Thread: Aftermarket accessories

FWIW LR sell it as a 'Raised Air Intake' ... not a snorkel.

This is an important differentiation as they don't say it is waterpoof. There was a thread up here recently of a chap who took his new Puma for a swim and found his OEM Raised Air Intake leaked and had water in his air box.

If you go LR OEM you will most likely have to re seal it yourself.

Originally Posted by flagg

FWIW LR sell it as a 'Raised Air Intake' ... not a snorkel.

This is an important differentiation as they don't say it is waterpoof. There was a thread up here recently of a chap who took his new Puma for a swim and found his OEM Raised Air Intake leaked and had water in his air box.

If you go LR OEM you will most likely have to re seal it yourself.

What you say is true flagg, but you need to contemplate the water depths that may lead to water ingress. The recommended maximum wading depth (for a Puma) is 500 mm which is close to the sills. At 600 mm you have water on the floor in the front of the vehicle. At 750 mm you have water entering the back. At 900 mm you reach the bottom of the raised air intake, but at this depth your sensitive electronics and battery are under the water. From the external air intake, the ducting rises within the engine compartment with the bottom of the ducting (at its highest point) being close to 1000 mm. We are talking some seriously deep water here. The Defender is not a boat. You MAY be able to get through such depths for a shortish distance but you MUST NOT STOP. At that depth you clearly should use some sort of sheet over the front of your vehicle to make a bow wave and to keep the water out of the engine bay. In water crossing, the raised air intake is not a snorkel as some would like to foolishly consider them. However they are useful to keep splashing and small waves, etc. from getting in. You also need to be mindful that if you cause any damage to your vehicle by crossing water deeper than the recommended maximum you will almost certainly not be covered by warranty nor insurance.

Interestingly, the official wading depth for Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols is 700 mm. But that is subject to extensive vehicle preparation. At that depth the radiator fan on a Toyota is hitting the water and bending into the radiator, and in the Nissan, some of the electrics are under the water. Their carpets are stuffed.

Cheers
KarlB

Originally Posted by KarlB

The Defender is not a boat.

haha love it, yes it's true.

Also worth keeping in mind though that sometimes when you are crossing a river you hit a soft patch and sink.. say up the the chassis. Then the 500-600mm deep river which wasn't going to be a problem suddenly is - two fold. Its relatively much deeper, and you are not moving. Add to that if the river is moving it will be 'bowing' (if that is the right word?) on the up river side of the defender.. (ask me how I found out )

Its times like this which is a little unplanned that knowing that your snorkel is properly sealed is good piece of mind.

That said, I've had water past the windscreen wipers and (with a sealed snorkel and diff breathers) had no problems*.

*apart form my sleeping bad getting wet.

Originally Posted by flagg

haha love it, yes it's true.

Also worth keeping in mind though that sometimes when you are crossing a river you hit a soft patch and sink.. say up the the chassis. Then the 500-600mm deep river which wasn't going to be a problem suddenly is - two fold. Its relatively much deeper, and you are not moving. Add to that if the river is moving it will be 'bowing' (if that is the right word?) on the up river side of the defender.. (ask me how I found out )

Its times like this which is a little unplanned that knowing that your snorkel is properly sealed is good piece of mind.

That said, I've had water past the windscreen wipers and (with a sealed snorkel and diff breathers) had no problems*.

*apart form my sleeping bad getting wet.

Ah, bet you weren't in a Puma though! My old SIII diesel was not stopped by water. I never had it in water over the wipers but several times over the headlights and had wet gear in the back.

That aside you raise a couple of important issues about water crossings. First is floatation. As soon as the water gets deeper than about 600 mm, the vehicle will start to act like a boat and start to be buoyed by the water. It may not float away but it could seriously reduce your traction. The second important issue relates to water movement. Anyone who has driven across a fast flowing stream, even if only 300 or 400 mm deep, will attest to the power of the water as it tries to push the vehicle down stream. If the water is 600 mm or more, the moving water is pushing on the body panels and that will obviously have a much more significant impact than just pushing on the wheels. Couple this with the flotation at this depth and things could get serious very quickly.

I recall in about 1967, being stuck on the Newnes' side of a ford after a night of torrential rain (and it was still raining). When we arrived at the ford (we were in a range of old bombs, not Landies) we thought we had better check out how deep it was before we ventured across, though we were very hesitant: it was obviously deep and fast. Before we could do anything along came a Series I and without slowing down, into the water he goes. Too fast! The motor flutters and stalls. The bloke jumps out and says "I'll just duck back to the farm to get the tractor". The ford was blocked now so we could not get across anyway so managed to light a fire and put on a billy. Mean while the creek kept rising, The SI started to shudder and move crab like down stream under the increasing water depth and flow rate. We figured the Landie was a goner if it was washed off the ford into the deeper water. We devised a plan: open the doors and let the water flow through. My 'mates' voted for me to swim out to the vehicle with a rope tied around my middle so I wasn't washed away, and implement the plan. I opened the up-stream door first and managed to swing it fully open, back against the front mud guard. The force of the water popped the down stream door open by itself. The water flowed through and the Landie stopped inching down stream. The water was deep enough to wash the seat bases of the seat boxes and out the door. The fellow who owned the Landie arrived a couple of hours later. He had bogged his tractor and then had to get a neighbour to get him out. In the mean time the water had started to drop, the SI was pulled out. It wouldn't start, but the water level was low enough for us to venture across, especially seeing that there was a tractor nearby if we had any trouble. We didn't. So off to the AB Cafe in Katoomba for dinner.

Cheers
KarlB

Originally Posted by Naks

Mantec FTW!

Priced them, not bad value. Cost £200 GBP or about $330 including freight.

Originally Posted by KarlB

What you say is true flagg, but you need to contemplate the water depths that may lead to water ingress. The recommended maximum wading depth (for a Puma) is 500 mm which is close to the sills. At 600 mm you have water on the floor in the front of the vehicle. At 750 mm you have water entering the back. At 900 mm you reach the bottom of the raised air intake, but at this depth your sensitive electronics and battery are under the water. From the external air intake, the ducting rises within the engine compartment with the bottom of the ducting (at its highest point) being close to 1000 mm. We are talking some seriously deep water here. The Defender is not a boat. You MAY be able to get through such depths for a shortish distance but you MUST NOT STOP. At that depth you clearly should use some sort of sheet over the front of your vehicle to make a bow wave and to keep the water out of the engine bay. In water crossing, the raised air intake is not a snorkel as some would like to foolishly consider them. However they are useful to keep splashing and small waves, etc. from getting in. You also need to be mindful that if you cause any damage to your vehicle by crossing water deeper than the recommended maximum you will almost certainly not be covered by warranty nor insurance.

Interestingly, the official wading depth for Toyota Land Cruisers and Nissan Patrols is 700 mm. But that is subject to extensive vehicle preparation. At that depth the radiator fan on a Toyota is hitting the water and bending into the radiator, and in the Nissan, some of the electrics are under the water. Their carpets are stuffed.

Cheers
KarlB

Karl, You worry a lot.

I've had water over my wndscreen wipers on the Puma a few times with no drama's'(that's not to say I wasn't nervous but they can still do it.)

The electronics are higher on a Puma than a TD5, yet many TD5's have done deep crossings. It's all about preperation and walking your route to limit surprises.

That being said all crossings are dangerous as are many hill climbs and decents but isn't that why we buy the most capabile vehicle on the market? So we can ge the thrill of living with a little danger?

Enjoy, life take some risks. I am off to go mountain biking now

Cheers,

When water starts coming into the cabin through the heater/ aircon vents you know that you should have taped over the air inlet on the wing.

Originally Posted by JohnR

Enjoy, life take some risks. I am off to go mountain biking now

Cheers,

Sorry to digress, but MTB. How often? I go MTBing, mostly at night these days. Usually Gap Creek, but Daisy Hill and Bunya are also regular spots.

Maybe we could hook up one weekend.