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Flooded Engines
Our Tip of The Week concerns flooded or wet valve engines. If you don't let your car warm up during sub-zero temperatures, it's entirely possible that you can get a flooded condition when you try to restart the car. That's when the spark plugs are actually fowled with raw fuel. In that case most cars will recognize what we call the "clear flood mode." You crank the engine with the throttle wide open, as soon as the engine jumps to life you lift off the throttle so that the engine doesn't over speed. You have to pay attention and listen carefully so that you don't damage that engine. As soon as you hear that engine try to crank over lift off the throttle. If that doesn't work, there is one further trick that will get it going. You can push the car close up to a building where you can plug in the block heater. Remember that most cars that are sold in the Canadian market have block heaters but many people don't even know that they're there. Look for it, plug it in and if that doesn't work push the vehicle inside a heated building and wait until it warms up completely. That will normally dry that raw fuel out of the engine and get it restarted.
That's your Tip of The Week.
From the archives...
Fuel Filling TipsBattery Capacity
Breaking In A New Car
Checking Your Brakelamps
Flooded Engines
Fuel System Additives
Gear Shifter Positions On Your Car
Mechanical Fixes For Winter
Punctured Tires
Seized Spark Plugs
Spare Tires
Starter Motors
Proper Tire Inflation Pressure
Tire Noise
Tramlining
Under-Slung Spare Tire
Warming Up Your Vehicle
Winter Finishes
Winter Tires
Winter Weather
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