Water entered the whole car

Tiny
OCEANS2017
  • MEMBER
  • 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY
  • 4.1L
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 50,000 MILES
My car ignition does not come on.
Sunday, October 15th, 2017 AT 12:14 PM

13 Replies

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,937 POSTS
Was the car submerged?How wet did it get, was the PCM under water, I need some details here please.
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Sunday, October 15th, 2017 AT 4:21 PM
Tiny
OCEANS2017
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Yes the whole car was covered with water. But, please where is the location of the PCM?
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Sunday, October 15th, 2017 AT 9:58 PM
Tiny
MHPAUTOS
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Your model, should be on the passengers side.

Here is a diagram to help show you (below):
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Sunday, October 15th, 2017 AT 11:06 PM
Tiny
OCEANS2017
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So what should be done now? Please how long does it take to reply my message then I will be online waiting for you online.
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Sunday, October 15th, 2017 AT 11:42 PM
Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
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The PCM will have to removed and tested for water damage this is a specialist job. A replacement PCM will have to be re flashed to suit your car and then the rest of the car needs to be inspected for further immersion damage including the transmission if the car was under water the Tom will probably also be damaged as well depending on salt or fresh water damage there may be a lot of electrical problems costing a considerable amount of money to repair. Do not throw money at this car with out first making sure it is worth it
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 3:24 AM
Tiny
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Thanks for the answer. How can I re-flash the PCM?
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 4:16 AM
Tiny
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Where is the module that control the ignition?
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 4:17 AM
Tiny
MHPAUTOS
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Module re-flash is a dealer only job, you need access to Toyota data base. It is built into the PCM ignition functions.
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 4:23 AM
Tiny
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Alright no. I will try and change the PCM to make everything work in order.
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 5:57 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 43,543 POSTS
Please let us know what happens so it will help others.

Cheers, Ken
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 6:20 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,177 POSTS
If this car was flood damaged you are fighting a losing battle. Every electronic system will need to be stripped apart, flushed dried and tested. Every connection will have to be checked. The engine might survive but it will at minimum need to have the oil changed and lot's of luck that the silt and dirt carried in the water does not destroy the bearings in the first few turns. Transmission will need to have a full fluid change as well.
HVAC system will need to be removed so that it can all be flushed out and cleaned. Interior and carpets will also need to be done.

The best option for a modern car that has been submerged is to strip it for body parts and toss all of the electronics and interior in the scrap heap.
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 8:57 PM
Tiny
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Alright thanks. I will do as you have said.
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 10:58 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,177 POSTS
Your choice but I have seen people spend a lot of time and effort on flood cars and still have multiple issues. That water gets into everything and the silt in it does as well. Inside the mechanical parts like bearings and seals the silt acts like sandpaper.
It settles out in the heater/AC unit and in the carpets and padding, Seats mold on the inside. Your exhaust system will have a bunch of silt in it which likely will damage the converter. Inside every body panel and cavity that stuff will lay. Not a bid deal until you consider what was in the water and makes up that silt.
Then you have all the wiring and computers in there as well. Miss one connection that has water/silt in it and you have a problem.
It is the big issue with cars from the flood areas from the various hurricanes. It would not be much of an issue on old cars, they did not have miles of wiring and motors and computers controlling everything.

It really stinks, but in 99.99999% of the cases, unless you have tons of money or the car is some ultra rare vehicle that just has to be saved by someone with lots of money, it is better to part them out. The pictures are just some of the items that you would need to clean and test before you even tried anything.
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Monday, October 16th, 2017 AT 11:30 PM

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