Thread: Problems with Airbox

I can't comment on the white smoke, but part of the poor performance / stalling may be a result of water affecting the MAF sensor on the intake elbow between the airbox and the turbo inlet. Pretty sure that (but don't quote me) these are a hot-wire type, meaning that if they get wet, their readings will be nothing like the actual air flow, and as a result fuelling and other ECM functions will also be out of whack.
Oftentimes when a sensor like this reads/returns a nonsense figure to the ECM, it will default to a safety map in the ECM which may result in some if not many of the symptoms you describe.

I'm not aware of an aftermarket replacement to the OE airbox, but could be tempted to hear more if you find an option.

As for a fix, work on a way to get water out of that airbox, and work out a way to get it sealed to OE specs. Yes you've had a bit of rain up there, but to get a few litres in the bottom of an airbox is a bit outrageous.

The white smoke would disappear when warmed up so that make sense as it is only occurring when it rains.

Water_in_air_box.jpg

This is what it looked like when I removed the filter.

Richard

That must have sounded like a motorboat on idle... Blub Blub Blub Blub

It wouldn't start as it couldn't get enough air to fire, I think i was lucky it didn't suck any into the engine.

Now to work out how to stop it from happening again.

Maybe if you spin the air intake on your snorkel to the rear in heavy rain it would help not to suck as much water into the system.

Despite the arguments of so many folks you need a functioning "duckbill" which is designed to prevent this from happening.
The other issue is how so much water is even getting into the intake.- a poor quality after market snorkel head or incorrectly fitted head will part of the problem.

Spinning the head wouldn't help if was stationary, like it was when this happened. Even turning the head around in this case would have pointed it at where the rain was coming as the rain in this case was coming from the rear of the vehicle.


Richard

Its something that I check pretty carefully when fitting a snorkel, removing the plastic tube, fitting nugget stuff tube.... that its all correctly sealed, generally its all pretty good...

*I'd find it difficult to believe that much water could get down the top of the snorkel, but stranger things have happened.

*The most obvious thing is the top of the airbox has been fitted incorrectly, which is a very common thing when people dont take enough care (you know, one of them Land Rover jobs that should be simple but people balls it up).

*I see from the OP pic the a/c line has the typical munched marks on it from people forcing the airbox lid past the line.
*When fitting the airbox lid, you push the a/c line down as you position the lid, this allows the hooks on the lid to line up and engage into the slots thus then allowing the lid to seat correctly.
*If the airbox lid is forced and it doesnt seat correctly AND OR when its forced it take out two chunks off the air filter seal, I can then believe that with enough rain pouring down onto the top of the wing it runs down onto and into the airbox.

Regards
Daz

P.S If the water ingress is as you say through the snorkel intake when stationary, then a pre-cleaner mybe the option, as in the pic of my Pa's Defender, Airtec Snorkel with a Centri pre-cleaner.