A condition that occurs when a volume of liquid, usually water or coolant, enters an engine cylinder during the intake stroke. Because liquids are incompressible, the piston cannot complete its compression stroke. The immense mechanical force from the rotating crankshaft will immediately bend connecting rods, shatter pistons, or crack the engine block.
Heard on the job
He tried to cross a flooded street and sucked water through the intake, resulting in a severe hydrostatic lock.
Also heard as
- hydrolock