can imagine.
Honda Biased
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: Kennesaw, GA
Originally posted by 1stGenCRXer
No, absolute worst case scenario would be a broken rod, since he hasn't mentioned any strange noises or heavy vibrations ["rough" but running is not very heavy in my book, knocking and stalling], a bent rod is not a likely item since the clearances in most engines are such that a bent rod can make contact with the lower portion of the cylinder, as well as throw off the balance of the internals. A broken ring land [not necessarily the ring], would cause serious lack of compression, and a sufficiently bent valve would be stuck in a position where it would kill the cylinder with little to no noise present. In a hydro-locked engine it is also quite possible to bend a valve as well since the extreme pressures produced can cause the timing belt to temporarily stretch enough to make contact, especially if only one cylinder is trying to compress a full stroke of water.
As for the headgasket, most people are not lucky enough for a headgasket to blow and save them from the effects of hydrolocking, though that would the cheapest result. Check for cross-contamination of fluids.
I've seen engines blown up and broken in more ways than most people can imagine.
No, absolute worst case scenario would be a broken rod, since he hasn't mentioned any strange noises or heavy vibrations ["rough" but running is not very heavy in my book, knocking and stalling], a bent rod is not a likely item since the clearances in most engines are such that a bent rod can make contact with the lower portion of the cylinder, as well as throw off the balance of the internals. A broken ring land [not necessarily the ring], would cause serious lack of compression, and a sufficiently bent valve would be stuck in a position where it would kill the cylinder with little to no noise present. In a hydro-locked engine it is also quite possible to bend a valve as well since the extreme pressures produced can cause the timing belt to temporarily stretch enough to make contact, especially if only one cylinder is trying to compress a full stroke of water.
As for the headgasket, most people are not lucky enough for a headgasket to blow and save them from the effects of hydrolocking, though that would the cheapest result. Check for cross-contamination of fluids.
I've seen engines blown up and broken in more ways than most people can imagine.
Umm....so...i've heard and i've heard again. Get a compression test and leakdown test done...will this ENSURE 100% that my engine is fine? If both pass that is.
I also need to get a valve clearance adjustment done on it. Its approaching 90k so i should do that. While their doing that would it be cheap for them to check some stuff out for me? j/w
Btw..thanx for all the advice. I'm getting a little more educated on what can go wrong with an engine.
P.S. 1stGenCRXer are you a mechanic or "were" a mechanic? j/w because you sound like you know what ur talkin about(but then again some people can talk outta their a** all friggin day and "seem" like they know what their talkin about).
Lata.
Dave
