Possible waterlogged 3.6L engine

[lorell]

We went muddying with our 2019 Sahara fir the first time in Texas. We live in Utah and have put 35000 dry, rocky miles on our lifted Jeep. But one really fun day in the mud at the Northwest OHV park in Bridgeport TX may be the death if this engine.

On our way out of the mud, the first thing I noticed was loss of power going up a small hill which lead to the engine cutting off. It felt like a clogged air filter so I pulled it out. Sure enough wet and muddy on the bottom but clean looking on the top. Some water was visible further down the intake.

I replaced the filter with a new one I had with me. The car started so I drove to the front of the park to air up. The engine was hard to keep running so I had to goose the throttle a bit. We started getting codes from the ODB2 sensor that the camshaft position sensor was unhappy.

We drove it out of the park to go wash it off. I pressure washed under the hood avoiding getting too close to air intake or anything else of value.

About then the indicator for the alternator started telling us that the battery was not charging. Then we drive a few miles and the car overheated engine coolant was boiling.

I had to get it towed to a mechanic. It has been a few days and they are not done assessing. They have found no water in the oil. They have taken off the manifold and taken out the spark plugs and say they are finding water in there.
The engine didn’t lock up at any point.

I’m waiting for the mechanic to finish his assessment before I know the full extent of the damage.

Any tips on where to go from here? Best place to order a replacement engine if it comes to it? Any ideas on taking this as a chance to easily and affordable upgrade if the engine is blown?

Want to see the fun that we had? Watch the Bridgeport TX videos on rumble. Mine is the lifted Sahara with 35” tires. Frankly I am surprised that so little water could do this amount of damage.

https://rumble.com/user/lorellhathcock

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[NJJeep Guy]

Liquids don't compress and do serious damage when in the wrong places. Sounds like a new engine is probable. Maybe have them tear down the top end to see if the heads are trashed, but the labor hours will start piling up. Good luck

 

[AnnDee4444]

Overheating could be due to the radiator being caked solid with mud, and not effectively cooling the motor.

No water in the oil is a good sign though. I doubt the block/heads/crank are damaged if it started right up. The main thing to worry about is a bent connecting rod or cracked piston, which could be inspected with a compression test and a borescope.

Electronics are another issue. At a minimum I would replace the plugs and whatever other sensors it's saying are bad.

 

[zrickety]

We went muddying with our 2019 Sahara fir the first time in Texas. We live in Utah and have put 35000 dry, rocky miles on our lifted Jeep. But one really fun day in the mud at the Northwest OHV park in Bridgeport TX may be the death if this engine.

On our way out of the mud, the first thing I noticed was loss of power going up a small hill which lead to the engine cutting off. It felt like a clogged air filter so I pulled it out. Sure enough wet and muddy on the bottom but clean looking on the top. Some water was visible further down the intake.

I replaced the filter with a new one I had with me. The car started so I drove to the front of the park to air up. The engine was hard to keep running so I had to goose the throttle a bit. We started getting codes from the ODB2 sensor that the camshaft position sensor was unhappy.

We drove it out of the park to go wash it off. I pressure washed under the hood avoiding getting too close to air intake or anything else of value.

About then the indicator for the alternator started telling us that the battery was not charging. Then we drive a few miles and the car overheated engine coolant was boiling.

I had to get it towed to a mechanic. It has been a few days and they are not done assessing. They have found no water in the oil. They have taken off the manifold and taken out the spark plugs and say they are finding water in there.
The engine didn’t lock up at any point.

I’m waiting for the mechanic to finish his assessment before I know the full extent of the damage.

Any tips on where to go from here? Best place to order a replacement engine if it comes to it? Any ideas on taking this as a chance to easily and affordable upgrade if the engine is blown?

Want to see the fun that we had? Watch the Bridgeport TX videos on rumble. Mine is the lifted Sahara with 35” tires. Frankly I am surprised that so little water could do this amount of damage.

https://rumble.com/user/lorellhathcock

I have seen water burn up in a cracked cylinder and never get in the oil.
It does sound like hydro lock damage, although it was not locked. Maybe bent valves, blown gaskets, cracked internals, who knows. It is possible to repair, I did this with a broken Honda motor but it required a bottom end. Depending on what your mechanic finds, a used short block may be the way to go.
Good luck.

 

[mwilk012]

Just do a compression test, won’t take but a few minutes.

 

[five9dak]

If that was the only puddle you were playing in, I am surprised it even got the airbox wet. I've gone through deeper water commuting, hah. Good luck with it.

 

[somedude922]

I dont know what it is about that park. Its notorious for trashing engines. I wonder if its the composition of the “mud”. Its more like a sandy clay mixture. It used to be a quarry. Ive seen many posts on the local FB pages about blown engines there.
good luck

 

[HeavyUser]

Give us that 1 week updates prease.

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