1635/2000 Build up thread!

[stealthtt24]

So I bought a roller galant that needs some work about 6 months ago. I have a built transmission and a motor for it. Paid $500 bucks for the car and sold the parts that came with it and made my money back plus some, so I have nothing into it, started buying parts for it, ie new carpet etc...

The interior needs some work which im not worried about, old tint needs removing, new carpet, some tlc basically. Exterior is fine, just needs a good bath and maybe a touch up on the paint, got a guy for that.

What I am worried about is that the car had some water get into it, fresh water. He said only about a 1/4 a way up the car inside, no ecu in it or battery when it happened, and he drained it out asap. The trunk wasnt drained, and today when I brought a battery to see what would happen, the wipers worked, overhead lights would not work, clock wouldnt work, horn works but is weak, and all the windows work, Dash lights worked and 4ws was on. Headlights came on, turn signals worked, hazards worked, no radio in the car so I couldnt test the speakers.

I noticed a few fuses were missing underhood and were the ecu plugs in, there are about 8 cut wires hanging and a ground wire that is not grounded.

Should I attempt to fix this car or is there a good chance the flooding fucked up everything beyond repair?

 

[Polish]

Did into it a little more, give it a shot at least. imo

 

[stealthtt24]

Im going to go back tonight and take pics of the cut ecu wires and ground since im not sure where they go.

 

[toybreaker]

That's about what car will do if the battery is installed backwards.

Many times the terminals can be reveresed on the battery, or the car may have some hashed wiring leading to this problem.

Please verify the battery is hooked up correctly! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[dmj]

Start opening up all the electrical connectors and check the terminals for rust,also you may have some splicing and soldering to do. don't you just hate it when someone butchers a wiring harness, good luck.if you need help pm me .

 

[stealthtt24]

Ill verify it tonight, but im quite certain I didnt hook it up backwards...

 

[toybreaker]

^^^I know what you're saying, it's just I've just seen this situation play out a few times.

Between batteries that have the terminals reversed, to cars that have had their harnesses hacked, there's a veritable plethora of ways the train can come off the tracks.

Verifying all is kosher will cut down on the smoke. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[FlyingEagle]

Sounds like it's best to tear down the whole car, or at last pull apart every connector inside and make sure they have time to dry out. Heater inside car running till the car is fresh baked? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hsugh.gif

If the body survived in good condition and the price is right, you can rewire the car for a low buck. There are lots of rust shells getting parted, and therefore many internal harness's to choose from.

 

[VR4Scott]

Ill be glad to take it off your hands... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[stealthtt24]

Ha you can scott but it'll cost ya!

 

[stealthtt24]

Well I fell like an idiot. I hooked up the battery and I guess it was wrong, because the windows rolled up normal this time, the wipers acted normal, and all the dash lights came on. Still cant test the speakers and the clock isnt working.

Here are the wires that are just hanging along with the ground.

 

[turbowop]

Those wires that aren't connected to anything don't look factory. They're probably from something aftermarket like an AFC harness.

You could probably get this thing back up and running fairly easily.

 

[464/2K]

Quoting stealthtt24:
Well I fell like an idiot. I hooked up the battery and I guess it was wrong, because the windows rolled up normal this time, the wipers acted normal, and all the dash lights came on. Still cant test the speakers and the clock isnt working.

Here are the wires that



Safc???? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Terry Posten]

I'm with Wop and Ricky. That should be a cut AFC computer. If I recall correctly, all you have to do is reconnect the MAS wire and insulate the rest so they don't short out to get her running again.

Look just behind the yellow plugs for a very short wire that is cut and attached to one of the non-stock wires, then find the same color wire (as it is from the yellow plug) that comes from the engine side of the wiring and reconnect.

If the water only got 1/4 way up, the dash and all that wiring should be OK. The stuff you would need to look at is the chassis wiring (tail lights, rear turn signals, fuel pump, etc). You might not have too much issues with wires that terminate into a plastic plug, but EVERY ground wire that lands to the chassis needs to be removed, cleaned, and reconnected. They will corrode really fast.

Good luck.

 

[VR4Scott]

So does this mean I can't take it off your hands...? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bawling.gif

 

[toybreaker]

Quote:
the windows rolled up normal this time, the wipers acted normal, and all the dash lights came on.



Progress! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The wires over by the ecu were probably a whiz bang piece of go fast something or 'nother, as was already covered.

Now that it's back in a geo where it belongs, just put that area of the wiring back to the stock configuration, and you'll be good to go. Some of the wires with duplicate colors have different numbers of a third color hash mark, so look carefully, and you may save yourself some heartache.

I would recomend running down both ends of each wire, as there are several with the same color, and mixing and matching them may cause issues.

Solder/heatshrink all the connections to ensure a troublefree electrical system

As far as the flood damage goes, Terry is on the right track.

It sounds like everything's long since dried out, so now it's just cleaning up the harness/connections/grounds.

I would recomend you pull the carpet completely out, and give it a good look, especially the underside. Any dark black fuzzy spots are a bad sign that mold has taken hold. (that's the bane of flood cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif )If it looks ok, lay it out and wash the f*** out of it two, three four or however many times it takes for the rinse water to drain off completelyclear.

A steam cleaner/hotsy will really make a difference, so renting one may be a good investment.

Then, wash it again with soapy water that has a fungicide in it. Even if it looks fine, there will be spores in it, just waiting for moisture/humidity to bloom. If you don't hit with a fungicide, you'll always have issues with funky odors and such under certain circumstances

Hang it on a fence and rinse very thoroughly.

Let it dry for a day, and then vacuum well.

That's about all you can do for the carpet. If it wasn't so hard to find, I'd just tell you to trash it, and start over with a good used carpet set.

As far as the body goes, pull all the door/trunk panels, and the plugs in the floor. Wash the inside of the car, and inside the doors, and rear trunk quarters thoroughly. Make sure the doors and trunk drain correctly. (the trunk has little one way flappers, make sure they work.) Get all of the mud/dust/dirt/debris out of the rear quarters, as it will fester/rust later on.

Try and figure out where the water line was , and be sure to rinse behind any of the door trims/ ground effect pieces that were submerged. At the very least, shoot water down the long trims under the doors to rinse all the trapped spurf out of the reccess they form against the body.



Treat any rusted area with a rust killer, and top coat as required.

Throw a few bounce sheets on the floor before you put the carpet back in. They'll cut down on the funky odors.

If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me.

I did quite a few flood cars for the dealers out here back in the 90's when we had some bad weather and the brandy new cars got submerged.

There's an art to it, and being thorough now means no issues later. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[dmj]

I 2nd toybreaker clean up asap to avoid troubles later. I hope you get the car up and running soon.

 

[stealthtt24]

Thanks for that long and detailed post toybreaker, but one thing about the carpet, I bought another one already that doesnt need to be cleaned /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[toybreaker]

Quote:
I replaced the carpet



Doh! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

Reading comprehnsion iz mor better after my morning coffee... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rofl.gif

Now that it's dry, you're playing catch up.

Dry flood cars can be a mixed bag.

Corrosion of the electrical contacts and terminals can be one of the bigger problems.

If you catch it while it's still wet, a thorough rinse with fresh water, and a thorough drying with air will keep things from turning green.

Take a few pics of the electrics in their installed positions, and then it's time to get busy.

Remove electrical components like the yaw sensor on the center console, and just wash the harness, not the components. Air dry each connector as you go, and then give 'em all a final blow when you're done washing the inside.

With the interior out and electricals from the floor area out, you're not going to hurt anything with water, so just dousche the hell out of everything.

Dried fries will probably come out from under the seat reinforcements

Soap,water and a car wash/dish brush will get it so clean, you'll take pics! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Pull the floor plugs, and dry as you go, from the top down.

Wear safety glasses while spraying things out with compressed air!

Getting all the nooks and crannies and under the crossmember/support reinforcements is the goal because that's where the schmeg will have lingered the longest.

It sounds like there wasn't a battery in it when it got flooded, so that's a huge plus!

Do you have any pics of the waterline?

It would help direct you towards the potential problem areas.

All in all, it really doesn't sound that bad, (just "baptised" a 'lil. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

 

[stealthtt24]

Thanks toybreaker for your help. Just an fyi, I wont be working on the interior for a few months, since I dont have a place I can yet, ie my own garage, so I wont bump this with progress for a months, but yes I am keeping the car Scott /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

For right now the car has a car cover over it and I will probably throw away the old carpet in the next week, it has some Damprid sitting inside sucking up all the moisture to help that nasty smell.