Drowned 3800

[Marianna]

I need to tell you "the rest of the story" My grandson's girlfriend drove her car into deep water across the road. It got drowned. No water in the engine, but it won't start. I originally thought that the crank sensor was bad because it would not fire with ether. Well I pulled a wire off of one of the coils, wrapped a piece of wire around the post and set a gap at to ground. Sparked like mad. Still not noise. Removed the plugs and burned off deposits. Still no noise. Wetted the plugs.

Any thoughts???

[harofreak00]

Check for fuel?

[Marianna]

I checked the plugs again, after I burned them off and they are wet with fuel. I rechecked for spark. This time no spark. I'm thinking since I apparently have fuel, the crank sensor must be good. Am I thinking right? It will bark when I let off of the key after cranking. That makes ne think the CPS may be bad??

[J Wikoff]

What do you mean it barks?

[repinS]

I get a bark from the air filter (IIRC) if I let off on the cranking prematurely before the engine actually starts. Never really been a cause for concern for me.

[J Wikoff]

I'd be looking at the ICM under the coils. I believe you can take those into typical parts stores and get them checked out. I'd also check out the coils' resistance values.

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =48&t=1683

[Marianna]

Well, the plot thickens. Checked the coils, found 2 of them open. Replaced coil pack, still no fire. I'm thinking the ICM. When I removed the coil pack, the potting material had run down and leaked out onto the connector.

By bark, I mean a muffled backfire. Like it sensed a pulse when I turned off the key.

[Jrs3800]

How much water got inside the car?

[clm2112]

Ditto to Don's question.

Just as a reference, I sank my '90 Bonnie in about 10 to 12 inches of water after driving through an intersection flooded by a tropical storm. Was able to drift through the deepest part, but had to push the car out of the rest. Similar results too. Took about an hour for the sensors to drip dry. Car eventually would start and I drove it home. However, some of the sensors are not sealed very well, like the TPS, and can be ruined by water.

If you dunk it deep enough into a puddle, you will sling a lot of water around the engine bay by the serpentine belt. I'd start going through the sensors one at a time with a meter till I find whats wrong. Also check the air filter. If it is a paper filter, it may just be a wad of goo now. If water got inside the car, then start reseating the connectors around the ECM, just for corrosion from the wet carpet.

One extra thought: You may have smoked the ECM. If you don't have a spare, now's the time to junkyard a spare to try out.