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Sucks to see Dan! Glad your prof let you off, I hope insurance treats you right.....

I'm absolutely amazed, but they actually managed to get it running again.

They say it won't stay running for long because the water damaged the idle air control valve, but as far as they can tell everything else is okay. I'm really surprised, that 4.3 is a tough motor. I hope it will be okay long term. If they haven't already, I will be changing the oil as soon as I get it home.

Tomorrow the new IAC valve comes and my truck returns home. I hope there won't be any bad surprises. Is there anything else I should change out to help out my motor?
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Change the oil a couple of times... As soon as you get it home and a couple of weeks down the road...

Yup, I agree with Don. A couple of quick oil changes will be good.

Good idea, will do. I'll use cheap oil the first time around.

What do you guys think about long term concerns with reliability after hydrolocking the motor?

I think I'm going to ask them to run a compression test if they didn't already when I go there tomorrow. I really need to know that everything is okay inside, and that I won't be going up a hill one day and it vomit a rod through the block. I depend on my truck a fair bit.
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I've heard of vehicle insurance covering damage due to water through the intake, regardless of aftermarket intake, for flooding. There were some guys that bought a certain intake for their G8's, and the cars sat through rain that had run through the hood nostrils and into the intake. Tried to start them and BOOM. I think in some, the intake builder covered a new engine, and some insurance covered.

My wife hydro-locked her grand am she had and, like you, she was concerned about reliability so we sold it. Anyway, that was nearly five years ago and the girl that bought it is still driving the snot out of it.

It all depends... If the motor was running super low RPM's and came to a slowish stop like it stalled out then you may be fine... It doesn't take a lot of water to hydrolock a motor... It just depends on how hard the hit was... If there is damage the motor will run in an unbalanced manner, compression test would be a good thing... Generally tho the rod will also twist when it bends... If it was bad they would not have been able to get it to run without serious issues...

Dan I agree with the compression test.. Have them perform that to be sure... If all is within specs the engine should be ok..

Compression test checked out fine. Really this is a miracle that I can't believe. It drives like it never even happened, which is why I guess they were confused when I asked them to perform a compression test. Oil pressure is about 27-28 hot idle, which is within 1-2 psi if not exactly the same as it was before (can't remember) but the instant I touch the gas it shoots up to 50 where it stays while under power, which IS for sure exactly what it did before.

Idle is smooth and perfect, nothing feels unbalanced even considering that the 4.3 is an inherently unbalanced motor to begin with.

I drove it around a bit today and I really cannot tell that anything happened. I really hope that it stays that way.

Don, I wouldn't say that it was at super low RPMs when it happened, it was at about maybe 1750-2000. Maybe less, it's hard to remember. But I definitely don't remember it being a violent 'BANG' like stop, it just died without much drama.

I guess I got lucky. The 4.3 is an amazing engine, and so is this truck. Some of you have heard the story of this truck before. It's been hit by a train, drowned in a puddle once (no hydrolock) and now it actually has hydrolocked. None of which was intentional but it still happened. Yet it still looks, drives, and sounds like new, inside and out. Really have to give credit to GM for building a winner.

I performed an oil and filter change the instant it arrived home. Just used Pennzoil yellow bottle for this one. I found some condensation on the oil cap but only a tiny trace of it in the oil (very, VERY minute amount of the oil near the end of the drain appeared slightly milky). I will change the oil again in a couple of days with more Pennzoil yellow bottle, and then a week later do the final oil and filter change using my favorite Pennzoil Platinum and filter, then drive on and hope for the best.

Here's the first start after the oil change. It's a relieving healthy sound that I didn't expect to hear again for several weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLu5rFOs9X8

Thanks for the concern and comments guys, I really appreciate it.
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Glad it all worked out for you. Consider this dunking a....ahem....decarbonizing session.

Glad to hear you escaped an engine replacement! Agreed, those 4.3's are one tough engine.

Thanks guys, but I'm not out of the park yet.

Now for some reason, when I start it (and even when the engine is off) it registers 25-30% throttle through the TPS, brought to me via the ScanGauge and it revs up to about 1500 rpm at idle. What's up with that? Am I looking at a new TPS sensor?
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Nevermind! Removed TPS, found water, dried and put in new TPS. All is well now.

Also cleaned and re-oiled my K&N since it got the rinsing of a lifetime yesterday. I had just re-oiled it not that long ago and it didn't have much color left to it.

Will be changing oil again probably on Monday, when it will have had enough driving to cycle the oil around a little bit. Then again next weekend or so.
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LeSabreUltra wrote:I guess I got lucky. The 4.3 is an amazing engine, and so is this truck. Some of you have heard the story of this truck before. It's been hit by a train

say what? i dont remember this

Haha I may have only related that story to SEBF attendees. But yeah, when the truck was brand new or very nearly so it was hit by a train after being accidentally backed over a curb and onto a railroad track by my grandfather. A train was approaching, the truck couldn't move, so he couldn't do anything but get out and watch his new truck get hit by a train.

Repair shop did an outstanding job, there is no indication whatsoever that it ever happened. Frame is straight (wasn't damaged somehow), body is straight, paint looks good, hell the truck doesn't even rattle. The only clue that something ever happened is a little bit of overspray can be seen on the label inside the driver's side doorjamb.

This truck's a survivor.
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LeSabreUltra wrote:This truck's a survivor.

it is an S10 after all

The slow stall is what saved you.... If it was the engine coming to an instant stop, that would have been a problem... Good to see this Dan... sounds healthy...

I'm happy to see it all worked out for you. Tough little truck.

Gotta ask Dan... Did grandpa leave a good luck charm in the truck?

nos4blood70 wrote:I'm happy to see it all worked out for you. Tough little truck.

Thanks!

Don, I gotta believe he's watching out for it somehow. It's just been too lucky at avoiding accidents and major problems like this.
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