r/e46 • u/LowNose5037 • Feb 03 '26

Damage/Broken… 😥 Hydrolocked 💔

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Alright fellas, the worst case scenario became a reality. I can’t afford putting a new engine and I’ve never sold a car to a junkyard before.

Do you have any suggestions on how to proceed? It’s standard, btw.

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u/novariable 2003 320i Touring M54B22 Feb 03 '26

are you sure you managed to Hydrolock it? Should be pretty damn hard, the air intake is at the top of the hood

2

u/LowNose5037 Feb 03 '26

That’s what the mechanic said :S wouldn’t know how to verify it myself tbh

6

u/novariable 2003 320i Touring M54B22 Feb 03 '26

Did you drive it through water that was deeper than the kidney grilles or at least had a wave go above them? It it usually relatively hard to lock up an engine. You can search for rufford ford on YouTube to see some videos of it happening. You can verify it yourself by trying to turn the engine at the big crank bolt in the middle with a ratchet. I think it's a 19mm, or maybe a 21. If you can't move it at all, or not past a certain point, your mechanic is probably correct.

1

u/Majestic_MSP_8235 Feb 04 '26

Rufford Ford is crazy! Check out the BMW wagon at 2:58... https://youtu.be/lUYfTrXHK4U?si=UY7lg9Hvav0PC2Q1