My friend had a 1999 Ford Taurus 3.0L V6 that she said was blown up because her sister drove it through a low water crossing and got water on the motor and it is making a loud knocking/popping sound. I was like you need to have it checked, doesn't seem right.

So, a few months later she tells me she was selling the car to the salvage yard for $200 because she took it to a mechanic and he told her that it needed tie rods and would cost $1200. She had already bought a new vehicle and didn't want to spend more money on this one.

I said, "well $1200 seems kind of high" but if you are just going to sell for $200 I wouldn't mind buying, it is a rather nice car, body exterior/interior is in great shape.

I went to pick the car up, still at the mechanic shop.

The mechanic walks out and he is a very rude person and makes the comment " it has a rod or main bearing knocking but you should be able to drive it up on trailer." I didn't say nothing because I was a little way from him and wasn't sure I heard him right.

After we got it loaded my friend makes the comment " there is no air filter in it b/c we took it out when sister went in low water crossing and got it wet"

The car made NO noises when we started and drove up on trailer. Not from under the hood or exterior of the hood.(tie rods)

It was very late at night and cold, so we just started home. My husband and I were discussing it. My friend doesn't know much about cars, so I'm thinking that maybe the mechanic told her that it was a rod and she took it to mean tie rods. And I am now confused if the sister drove it through a low water crossing and splashed water upon motor or actually submerged the car.

I am going to ask her about this when I talk to her next.

This morning when we unloaded the car... it was knocking loudly from under the hood.

I went to autozone's website and it listed possible things that could cause the knocking sound in the engine and it listed the most likely reason as the "Knock Sensor"

So, I am wondering... how can we tell if the engine is blown or this noise is from a connecting rod? (that what they are called?)

What is a "Knock Sensor"?

Like I said, it didn't make the noise last night, but did the next morning.

Check for any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), by connecting a scan tool or code reader to the data link connector under the dash. If it's a knock sensor, or other electrical-related problem, it should show up.

Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensors are located next to the crankshaft and are vulnerable to water damage. This is a classic cause of failure of CKP Sensors, which are easy to replace. It wouldn't surprise me if this is the problem, based upon your code check. Look for the notched ring next to the crankshaft damper pulley. The CKP Sensor will be located to the side of the notched ring. Disconnect the negative battery terminal before removing the sensor.

Another real possibility is the low-lying air intake tube sucked up water into the air filter, damaging the air filter and affecting the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor. This is a strong possibility. Allow everything to dry out and replace the air filter. Water likely was sucked into the upper and lower intake manifold. I doubt that any irrepairable damage was done. Water is likely causing the engine to stumble, which should go away soon. You likely got a huge bargain.

You may want to reset the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), or computer, with the scan tool. This should help the car forget its near-drowning experience and run better. Be sure to change the oil and filter later.

Do you have the Vulcan or the 24 valve DOHC Duratec engine? What's the mileage?

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Originally Posted by txgreasemonkey

Check for any Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs), by connecting a scan tool or code reader to the data link connector under the dash. If it's a knock sensor, or other electrical-related problem, it should show up.?

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Will those codes show if the battery has been taken out? The battery that was in it was no good and we had to switch batteries to get it off the trailer. After we got it off the trailer, we put the battery back in our truck that we drive and didn't put no battery in the car.

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Originally Posted by txgreasemonkey

Do you have the Vulcan or the 24 valve DOHC Duratec engine? What's the mileage

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How would I find out which motor? It just says 3.0 V6 on the motor and no owner's manual in it. I have the VIN # if that would help. Mileage is 158,000ish.

Another thing I forgot to mention was, the morning after we brung the car home, after we unloaded it, my husband checked the oil and said it was all brown and stuff, but that afternoon when we checked it, it was charcoal black.

Thank you for all your help. It is much appreciated.

I am trying to fix this car up for my younger sister who has a child and about to have another and her husband walked out on her and left her with nothing. Thought this would be a nice car for her if not too much is wrong with it.

Oh, and it's a Taurus SE if that makes a difference.

Since you removed the battery the codes may have been lost--I just don't know, at this point. Both of you need to have a "gut check" on the car, in terms of spending a little bit of money on it. If you decide to go forward and "invest" a little in it for the prospect of getting it to run, then I would replace the battery, air filter, and change the engine oil (5W-30) and filter. It sounds like you have the Vulcan 3.0L engine. Then, I would start the engine and try to let it run for a while, using your own common sense to tell if the stumbling is improving or not. It may just go away. If it doesn't improve, try and determine where you believe the problem is originating from and try some of my earlier suggestions. This is one of those situations that is difficult to give any more guidance on, at this point, from afar.

Ensure the water is no longer in the air intake duct and air filter box. Make sure everything has dried out.

I don't mind spending up to 2k on it. And I appreciate your suggestions. If the engine needs to be rebuilt or replaced, we will take it to a shop. I just don't want to pay for things that could easily be replaced by ourselves with a bit of elbow grease.

Again, thanks for all your suggestions. I'll keep you updated.

Ok, I know it has been awhile, but we just let the car sit while we decided what to do. We had called a local mechanics and they said, if it sucked up water, you need new motor.

We both had a vehicle, so no hurry to decide what to do with this. Finally decided to devote a little time to it.

Started the car up a few weeks ago. Running fine, no noise. Messed around with it, cleaning it up, moved to another place in the yard, etc. Started again a couple days later, knocking again.

However, when you put the car in gear, hold the brake, and give it some gas, it quits knocking.

When it is under pressure it stops the knocking, but when idling it does knock.

I haven't checked the codes yet, just found this post again and remembered where I was told to do that. Will get one of those scan tools and try that.

Thought I'd post this in the meantime to see if someone has any suggestions.

I sure hate to tell you this, but I'm sure that your CONNECTING RODS are probably bent. Water has a funny way of not compressing and it sounds like the moron driving probably hit the gas hard to get through the water instead of finding another way around it or slowing down to get through it. Since it doesn't seem that anyone in your household seems to know a crankshaft from their , I recommend taking it to someone that knows what they're doing.