Thread: Wading too deep...

Hi all
I have done a few water crossings in my time and learnt a few things

Is to is to never trust a snorkel is totally water proof and trust a company that fitted it , to have waterproofed it.

And also never assume a river, puddle or creek is not too deep

Here is a small creek that looks harmless but is a bit deeper than it looks

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RskabXW5YrI&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Creek Crossing - YouTube[/ame]

Also if you want to extend your breathers then go to k mart or binning and get hose link irrigation hose and the connectors. Same size hose as the gen hose and the connectors just connect the gen to the hose link hose and you can take them right up to the top of the snorkel , all for about $20.

BTW depend how detailed you want to go. My old winch challenge 90 in the uk had the normal breathers ( axles gearbox, and transfer box) but I also had others too , timing cover , bell housing case, power steering res, injector pump.All going to the top of the snorkel. But that truck spent its life in crap


Ali

Originally Posted by Def_9

my other question is what is the best sealant to use on the air intake hoses or what are some of the better methods of doing this?

Talking to Daniel from Mulgo, there is a silicone available which is "sensor safe".

And to answer my own question; you need to use silicone between the snorkel and where it attaches to the body.

Very close call on a brook (creek) crossing in the UK a few years back. I was driving a 300Tdi 90 (Hard Top) that was pretty much comp spec (sealed safari snorkel, breathers ets) while volunteering with the Worcestershire Emergency Services during the annual floods. It was a cold (7C) rainy day and we've been out for around 4 hours towing stranded people when we came across a creek crossing I’ve done a 100 times in the past.

The heater was doing nothing more than steaming up the windscreen from too much water ingestion and there was no way I was walking any creek deeper than the top of my lined wellies. Should have on this occasion though – as I entered the steepish approach angle it very quickly became clear that we’ve got a problem. The nose kept going deeper until the water was well over it and starting to “fish tank” on the windscreen! Water was streaming in on every available orifice on the Deefer (and we all know how many there are!) and was rapidly rising in the cab, this all the time with good forward momentum. The back end was starting to float and I was being pushed to the left by a mild current.

Luckily the front wheels maintained enough traction and I managed to claw my way out on the other side. By the time I stopped on the far bank, the water was waste deep in the cab and the heater was spewing water out the defrosting vents (too slow in switching it off!). The car however never missed a beat and we obviously called it a night...

Lessons learned were thus:

1. Never assume a crossing that you know and have done before is the same depth as during the previous occasion!
2. 300Tdi’s remain the best purpose built 4x4 ever and when properly prepared will take you anywhere in the world (obviously in varying degrees of comfort!)
3. I was very stupid and very lucky during the whole episode and you simply have to make the effort to determine depth and underfoot conditions!

Cheers,

Lou

2 out of 3 isnt bad...........

When my Tdi went for a swim it never stopped even though the water was touching the bottom of the steering wheel,the tyres just churned up the gravel bottom and she stopped moving.The young bloke who did it just said it's a 4wd so it should be able to do it,the crossing was less than 200mtrs up stream. Pat

Originally Posted by cal415

Def 9, you didnt say if there was any damage done? Its got me thinking about my puma and how to water proof it, i have a snorkel waiting to go on and have the intake side of things fairly well planned, breathers are another fairly easy one, that just leave the electrics, i beleive the ECU is mounted behind the motor on the firewall, does anyone know if its water proofed at all? water other electrics could be a problem with deep water crossings?

I believe the puma fly by wire accelerator is a show stopper, I was told don't get it wet by the agent.

Realistically you would need to stop in 600-650mm of water to drench it, but I'm looking into the viability of having a spare sync'd to the ECU for a cape trip. This is the only susceptable bit left after a Mulgo X box is installed up to a depth of 700mm or so.
It amazes me the susceptible electronics aren't water proof, or at least resistant. I thought LR were leaders, or is that just Rangies, Disco's the the new poxy defender prototype.

Has anybody had a failure as a result of the fly by wire throttle electrics being drowned? Maybe spraying with Lonolin would help?