What to do to my engine?
 

Hello, all. I'm in a bit of a predicament, and I'm coming here for some advice. I drive a 2014 BRZ. Through a variety of events, I ended up hydrolocking my engine this past weekend while I was out of town. Luckily, Subaru roadside paid to get it towed to the nearest dealer. I then drove back home (200 miles away) in my wife's car. Dealer called today and confirmed my suspicion that the engine was hydrolocked. I asked if they had removed the spark plugs and tried to turn it over to blow the water out of the block, but they informed me that it would not work. That sounded weird to me, but they advised that I call my insurance and file a claim. The claim is now filed, and they will be sending an adjuster to look at the car.

The dealer says that their next course of action is to throw in a completely new shortblock. That sounds a bit extreme to me, so I'm trying to think of options I have.

1. Pay the $500 deductible and get the insurance to pay for a whole new engine installed by Subaru

2. Decline work and blow the water out myself.

3. Decline the work, get the car towed back to my house, and build the engine in a few months/

What do you guys think? I wanted to build the engine anyway, as I want to go FI and run more than 6 pounds of boost. Would it be stupid to turn down a new engine for $500? Or is my best bet trying to fix it myself, and building later if a rod is bent? Thanks in advance for any input!

Pay the 500 to get a new engine and ask to keep the hydrolocked engine so that you can rebuild it

^What he said. Hands down the best idea.

alternate route, keep the money you would have used for a built FA20 and research about swaps. Tons of stuff will fit this engine bay. you could even try and get your hands on a H6 from one of the newer legacy's at a junkyard and build that.

X3 build the locked motor

Depending on how the engine ended up hydrolocked you may have damaged things internally.

As said above: Pay the $500 and rebuild your old block without any time pressures to get it back in the car.

Of the 3 options you gave this is the one you do not want to go with. You might have bent con rods,damaged cylinders who knows what else. First option looks the simplest and drama free.

Sounds like it's time for a 2jz swap


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Thanks for the advice guys. I'm still waiting for a quote from Subaru for a new shortblock, but my adjuster is willing to let me pay my deductible, and then cut me a check for the quoted amount, made out the shop of my choice. I guess I'm building the engine sooner than I thought :thumbup:

How did you manage to hydrolock the motor?

Extremely heavy rainstorm, and my car is lowered. Apparently, to much water coming off the road can get into the CAI.

Soooo.... it sounds like you drove through a river then? If pratically impossible to hydro lock a motor unless your drive into a lake or try to drive through knee high water, especially with the placement of the intake snorkel/CAI intake placement :bonk:

In these engines it is not so easy to just remove the spark plugs to blow out the water.
You have to lift the engine to pull the plugs.
It would be easier to pull the DI injectors than the plugs.

Umm, I'm not so sure this is true.

I've read it's pretty easy to simply lift the engine by loosening the motor mounts. I've also read that with the right tools (short universal socket I think) you can do the job without raising the engine at all.