this is my dilemma, i have a 2001 camaro ss, automatic. the car was driven through about a 1-2 feet of water and died. tried to restart and was dead. left it sitting for a few days, tried to restart and turned over twice and then nothing. since then, i tried to start it and it doesn't turn over i can hear a thud each time i turn the key but that's it. i had the battery and starter tested and both were good. i removed the spark plugs and water came out of the holes. i know this is also a problem, but my first problem is trying to get the starter to even come alive, then i will deal with the water. where i am at now is, i have the battery connected, i have the starter wires hooked up and the starter is hanging down under the engine, i don't have it bolted back in place, when i try to start it, i hear nothing. do i need to have the starter bolted back in place to complete the ground, or do i have some other issue?
i looked at the fuses under the hood and inside the cabin and all look good by visual inspection. there are two gray fuses that are square located under the hood which i can't tell if there are good or not but say ign and starter on them. i talked to some people and they suggested testing the knock relay sensor which they said was located on the top of the transmission. they also suggested checking the starter relay switch which is suppose to be on the firewall somewhere. any help on this frustrating problem will be greatly appreciated!

sincerly, dead in the water!

 

Yea, you need a ground for the starter to work. My guess is that the starter will test OK and that you still have water in the engine. Also, possibly water in the oil pan and/or the intake. Water does NOT compress which most likely explains the thud when you previously tried to start the engine. Good luck with that, RE in Macungie, PA

 

What he said.

Water in your engine will induce "hydrolock". In other words, the water won't compress like an air/fuel mixture would. The equivilent of putting a block of wood in your cylinder.

 

so first off, thanks for the advice so far, it has helped a lot. i installed the starter and have the sparks plugs removed to see if the engine will turn over. the battery and starter have been tested good. i turn the key and once again hear the thud from the engine. it doesn't turn over, doesn't click, just a thud or clunk from somewhere in the engine. it seems to me that the engine has been locked up from what i can tell, am i correct? there is no water on the dip stick, it seems clean and not foggy at all. i removed the plugs and some water did come out, i was told that if i had them removed and tried to turn the engine over, it should push the water out but that didn't happen, nothing but a thud. any help would be awesome. do i need to keep trouble shooting or is it time to tear the engine apart and seem what is going on? thanks for all the help, this site has been awesome! thanks again.

john

 

I have heard of rods bending from water in the cylinders.

 

If the motor was spinning fast enough the rods very well may be bent. If I remember correctly the 4th gen camaros air intake is very low. Which makes a great straw when driving through deep water. Mike

 

With no plugs in it, you should be able to turn the motor by hand, if it will turn 2 or 3 complete revolutions without any strange noises you may just need a new starter, if it won't turn there may be some internal damage.

Also did the motor die as you were going through the puddle/flood or did you turn it off after and it won't start again?

 

i water locked my engine as well, my old 305, try putting a socket on the crank bolt and try and turn it over thay way. mine wouldnt turn one way but when we tryed turning in counter clockwise, it didnt turn, instead the bolt started to loosen, i knew then that it was binded up somewhere inside.