Hey,
my family "lost" 2 cars due to hurricane Sandy. Both were parked in our driveway and had about 2-3 feet of water. From what i saw it reached the seats but not glovebox as everything inside was dry. I evacuated so I didn't see where exactly the water hit but I've been working on 1 of the cars which is my moms 2004 Kia Optima LX 6cylinder. My dad tried to start it up right away but thank g-d it didn't as I have read time and time again don't start a flooded car until you inspect critical parts first.
(I should preface by saying i'm a novice with fixing cars just trying to help my folks) There appeared to be no water in the engine or transmission as I checked the dipsticks and no signs of water. the air filter had a little bit of fuel in the tray, so I flushed the engine oil and replaced with 5 quarts. I checked 3 spark plugs (i can't get to other 3, seems difficult) which are a bit old but there was no signs of water in there but there was a smell of gasoline coming from the engine. I'm not sure what caused this as the car was never started after the flood came in . I also jacked the car up to drain water from the muffler. After this and replacing oil and oil filter I tried starting the car. It cranks and feels like it's about to start but doesn't. After I attempt to start, water still drips slightly from muffler and the oil filter would leak oil (I did some reading and o-ring is in place). I feel like I'm really close to getting it to work but now after leaving the car overnight I took out the new oil filter and it has a smell of gasoline and the dipstick does too. Can anyone recommend what I could potentially do? Detailed instructions or links to a diagram would be of more help as I am a novice. We are on a tight budget as is after losing our whole basement due to the storm and I'm aware the car may have long term problems, I just want to get it up and running now to give my mom a few months to get back up on her feet. Surprisingly most of the eletrical components still work, power windows, odometer, it tells me when my door is open, fuel level, all lights and blinkers work, and lock/unlock doors work.
any help would be appreciated!
Thanks