[Impulsebuy]

Hello Everyone,

So, I drove my 2004 HSE RR through high waters while navigating my way through flood waters in Eastern North Carolina. Not by choice, but being stranded is no fun. The RR was doing well and water never came higher than up on wheels, I tried to make sure of that. We then almost ran out of gas before making it home, with most gas stations being either closed or out of gas. So, we had to put low-grade gas in the RR at a very rural gas station. Right after putting the gas in (about a mile), the RR began to sputter and acting as if it did not want to go as we were continuing on our journey back home. We made it home at normal speeds (sputtering and all) and parked the RR in a nice dry spot. The next day I tried to crank it up and it was hesitating, but cranking and cutting right back off. It seemed that there was water in the tank (possibly from bad gas at questionable gas station). I was able to crank it up and it stayed running. I drove it for a few miles to see if it is still acting up and it did fine. The next day same thing happened; hesitating cranking up, but then staying cranked. I proceeded to check oil and transmission levels. Of course there is no transmission dipstick :shock:, but there is an oil dipstick (with a red top). When I pulled it out it was completely dry /. Scared me and I checked for leaks, etc. I added a quart of full synthetic oil and rechecked... still no oil??? So, I have a few questions, which I hope someone could help me answer. Did the RR begin to sputter because of driving it through high waters or because of gas? Can I add Heet to the tank to get gas to stabilize/ take out water? Could water have gotten into the motor somehow and messed up everything? What is the issue with the oil? I really appreciate your help as I am not able to just take it to an RR mechanic, with the nearest one being almost 2 hours away. Thanks in advance.

 

[RRToadHall]

Doubtful if you have water in the engine. If water had gotten deep enough to be sucked in the air intake you would most likely have hydrolocked the engine. Water in the fuel storage tanks at the fuel station is likely though. In heavy rains the fills can allow water into the tanks due to parking lot flooding. Given high traffic volumes the tanks were most likely low and compounded the issue. The best option would be to drain your tank then replace your filter. You can then toss a few gallons in and flush out the lines.

 

[DoubleRL322]

I would not drive it until you do an oil change. When you drain the oil you will be able to see just how low you have been running it. If you have in fact been running it extremely low on oil, the sputtering/potential water in gas could turn out to be a blessing in disguise as it forced you to check the oil. If the oil is low enough you risk seizing the engine so make sure you stay on top of that level!

 

[Impulsebuy]

Thank you for your reply. Do you have any idea as to why the oil could be that low? I now added two quarts and still do not see any oil on the dipstick. I wonder if it is the right dipstick.

 

[Impulsebuy]

Thank you. That is really great information about the gas and it explains a lot. I went ahead and added the Heat additive as I am unable to get to nearest mechanic to drain the gas. This actually worked and as of yesterday it was running/cranking much better. I have to add that I have not driven it but in my yard and around the corner as I am still concerned about my low oil problem. I added anther quart (this makes two quarts now) but I am still not seeing anything on the dipstick. I wonder if someone replaced the dipstick with one that does not even go with this car (I purchased it used). There are no indicator lights on the dash letting me know that oil is low. However, the check engine light came on after adding this questionable gas and has stayed on... no blinking.

 

[Keralis]

See if you can change the oil, I can't explain the no oil being on the dipstick, maybe the dipstick is aftermarket or from the BMW E53 X5 version of the engine, but for the price of an oil change (if you do it yourself) would surely beat out paying $6000+ for a new engine, including knowing that you do have oil. The check engine light is customary, the engine doesn't like burning water obviously so it was just confused. Clear it with an OBDII scanner, or some auto shops will do it either for $10 or for free.
I should mention, the truck takes around 8-9 quarts. Mine will take around 9 to 9.5 on a good day with draining the oil out and changing the filter

 

[diff]

That oil issue is really of concern. Had the oil ever been checked since you bought it? A slight possibility that the plastic broke off the end of the dipstick. Does yours show an inch of plastic and then a groove and then 4 flutes where it bonds to the steel wire, or it is the wrong one. Someone on here had mentioned that these engines neither like low or overfilled oil levels. It can certainly be messy when you remove the drain plug so perhaps a baffle of cardboard will help direct the shooting oil into an adequate container. There should hopefully be 10 litres in there now.