Flooded 1984 911 Help!

[afishkind]

Flash flood in Houston several days ago...and my 1984 911 was not parked in the garage. I rushed home as fast as I could but the water was already inside my car...about 3 inches or so in the front and rear. I have removed as much of the carpet as I can. I have not yet pulled off the center console to remove the middle strip of carpet. Pulled up the carpet flap and drained as much water as I could out of the well where the linkage is.

Air dried the car for the last three days. Car will crank but not start. I do not hear any clicks from the DME relay so that may be one of the problems. Opened the distributor cap..no moisture in it. The water does not appear to have been high enough to have effected the plugs.

Is the Motronic DME sealed? Am I hosed? Suggestions on how to proceed?

Thanks,

Avrim Fishkind....new to forums.

[slodave]

The DME is not sealed. Have you opened it up to dry the inside?

[afishkind]

I'm a total noob...no idea how to remove the box...it's not obvious to me...will look around and see if I can find some instructions.

A

[slodave]

The DME is under the drivers seat. I believe it takes a 9mm (10?) socket or wrench to get the four nuts off. There are a number of tabs under the DME that need to be bent, in order to get the top off.

[afishkind]

Thanks for the tip. Got it open and it's soaked. Will do my best to dry it off.

[slodave]

The DME relay can be opened up as well, but is cheap to replace. Make sure the harness that plugs into the DME is dry as well. Good luck, hopefully the DME is OK...

As for being a noob - don't be afraid to dig into things. These cars are not really difficult to work on and most things are straight forward.

[afishkind]

Ok...got the DME box open. Next question...air dry? Hair Dryer? Also...the board is covered in what looks like mold...bits of colored fluff...reddish brown muck around little brown parts...not sure how else to describe it. Should I dab it all...let it dry first? The little DME chip was dry...or so it seems....

Thanks,

Avrim

[slodave]

Tough call. I'd probably opt for a hair dryer on the low heat setting. Be patient. Not sure about the brown stuff, mine has always been fairly clean inside.

Get any noticeable water up with paper towels/rag first...

I would not attempt to try and start the car for a couple of days. Let the DME really dry out!

[Charlie V]

I would air dry the DME - should only take a couple of days. Once completely dry, use a soft paint brush and gently brush the fluffy stuff off. Check that all the solder connection are OK. Reassemble and try starting the car.

Good luck.

[fritzgator]

Maybe get some Contact Cleaner from auto parts or radio shack. apply liberally and let air dry. it shouldl take away the contaminants and clean it up. Got a pic? brownish may mean burnt. electrics and water, ouch. Hope not.

[stormmaster]

The DME will have to be replaced. I have handled thousands of flood claims over the years. The type water that was associated with the flood will cause numerous problems down the road....You will most likely need to replace any wiring that got wet...the motors in your seats...if the window motors got wet...you can expect to be replacing those...shall I go on?...Flood damage is always worse as time goes by....things will fail for no reason....until you go back and find water has intruded someplace you overlooked. Air drying will not solve your problems. It may delay some problems....but that is about all it will do. I strongly suggest from this point forward you keep a close eye on all the seams in your floor for rust...ask me how I know.........I wish I could share a photo of a 930 that was purchased shortly before Katrina...a fairly pristine car....flood damaged by Katrina...and what it looked like a few weeks later.....NOT a pretty sight....

[afishkind]

Link to pictures:


http://www.me.com/gallery/#100007


Well...that was a depressing response...should I expect that depth of problems if the water was only 2 inches or so on the floor at its highest?

[Rot 911]

Originally Posted by afishkind

Well...that was a depressing response...should I expect that depth of problems if the water was only 2 inches or so on the floor at its highest?

Yes as the DME sits right under the driver's seat on the floorboard. 2 inches of water would have covered it.

I would still go ahead and try to dry it out and see if it works. I suspect it won't as you tried to start the car while it was wet and you probably shorted some of the circuits out.

[jrumiano]

After you dry the DME, don't use radio shack contact cleaner. Go to home depot and buy some spray electrical parts cleaner (CRC brand). Spray the DME circuit boards and get them good and wet with the cleaner. Set the DME on it's side so the residue can drain off. You can also use a brush with the cleaner to really get the boards clean. Doing so should remove any flood residue from the boards. Once you get the boards clean, let them air dry for a day, reassemble and see if you can start the car.

There's no guarantee this will work, but it's worth a try as a new or rebuilt DME can be pretty pricey. BTW I've saved a lot of wet electronic equipment using this method mentioned above.


Good luck,
John

[Charlie V]

Pricey........

http://stores.ebay.com/Specialized-Ecu-Repair

[afishkind]

Thanks for all the advice. It was fried. Replaced it...moved on. No problems with the replacement unit in the 5 years since.

[KNS]

Thanks for the (late) response. It's nice to know how these things turn out and that the car wasn't totaled. Was the DME the only thing that needed replacement?

[afishkind]

Yes ... Rust did not materialize ... window motors good. I count myself blessed. I've also grown very accustomed to digging around my car and the DIY spirit in the past 5 years. The car stays in the garage every night ... Flash floods are common in Houston. Thanks for asking.

[porwolf]

I am in the electronic business. Basically clean water is not damaging to electronic components or circuitry. It is the impurities in the water that hurt electronics. It is possible to clean it all with applying clean water and brushes to get all possible impurities off. After that the electronics could be rinsed with denatured alcohol to further clean out the systems and also to absorb any remaining water left over. Water absorbs in alcohol and it dries quickly in air. This is a rather simple procedure and it might work.

[Allen_70S]

Not to break the mood, but why isn't this covered by the Comprehensive portion of your insurance?