One of my company vehicles, (2012 Grand Caravan) is in the shop with water in its engine. My employee who drives this vehicle as well as the mechanic cannot understand how this could happen. Our mechanic said that the air filter is soaked with water, as well as the passenger side floor is drenched.
The driver claims that he has not driven through any deep pockets of water, or through the carwash.
Any suggestions as to how this could have happened would be greatly appreciated.

 

Prolly ran into a ditch and don't wanna say

 

Unless there is some sort of collision damage or there are multiple unrelated issues at work here I can't think of one thing that would cause all of those symptoms other than driving through or idling in standing water. If you trust that your driver didn't drive through standing water, it's possible the place where the van was parked got flooded, or maybe the driver didn't see that the right side of the van was submerged when he got in the car, then he started it and sucked in water.

If the intake was broken somewhere upstream from the air filter (for example, from a collision) I guess it's remotely possible that windshield washer fluid could have gotten in there, but that's really reaching, and it wouldn't explain the wet floors.

Hopefully the water in the engine was discovered early and it wasn't hydrolocked.

 

Thank you all for your input.

"Dumbass" confessed, (once confronted) and admitted he drove the company vehicle out of town, against company rules, and parked in 10 inches of water. Then he had it towed to town, and on Monday morning called in claiming the van won't start.

 

Your fired!!!

I could think of a better excuse he could have used.
How bout " I had the hood up checking the oil when I went inside for a phone call and my young son playing with the water hose douched the engine"

 

Hopefully the motor is recoverable. If "Dumbass" didn't try to force the car to start while in standing water it might be.

 

As Paul Harvey used to say: "And now for the rest of the story."

 

HaHa good one, but Dumbass doesn't have a kid. However, he did try blaming his wife 'cause she was gardening and "may" have stuck the hose where shouldn't have! (Up his a*s would have been more like it!

Thanks for the bone head excuse though bro......any more?

 

So is the motor repairable?

This may be reaching a bit, but does your insurance cover this?