kitten@pertec.UUCP (karen hettinger) (12/28/84)
Southern California is being soaked by yet another winter storm, and
I thought it might be a good time to offer tips on how to drive safely
through standing water. Standing water meaning 1/2-3 or 4 feet of water,
standing or flowing.
I got to drive through the above going home from work today. In some
places, the entire 1 or 2 right lanes were completely flooded. I was
making a wake sometimes taller than my car! Some of the things I did
was:
1. If you have rear drum brakes, it is a good idea to keep a *light*
foot on the brake pedal to keep squeezing water off the lining. NOTE:
I mean LEFT foot on the pedal. DO NOT do this unless you are experienced
at left foot braking. This should only be practiced in dry weather in
a safe deserted place.
2. If you drive a manual 4 or 5 speed, stay in third. The engine brake
gives you more traction and braking power, and more general control of
the car.
3. If you are driving through water deep enough to splash your spark
plug wires (at BOTH the engine or distributor), and you have a manual,
coast whenever possible and keep your revvs high. This will give the
engine momentum to continue turning over if it looses spark in one
cylinder.
4. When you are passing someone without splashguards, especially large
trucks, remember, you are driving through their wake. You may temporarily
loose traction through hydroplaning. Keep it in mind as you pass. Also
with large trucks, their wake will probably splash your windshield, possibly
blinding you for a moment. Turning the wipers up may be a good idea
before passing.
As you can see, there are several things you can do to protect yourself
if you drive a car with a manual transmission. It's something to think
about if you are buying a car and live in a rainy area.
--
kitten~
{ucbvax!unisoft | scgvaxd | trwrb | felix}!pertec!kitten2141smh@aluxe.UUCP (henning) (12/29/84)
**** **** From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA aluxe!2141smh > As you can see, there are several things you can do to protect yourself > if you drive a car with a manual transmission. It's something to think > about if you are buying a car and live in a rainy area. Thanks for the wet driving advice. As for automatics, I can do anything with my Volvo automatic you mention except get my clutch wet. Contrary to popular misconception, automatics can shift down and run on compression just like sticks. That is the reason they say, 1 - 2 - 3 - R, so you can lock it in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd as well as reverse. And I don't have to ride the clutch. Sticks are a lot more fun to drive in good weather though.
seifert@mako.UUCP (Snoopy) (12/30/84)
In article <275@pertec.UUCP> kitten@pertec.UUCP (karen hettinger) writes: >Southern California is being soaked by yet another winter storm, and >I thought it might be a good time to offer tips on how to drive safely >through standing water. Standing water meaning 1/2-3 or 4 feet of water, >standing or flowing. Well, kitten, I guess that explains your previous article. It takes a lot of gas to push four feet of water out of the way! By the way, what sort of snorkle do you have on the car? At four feet, the air intake would be under water. Does it flood that much up here? Perhaps I should look for a good used Schwimmwagan(sp), or that amphibious Lotus James Bond had. > If you drive a manual 4 or 5 speed, stay in third. > ... and keep your revvs high. hmmm, your car must have lower gearing than mine, that combination gives "go directly to jail" speed in mine. Snoopy adds further hints: I do agree with keeping the revs up, and remember to keep-em-up while changing gears, too! (ask me how I know!) Helpful things to have in the trunk: can of "Wire-dry", spare set of spark plugs (and spark plug wrench), dry rags, rain gear (for you), tow cable. How long since you changed those plug wires?
ayers@convex.UUCP (12/31/84)
***************************************************************** * * * ...Standing water meaning 1/2-3 or 4 feet of water, * * standing or flowing. * * * * I got to drive through the above going home from work today. * * * ***************************************************************** 3 or 4 feet of water? Driving through FOUR FEET OF WATER? I guess I'd better not try that in my GT40, it's only 39 inches tall!!!! blues, II (a mind is a wonderful thing to waste...)
kitten@pertec.UUCP (karen hettinger) (01/01/85)
> Well, kitten, I guess that explains your previous article. It takes > a lot of gas to push four feet of water out of the way! By the way, > what sort of snorkle do you have on the car? At four feet, the air > intake would be under water. > Right you are, Snoopy *blush*. I meant *2.5-3* feet. Heck, *I'm* only 4'10" myself! :-) > Does it flood that much up here? Perhaps I should look for a good used > Schwimmwagan(sp), or that amphibious Lotus James Bond had. > Orange County's drainage sucks (and NOT water, unfortunately). What more can I say? > > hmmm, your car must have lower gearing than mine, that combination > gives "go directly to jail" speed in mine. > Indeed it does...In third gear at the shift point (3000rpm) I'm going 40mph. > I do agree with keeping the revs up, and remember to keep-em-up > while changing gears, too! (ask me how I know!) > *I* know...In the Great March 1, 1982 Flood, I *did* drive through 3.5 feet of water...yes, it *did* leak into the passenger compartment..... my backlight fogged up inside for weeks and my capets started to rot. -- kitten~ {ucbvax!unisoft | scgvaxd | trwrb | felix}!pertec!kitten
mikey@trsvax.UUCP (01/01/85)
I'd like to know how he kept the revs up in third gear in over 6 inches of water!!!! (I don't mean to flame, forgive me, it's New Years day and my mind has just reset from last nights activities!) mikey at trsvax 55, It's not just a good idea, it S*CKS! P.S. The AMA (Motorcyle) has just started a co-ordinated drive for the repeal of a national 55. They have a free information packet available. More info is available in the new cycle mags!
jeepcj2a@fluke.UUCP (Dale Chaudiere) (01/02/85)
> Southern California is being soaked by yet another winter storm, and > I thought it might be a good time to offer tips on how to drive safely > through standing water. Standing water meaning 1/2-3 or 4 feet of water, > standing or flowing. > > I got to drive through the above going home from work today. In some > places, the entire 1 or 2 right lanes were completely flooded. I was > making a wake sometimes taller than my car! Some of the things I did > was: > > 1. If you have rear drum brakes, it is a good idea to keep a *light* > foot on the brake pedal to keep squeezing water off the lining. NOTE: > I mean LEFT foot on the pedal. DO NOT do this unless you are experienced > at left foot braking. This should only be practiced in dry weather in > a safe deserted place. > 2. If you drive a manual 4 or 5 speed, stay in third. The engine brake > gives you more traction and braking power, and more general control of > the car. > 3. If you are driving through water deep enough to splash your spark > plug wires (at BOTH the engine or distributor), and you have a manual, > coast whenever possible and keep your revvs high. This will give the > engine momentum to continue turning over if it looses spark in one > cylinder. > 4. When you are passing someone without splashguards, especially large > trucks, remember, you are driving through their wake. You may temporarily > loose traction through hydroplaning. Keep it in mind as you pass. Also > with large trucks, their wake will probably splash your windshield, possibly > blinding you for a moment. Turning the wipers up may be a good idea > before passing. > > As you can see, there are several things you can do to protect yourself > if you drive a car with a manual transmission. It's something to think > about if you are buying a car and live in a rainy area. > -- > kitten~ > {ucbvax!unisoft | scgvaxd | trwrb | felix}!pertec!kitten That sounds a little deep (1/2-3, 4 feet). Come on, I have driven a four- wheel drive jeep for ten years now, through water, mud, and snow. 2 feet of standing water is about max. for a stock 4-wheel drive (no lift kit and engine not completely waterproof). A Mercedes Unimog can negotiate 4 feet of standing water. It has 14 inches of ground clearance at the lowest point and runs a waterproof engine with a snorkel on the air intake. Your tips are good. Here's a few more: When coming upon water on the road, enter with a speed that will not splash water up into the grill (the fan will pull it onto the engine electrical system). Do not attempt to shift a manual transmission when in deep water the clutch may get so wet you can not move. If you have a car equipped with an electric radiator fan, consider installing a cut out switch to override the fan when entering deep water. If you ever do stall out in standing water, check to see if the water level is up to the wheel hubs or drivelines. You may need to check the axles for water contamination (very costly if left).
gek@ihu1j.UUCP (glenn kapetansky) (01/03/85)
>>Contrary to popular misconception, automatics can shift down and >>run on compression just like sticks. That is the reason they say, >>1 - 2 - 3 - R, so you can lock it in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd as well as reverse. Actually, if you read the manual, you'll find that all but a handful of cars give you 1st AND 2nd (like an automatic 2-speed) when you choose "2". Thus, there is no way to start up in 2nd gear with an auto trans (very useful in the snow/ice). -- glenn kapetansky "Think of it as evolution in action" ...ihnp4!ihu1j!gek
lee@cosivax.UUCP (01/04/85)
I feel the biggest concern with driving through deep puddles is that you can blow a head gasket, which is not a cheap repair item. If you splash cold water on a hot engine block, the water can cause different cooling rates between the block and head, possibly opening up a gap in the gasket, and possibly even warping the head surface. Next time you drive past a large puddle, look for those cars with lots of white water vapor coming from their tailpipes. Personally I go around the large puddles.
doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (01/04/85)
> At four feet, the air > intake would be under water. > > Helpful things to have in the trunk: can of "Wire-dry", spare set > of spark plugs (and spark plug wrench), dry rags, rain gear (for you), > tow cable. Reminds me of a problem a friend of mine had with his 77? Firebird. He had stormed through a puddle which was somewhat deeper than it looked, and the car stalled. The engine compartment was soaked, so he left it till the next day. Although the engine was dry and we sprayed LPS all over the wires, distributor cap, and inside the distributor, it wouldn't start. Finally called a mechanic. He had it working in half an hour. The problem: water ingested through the air intake went (of course) into the combustion chambers and... soaked the carbon in the resistor type spark plugs, shorting the plugs to ground. The mechanic advised that it is really a common problem, and that the only fix is a full set of new plugs. Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug