Engine Flooding

[jgra1]

chaps, after an 8 day break we returned to SWIMBO's car this morning - a 206cc 2.0 16V - and she almost started straight away and then stopped... I quickly diagnosed no compression as best as I could, with nothing in the way of tools.. the EM light was on, and I thought she has slipped a tooth and cam/crank has gone out of sync.. that was my most hopeful guess.. the engine was turning (way too) freely, and I felt i could push the car about in second..

the front camshaft was turning..


feeling upset and also hopeful, we called recovery and asked for the car to be removed to my little workshop.. chap turned up in an hour, said, that's flooded..stuck his foot to the floor and she was running perfectly within 60 turns of the engine..

what on earth was that about?

I felt a massive idiot lol

[demag]

A case for Planet Peugeot?

[Michel]

My ex C4 VTS did this for it's new owner. He was so convinced it had snapped the timing belt it sat on his drive for 2 months. It started first turn of the key when he turned it over to show me when I visited.

Same engine isn't it?...

[CitroJim]

I had exactly the same happen on a Xantia V6 once... Was convinced the cambelt had let go or slipped..

Let it an hour or so and then after lots of cranking it started as if nothing had ever happened...

[white exec]

So why the feeling of 'no compression'?
Puzzled

[CitroJim]

So why the feeling of 'no compression'?
Puzzled

It's a good puzzle Chris as I experienced the same on the V6 - hence the thought the cambelt had gone...

I have no real answer but...

I wonder if the flooding causes enough bore-wash to significantly reduce compression perhaps?

Worth a debate methinks

[jgra1]

hmm was thinking that too jim.. the chap said it had probably flooded before he tried it..said it happens loads to ford's and vws and he only came across it in recent years himself .. freaked me out though lol

[CitroJim]

freaked me out though lol

It did me too John - especially on a 24 valve V6 I immediately thought of the work involved in fixing all those potentially bent valves

[wheeler]

I wonder if the flooding causes enough bore-wash to significantly reduce compression perhaps?

That's exactly what causes the lack of compression. Its not something you first think of on modern fuel injected petrol cars but its quite common, If the engine is started from cold & only allowed to run for a few seconds there can be a high possibility of flooding, the excess fuel from the cold starting soaks the spark plugs & washes the oil coating from the bores, as the engine is cold it doesent evaporate. The usual scenario is letting someone out a driveway, you start it, zip out & straight back in again once the other person is out, everything seems normal till the next time you try to start the car. Some cars flood easier than others & some are a total nightmare to get started, Mazda RX8's are probably the worst to try & get going after the engine is flooded & they flood very easily.

[CitroJim]

That was exactly the scenario when it happened to my V6 Wheeler... I started it to measure something and stopped it as soon as I'd done.. perhaps less than a minute running...

Thanks for solving the puzzle so authoritatively

[Michel]

This also happens on Volvo Penta 430 V6 marine engines... I know this from recent experience too! Throttles wide open, churn it on the starter and it'll fire after about a minute.

[white exec]

Good explanation. And probably partly why it's unlikely to happen on a diesel, because the heavier fuel will act act a tolerable lubricant, and maintain the compression.

[wheeler]

Most flooded engines will start with holding the throttle wide open & then feathering it on/off when it starts to catch, just about timing it right. I also on some cars if they are being difficult remove the fuel pump fuse & turn it over for 10-15 seconds, wait 30 seconds then start cranking again then put the fuse back in again (sometimes needs an extra pair of hands depending on location) after about 5 seconds of cranking, can save taking the plugs out.
The 1.4 16v ET3 engine seems to be quite susceptible to flooding too.

[Michel]

If the 1.4 ET3 16v is the one in the 2007 Peugeot 207, then yes... it does this often when run for only a short time, such as moving it off the drive out of the way of my car. I'd forgotten it does it as now I always leave it running while I get my car out from behind it..

[CitroJim]

My 207 has the 1.4 ET3 and touch-wood I've never had this problem...

The old throttle wide-open trick was the fix for flooded carb-fed engines back years ago. Good to know it still applies to fuel-injected engines too