02 Peugeot 406 2.0 HDI (90HP) not starting after water

[DanielEZY0252]

Hello everybody

Firstly I'm sorry I know this is a berlingo forum but I'm hoping someone can help.


Recently my friend in all his wisdom decided to lower his car (probably stupidity) and put a big cone filter. He removed the top of the box cover thing so it is fully exposed.

Anyway into the more pressing matter. We came across a Ford (water over a road not the car) and he hit the Ford at Mach 2 and the car stalled. He then got it started with just a turn of the key. He then went through a second Ford slowly with out problem he then hit the third one at about Mach 1 and the car just stopped again.

We got it going after a simple jump start but it needed jump started everytine to get it going and the wreak from the exhaust and engine bay was shocking.

So he wanted to do some work on it and since then it will not start. The engine will turn over but it is not firing up.
We have completed the following steps

1. Drain the oil from the sump
2. Removed plastic top of the engine and checked for water (it was clear)
3. He removed the injectors and against better judgement  disassembled all the injectors and cleaned the carbon off them etc
4. Replaced the glow plugs
5. Replaced oil and oil filter

And now we're here with a no go Peugeot however he insists on holding the key over in the ignition trying to get it going for long periods of time until I've noticed smoke starting to come from the engine and told him politely to wind his neck in before he ends up causing more damage.

One thing that I have discovered since is that he does not have a fuel pump (I think it's called a lift pump) at the tank. I suggested that air in the diesel line after the filter is possibly causing an issue as you cannot see any movement from the air bubble when trying to turn the engine over. If you push the hand primer it will move along the line and then if you leave it the air bubble comes back along the line towards the diesel filter but he is adamant that that is not part of the issue I may be wrong but giving it a go wouldn't do any harm to remove the air from the line.

The point of this is that the car started before the work and doesn't afterwards. The fuel line was disconnected during the work.

Any suggestions would be great as I think he's on the verge of just setting the car up in flames to use up the half tank of diesel that he has left because he has run out of things and people to blame it on.

Thanks Daniel

[brodfather11]

I think it has been damaged by water going into the modified air cleaner. As you will know water cant be compressed and has to go somewhere. As the pistons rose the extra pressure will have bent the con rods .
 

Looks like an expensive puddle on the road. Try another engine or a set of pistons and rods.

PS I like your big type , saves having to peer at whats been written.

[DanielEZY0252]

Yeah I'm no good when it comes to modifications the chap is big into it and I'm like oh that's lovely haha. I think it's a KNN or something. I do know it's blue hahaha

[polar]

As Brodfarther says bent conrods im afraid the engine is scrap and by the way you should never strip injectors that is a specialist job and needs the correct kit to calibrate them.

Replacement engine is your best route.

[jimbo]

Has he tried using easy start spray to see if it fires .could be something electrical.

[DanielEZY0252]

He's said about using it but he's reluctant to try anything other than brute ignorance.. I've said about the injectors to him after speaking to the guy who does all my van work but I think we're banging our heads on a brick wall at this stage

[Gravity]

Another, simpler, possibility is that the CPS may have broken down with water immersion.

From memory, I think the Crank Position Sensor is located low down on this engine, and can easily lose its signal when immersed in water. Its function is to tell the car's electronic guru (ecu) that all is well, so that the ecu then allows the engine to start. Without a functioning cps you can crank forever without results.

Get your friend to ask a mechanic with a scanner to check it out. You might find the solution is a simple replacement of the cps. I would doubt that con-rods etc have suffered damage, otherwise the engine would not either turn over easily or fire at all after the initial water immersion.

Of course, having disassembled the injectors, he now has an added problem, as these should not be reassembled without the right equipment. They are delicate and need careful handling, and he will probably also need to get them properly calibrated. Teke them to a Bosch repair centre, where they can be checked.

Gravity

[dumdum]

He’s effectively knackered a set of injectors by stripping them, combined with the car being worth less than a second hand set of injectors and him being a d**k driving through fords at Mach 1 he has pretty much scrapped his car, a quick lexia session would show if the fuel rail can build pressure and the crank sensor is working ok (even though a crank sensor is in theory sealed plastic and water proof so it’s very very unlikely to be the root cause!)

[Gravity]

The value of a car is not always measured in money alone. The guy might have other reasons for saving it, which is why I never factor in a market value when assessing someone else's repairs.

Agree about a CPS being encased, but having had several ( not driven by me) fail due to water ingress, they are possibly splashproof, but definitely not waterproof.

As you say, he has made his problem far worse by stripping the injectors.

Gravity

[dumdum]

as I say a quick lexia session by someone who knows his onions will have it diagnosed in under fifteen mins I’d say, fuel rail pressures, cam/crank synchronisation and a few other pointers will reveal a lot, it’s very possible it has jumped a few teeth on the cambelt or bent something internal...

But OP rereading your first post I would put money on it you didn’t have fuel at the pump and that would explain why the pump then won’t build pressure, if the primer one way valve has gone you may need to suck some fuel via the return through the pump or replace the primer to get it going... food for thought, your mate seems very clueless and shouldn’t touch stuff as now it will have four knackered injectors and probably just needed priming up a lot more