BlackEclipse
05-18-2004, 03:14 PM
Let's first define "hydro-":
hydro- or hydr-
. pref.
1. Water: hydroelectric.
.....Liquid: hydrodynamics.
2. Hydrogen: hydrochloride.
"Hydro-locked" means your engine has stopped dead by liquid in the cylinders. This is not to be confused with "seized engine". This liquid could be ANYTHING, but most likely water, antifreeze, gas, or even oil.
This sudden and violent stoppage causes rods to bend or break. It may cause your timing belt to skip some teeth which, in turn, will make your valves hit the tops of the pistons. The valves probably won't hit when the engine abruptly halts. It's those attempts you make to start your engine again that really ruin things.
How do cars usually get "hydro-locked"?
1. From cars being lowered and driven through too deep of puddles. It doesn't help matters much when you have one of those fresh air intakes that scoops up air from underneath the car.
2. From a severe headgasket leak where coolant enters into one of the cylinders.
But, isn't gas and oil compressable? Why would those liquids cause a problem?
Oil and gas are compressable. But whatever is in the combustion chamber will get compressed down to whatever the size of the area in the head is. In the worst case, if your compression ratio is 8.5 to 1 and it was full of gas to the top then it will get compressed to 11.7% of it's original size. Is your engine strong enough to make diamonds? I think not. Something has gotta give and that is your rods and maybe your block walls.
hydro- or hydr-
. pref.
1. Water: hydroelectric.
.....Liquid: hydrodynamics.
2. Hydrogen: hydrochloride.
"Hydro-locked" means your engine has stopped dead by liquid in the cylinders. This is not to be confused with "seized engine". This liquid could be ANYTHING, but most likely water, antifreeze, gas, or even oil.
This sudden and violent stoppage causes rods to bend or break. It may cause your timing belt to skip some teeth which, in turn, will make your valves hit the tops of the pistons. The valves probably won't hit when the engine abruptly halts. It's those attempts you make to start your engine again that really ruin things.
How do cars usually get "hydro-locked"?
1. From cars being lowered and driven through too deep of puddles. It doesn't help matters much when you have one of those fresh air intakes that scoops up air from underneath the car.
2. From a severe headgasket leak where coolant enters into one of the cylinders.
But, isn't gas and oil compressable? Why would those liquids cause a problem?
Oil and gas are compressable. But whatever is in the combustion chamber will get compressed down to whatever the size of the area in the head is. In the worst case, if your compression ratio is 8.5 to 1 and it was full of gas to the top then it will get compressed to 11.7% of it's original size. Is your engine strong enough to make diamonds? I think not. Something has gotta give and that is your rods and maybe your block walls.