So our beloved wagon was in a minor flooding incident. The engine was only partially submerged as thousands of gallons of rain water overflowed the street and rushed into my downward sloping driveway and into my garage.

I tried to start it during the incident as the water was rising, with the hope that it hadn't come up to the air intake yet. The water was quickly rising and it did get sucked in and stalled the car.

I sucked the water out of the intake with the shop vac. I replaced the plugs and put in a new battery. The didn't start and I tried once a day with no success until this morning—five days later—when she fired up.

The motor sounds good, though there seems to be some water in the oil. Something (water pump or alternator?) is screeching a bit as it spins. I drove it straight to the shop and all seemed to be going well until I was two blocks from the shop.

After going down a cobblestone street the transmission fluid starting leaking rapidly out of the bottom. I limped into the garage leaving a good size puddle of transmission fluid on the floor.

Now I wait to find out if there is any hope for it. We've loved this car (1993 940 Turbo Wagon) and hoped to reach 200,000 and 20 years. It is currently at 154,000.

So is there any hope? Will it be worth bringing it back, or is it a total loss?

My insurance company wants to give me $2700 for it. It's worth much more to me.

Check out the photos. Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
http://tinyurl.com/940flood

John

The tranny leak was probably due to foaming or boiling. Was it blowing fluid out the fill tube? I have had this happen before after flooding and suffered no permanent damage.

Expect the SRS to give you trouble, but if the bag has not been replaced, it is past its service life and you should probably disconnect it anyway if you don't want to buy a new bag (if you can find one).

For the seat motor, try Volvo/Saab Recycling in Sacramento. They are great and they ship parts all the time.

I would change all fluids, including brakes and power steering, and keep driving.

Nice looking car. I can see why you'd want to salvage it. Good luck!

It appears the only significant damage is the transmission—which I probably killed by driving it 12 miles. Of course you have to give me a break because I was pretty much trying to escape the insurance adjuster who was trying to total it, and not in a right frame of mind.

I will need a seat motor it looks like. If anyone knows a good source, please let me know.

Not sure just how high the water got. See what they say about the trani.
If the inside of the car was flooded, you might be able to change the oil in teh Engine and Rear axle....check the rear axle fluid!
If the interior was soaked, then I'd worry about a permanent musty smell. But the Drivetrain, If you change the fluids and run it soon after the water insult, it probably will be OK. The key to a waterlogged engine is to replace the oil, remove the plugs and crank out the water from the cylinders (Hydrolock is VERY bad), then run it and let the new oil circulate. Then dump the oil and put new in. I know it is different BUT I have saved many 2 cycle Outboard engines that fell into salt water by getting them running asap after the submersion.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

The pictures don't look toooo bad. Was that "high water"?

Did water get into the carpets? If the passenger compartment is OK. The rest is just fluids needing flushed. Water in the trans could wreck the clutches, but transmissions are replaceable. Even engines are replaceable!

Water on the inside is never good. The SRS stuff is on the floor, mold is horrible stuff, and rust can get a start in the wrong places.

-Ryan


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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces, Draco Wheels
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

As a former claims adjuster I saw many a car with flood damage. The problems to be expected are many and varied. From the flukey electrical stuff to the rust in places not normally seen to moldy musty smell that is difficult to mask. Could it be rehab'd, sure. But do you have the time and tenacity to do the thorough step by step top to bottom cleaning that will be required?
Personally I'd talk them up to 3000$ and then give them 400$ or less for the rights to the vehicle as salvage(assuming your wife wont give you poop about the spare vehicle laying around). For 2600$ you really should be able to find a similar vehicle and then will have the spare to pillage.
Matt
My condolences for your loss.

i do not think driving it was a smart idea. with that said whats done is done. you are talking fresh water albeit dirty but still not salt water and not left sitting in it.

first things need to be done is remove all plugs, drain all fluids, trans, cooling, oil and filter and make sure your gasoline vapor canister in the drivers fronts of the car is not full of water.

flush the transmission, cooling system and oiling system.

change air filter.

remove all kick panels inside of car and dry out the ecu and all other electricals.

the car should be ok if you do you do your cleanup right.

and i would take their money on the condition they let you keep the car at no or minimal discount to their offer.

I agree with both the posts. I've had several go though hurricanes and sit. Even pull stuff that went into the drink running. Almost anything can be resurrected but at what cost? Certainly more that $2700 if you have it done and when you get it back, it's still a salvage title.

If it's going to be the family car, I'd go with plan A, get the settlement up then buy another 940, I've found 2 1995s in the last three months both under 75,000 miles, in showroom condition, I bought one and I'm working on the other.

And even running badly, there is still a market for yours as a work car.

Thanks for the helpful comments.

the water reached the top of the headlights in the front but since the driveway is an incline, the water didn't come up over the front seats, and only got the rear seat floor area slightly wet. I don't believe the water reached the rear axle. It got up just to the tailpipe.

I figure I'll take out the carpeting and foam and clean or replace. It will probably make it a nice quite car, should the mechanical aspects survive.

Photos: http://tinyurl.com/940flood

If I had only parked 10 feet further back I would have been okay.

I think Volvo ran an ad in the 70s with their car floating. During hurricane Andrew (1992)I had parked my 242 on high ground in one of the National Parks I work at. I came back the next morning and it had floated up 30 feet high and came to rest on the ground about 2 blocks into the woods. Since it is a National Park they couldn't cut down the trees to get the car out the Army Corp of Engineers had to chopper it out. To this day they have the pictures of my stupidity on display in the Deering Estate Parks Museum. BTW the car had some scratches but not even a busted window.