ScottM
Taxi to Parking
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- Jul 19, 2005
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iBazinga!
Well today I was supposed to leave for Japan. I almost made it to O'Hare IAP. But torrential rains flooded the only road into the airport. I thought I was lucky enough to be able to take the exit ramp up to a road that would at least get me to the O'Hare people mover from the long term parking area. But as we turned up the ramp we could see a flooded road and stuck BMW mini-cooper blocking the shallow part of the water.
To go to the left would have had me on grass and mud, to go to the right would put in deeper but what appeared passable water.
BTW I was driving my step-dad's '95 Buick Century.
I almost made it though before the car died.
I tried several times to restart but the starter motor would not even turn.
I got out into 8" deep water and with Karen's help pushed into shallower water. I then went and got the BMW guy who was now into water that was past his door. We pushed his car out of the water and then mine. Water was up almost to my knees.
Police had already closed one road at the top of the bridge and now they were closing the road into O'Hare and directing all traffic up the ramp that I was on even though it was flooded and the water was still rising.
We called for a tow and were told it would be a while.
Several more attempts to start were futile but the starter motor did start to turn so we thought there was hope. Finally Karen told me she would deal with it and that I should take a taxi to the people mover.
Even though many taxis and other cars were going by, no one would stop. It took a while before a taxi finally picked me up. I grabbed my luggage and got in. But by that time traffic on the road was so filled that it was bumper to bumper. 45 minutes later I had barely gone a mile, I could finally see the entrance that leads to the people mover but it was flooded and police were not letting people in. On the radio they were saying how no one could get into O'Hare and that they were evacuating the arrivals areas of the terminals for flooding.
I gave up. I paid the taxi and got out and walked back to the car which only took 10 minutes.
By the time I returned there were 6 cars now stalled and one stuck in the mud. Tow trucks showed up and helped everyone but us. So I started calling for more tows but no one could get us for 4-5 hours at the earliest.
That is when I decided to grab a tool and see what I could do. For some reason I looked at the oil and saw water in it. I removed the air filter which was soaking wet and the canister was filled with water. Ah hah! I thought I will remove the air filter and it will start. Well no luck, it did sound like it wanted to though!
So back out I went and removed the hose from the air filter canister to the throttle body. Water poured out of it. I then had Karen turn the car over and it sounded like it might go but to no avail. I then manually held the throttle body full open and had her crank. Lots of water came out with a back fire. I let thing sit thinking that it was completely hosed or it is about to work. Since holding the throttle body open flooded the engine with fuel I waited about 15 minutes before trying again.
That next attempt the car started!!! YEAH! but it was running rough and almost would die when going down to idle. Holding down the accelerator I kept the engine running hoping that whatever water was in there would get all pushed out and the engine would run better. Poor Karen had to go back out to get the loose air filter canister holder as I did not want to drive with that under the hood. The water around us had stabilized but I still wanted to get out of there so off we went. I figured anywhere but there was fine.
I kept the car in a low gear to keep the rpms up and also get the engine temp up to boil off the water. It took a while to get home as there was tons of flooding. But we made it. I put a new air filter in and then took the car over the oil change place and had them flush the engine housing and change the oil.
When the kid took the cap off to fill the oil he brought it to me to show that I 'had some moisture in the engine'! I laughed and told him 'no I flooded the engine with water earlier in the day'.
After the flush and oil change the car runs much better. I just hope I did not do too much damage to the engine. I am selling the car real soon and would hate to kill it.
As for my trip, I canceled the Japan flight and opted instead to go straight to Hong Kong next Saturday. The flight that I was on got canceled anyways. UAL kept delaying it, probably in hopes that the crew would get there and the flooding subside but they finally gave up to. Tomorrow it is supposed to be more of the same here and if I leave on Monday it is too late to actually get any work done in Japan by the time I would get there.
Meanwhile on the drive home we also heard on the news that terminal 2 was being evacuated for flooding down stairs and a fire in an elevator shaft.
A real lousy O'Hare Day!!
To go to the left would have had me on grass and mud, to go to the right would put in deeper but what appeared passable water.
BTW I was driving my step-dad's '95 Buick Century.
I almost made it though before the car died.
I tried several times to restart but the starter motor would not even turn.
I got out into 8" deep water and with Karen's help pushed into shallower water. I then went and got the BMW guy who was now into water that was past his door. We pushed his car out of the water and then mine. Water was up almost to my knees.
Police had already closed one road at the top of the bridge and now they were closing the road into O'Hare and directing all traffic up the ramp that I was on even though it was flooded and the water was still rising.
We called for a tow and were told it would be a while.
Several more attempts to start were futile but the starter motor did start to turn so we thought there was hope. Finally Karen told me she would deal with it and that I should take a taxi to the people mover.
Even though many taxis and other cars were going by, no one would stop. It took a while before a taxi finally picked me up. I grabbed my luggage and got in. But by that time traffic on the road was so filled that it was bumper to bumper. 45 minutes later I had barely gone a mile, I could finally see the entrance that leads to the people mover but it was flooded and police were not letting people in. On the radio they were saying how no one could get into O'Hare and that they were evacuating the arrivals areas of the terminals for flooding.
I gave up. I paid the taxi and got out and walked back to the car which only took 10 minutes.
By the time I returned there were 6 cars now stalled and one stuck in the mud. Tow trucks showed up and helped everyone but us. So I started calling for more tows but no one could get us for 4-5 hours at the earliest.
That is when I decided to grab a tool and see what I could do. For some reason I looked at the oil and saw water in it. I removed the air filter which was soaking wet and the canister was filled with water. Ah hah! I thought I will remove the air filter and it will start. Well no luck, it did sound like it wanted to though!
So back out I went and removed the hose from the air filter canister to the throttle body. Water poured out of it. I then had Karen turn the car over and it sounded like it might go but to no avail. I then manually held the throttle body full open and had her crank. Lots of water came out with a back fire. I let thing sit thinking that it was completely hosed or it is about to work. Since holding the throttle body open flooded the engine with fuel I waited about 15 minutes before trying again.
That next attempt the car started!!! YEAH! but it was running rough and almost would die when going down to idle. Holding down the accelerator I kept the engine running hoping that whatever water was in there would get all pushed out and the engine would run better. Poor Karen had to go back out to get the loose air filter canister holder as I did not want to drive with that under the hood. The water around us had stabilized but I still wanted to get out of there so off we went. I figured anywhere but there was fine.
I kept the car in a low gear to keep the rpms up and also get the engine temp up to boil off the water. It took a while to get home as there was tons of flooding. But we made it. I put a new air filter in and then took the car over the oil change place and had them flush the engine housing and change the oil.
When the kid took the cap off to fill the oil he brought it to me to show that I 'had some moisture in the engine'! I laughed and told him 'no I flooded the engine with water earlier in the day'.
After the flush and oil change the car runs much better. I just hope I did not do too much damage to the engine. I am selling the car real soon and would hate to kill it.
As for my trip, I canceled the Japan flight and opted instead to go straight to Hong Kong next Saturday. The flight that I was on got canceled anyways. UAL kept delaying it, probably in hopes that the crew would get there and the flooding subside but they finally gave up to. Tomorrow it is supposed to be more of the same here and if I leave on Monday it is too late to actually get any work done in Japan by the time I would get there.
Meanwhile on the drive home we also heard on the news that terminal 2 was being evacuated for flooding down stairs and a fire in an elevator shaft.
A real lousy O'Hare Day!!
It is too bad we can't meet up.
