Ok, I was riding with a couple of friends near as river and we all decided to go play in the water a little bit. It was going fine, untill we tried to go from sandbar to sandbar and I was going around a little pile of sticks and I hit a rather deep hole with a large rock on the other side, and well, the 4-wheeler got swallowed by the hole, water filled the airbox, and it died, completally under water. I had it pulled out of the water, I pulled the plug and turned it over a couple times with the pull starter. Just a little bit of water came out. so I put the plug back in, and had it pulled home. So what should I do now, before I start it again??????? I will be greatly appriciative of any advice recieved.

 

Start by flushing the engine to remove any water in the sump. Next I'd clean the carb and inspect the rear brakes via the drain plugs. Basicly make sure water isn't anywhwere it shouldn't be. Good luck.

 

change the oil big time, maybe have to do it a couple times to be sure.

 

Fellow 220 Owner,

First of all, don't worry about it. I sank my Bayou in deep water while trying to carry a 100 pound pig on the front racks. The weight kept the front end low in the water which caused the spark plug to ground out. I had been through the same swamp twice before with no problem. That was two years ago and my Bayou still runs as good as the day I took it home from the dealer new.

First let me say for the benefit of other ATV owners that you should never try to start an engine that has been flooded with water. Water is a non-compressable liquid which means it can bend the hell out of valves during the compression stroke. Always carry a tow rope so you can get back and drain the water before evening thinking about trying to start the engine.

Start by draining oil and water slush from the crankcase. While this is draining, remove the oil filter and replace the cover without installing a new one. Fill with fresh oil so that you can run the engine for a few minutes (until it gets warm) and change the oil two or three times before installing a new filter.

Next, drain the gas and any water that may have contaminated the carburator float bowl by unscrewing the drain screw. The fuel should flow out the small tube that exits near the bottom of the carburator. I forgot to do this and found that the engine would crank but not rev up until after having done so.

Next, check the air box for water and dry the filter before oiling it. It is also a good idea to drain the rear differential to make sure water did not enter it as well. Oil is much cheaper that the price of repairing water damage.

And finally, if you are up to the job, you might consider removing the front and rear hubs and lubricating the inner workings of each. If you remove the rear hubs, be sure to tighten the hub nuts with an impact wrench or breaker bar to make sure they do not work loose. Many an axle has been lost to loose hub nuts.

Good luck.

 

Exactly correct, except that you can bend the connecting rod and not the valves. Also, I would go the extra step and hit the starter, magnito, and any other electrical componants and connections with some contact cleaner to displace any moisture. You might be surprised where you find it.

 

That is if you have an engine with connecting rods that control valve movement. Most ATV engines today use an overhead cam that is much stronger than push rods. With an overhead cam holding the rods firmly in place, any water that floods the cylinder is capable of bending a valve's surface (and usually not the stem) as it is forced out by the piston.

 

rizhard,

Now I see your point. Allow me to correct myself.

Water that is trapped above the piston during the compression stroke will limit it's travel causing the connecting rod (and quite possibly the crank as well) to bend under the stress.

The question becomes then, is the starter motor sufficient to generate enough torque to cause this to happen? My thoughts are that only combustion in the other chambers will be sufficient to create such stress.

But of course, this would only apply for a multi-cylinder engine.

???

 

The weakest link here is the connecting rod. Does the starter have enough torque? You betcha! Picture this scenario. You only have about a quarter to one half inch of water in your cylinder. As the piston rotates up to TDC compression stroke, it is traveling at a pretty good clip when WHAM! It is stopped cold by that water. All the momentum from the rotating mass of the crank, rod, and piston has got to go somewhere right? Next thing you know, time for a new rod.
Of coarse, all we need to do is remove the piston to save the headache. I would hate for anyone to have to find out if I am correct on this. Good luck and happy trails.

 

You mean remove the spark plug so the slush can blow out through the top of the cylinder.

???

 

Yeah, remove the spark plug. Don't know how I let that slip by. Well, that is my one mistake for the year. Feels good to have it out of the way.