DEFENDERS AND DUST

[Drover]

Hey Guys,

What are the hot tips on dust proofing (as far as possible) the D’fer.

Where does all that dust come from ??? Does itcome up through gaps in the floor – it seems to ! Door rubbers ??

I find the doors rubbers are continuously are coming off, particularly above the front doors and on the angled section of the rears.

(After the last trip I thought the Ranger’s might get me for removing a fair lump of the Desert).

It seems worse towards the rear cargo area and around the rear doors.

What sort of glue should I use to glue the rubbers on with. I bought some Sikaflex , but I think that might be an over kill ?

All thoughts and experiences are welcome.

Thanks

[dmdigital]

First off check for holes around the fuel filler surround where the sloping section meets the guard and seal with silastic.

Door rubbers can be squeezed a little tighter but if that doesn't work they can be "stuck" down. I had the rear door seal replaced because of the sloping section becoming detached.

Also check your door alignments.

When you drive in dusty conditions do you have the fan on and the air on exterior? This helps a lot. We normally just run with the A/C on as it starts the fan and the air intake on exterior. Putting the air intake on recirc is asking for trouble.

[rick130]

Dust sealing ?
:lol2:

Have a look at the B pillar, there are holes halfway up the pillar and the pillar is open at the bottom, and various other spots around the body.
There are holes everywhere, unsealed rivet heads, etc.
Not sure about the wagons, but in a Crew Cab there are holes in the rear under seat box too.

[trailcutter]

drover ,i have been busy attempting to seal my 110 wagon,,,,,,,,,,primarily at the rear..cargo area ...but basically everywhere as well ......one of the main offenders i found was large grommetts in floor behind rear speaker panels were not in ,,leaving large void for vacume..also sealed in centre of grommett where wiring passed thru..

.many many panel overlaps/ need to be sealed ,,,and i continue to find a variety of holes here and there/gaps ........a powerful light at night under floor pan etc will soon reveal were most gaps are...........this is ongoing and i am basically committed to silastic seal near everything,,,,,at present i am winning the dust battle ,,,,,,,but have not tackled the rear door which is,nt too bad at present for dust migration but forsee it getting worse.........some sort of latch top and bottom of door should do it,,,cheers

[one_iota]

What sort of glue should I use to glue the rubbers on with. I bought some Sikaflex , but I think that might be an over kill ?



I used Selleys Gel Grip which is a flexible contact adhesive.

[JDNSW]

As with any car, the main secret is to maintain positive air pressure inside the vehicle. Windows closed, and keep the vents open or fan on.

John

[Tombie]

Hahahahahahahahahaha....

How do you make a Defender dust proof? Drive on Bitumen :twisted:

Next you'll be wanting to make it water tight :wasntme:



But on a serious note, the advice given above by others is solid...:D

[ugu80]

[QUOTE=Drover;1311308]Hey Guys,

What are the hot tips on dust proofing (as far as possible) the D’fer.

:Rolling:

Wear your dust with pride.

[NQExplorers]

I just provide the missus with wet face washer to breathe through and its also good for removing the dust from ears/eyes when you get where you are going. Have considered a pair of those old WWI flying goggles. These look great pushed up over the hat when you are setting up camp. Seriously, 2007 Puma and you can see daylight through all the door seals - I just accepted that as part of the experience. All tolerances plus or minus an inch or so.

[one_iota]

My Discovery was worse.

[isuzu110]

Does the SVX have the front vents or did they cease before your model ?

I've just come back from over 7000k through central Australia in my '95 defender and had a Patrol accompany me. The Patrol ended up with dust all through it whereas my defender had virtually none (which really bugged the Patrol driver).

I've done extended tours with Hilux drivers before who also seem to get heaps of dust in.

I just keep some distance from the vehicle in front and keep the front scuttle vents open slightly to keep the cab pressurised. Sure, I can see daylight through door seals but the pressure keeps the dust out.

[JamesH]

After The Prang, the gap under the passenger front door at the front was even bigger. At one stage driving on dusty gravel in the outback I could see a jet of dusty air coming up into the cabin. This wasn't bad because at least you knew where it was coming from. We scrunched up the paper bag that came with a pie and stuffed it in the gap - problem solved.

The only possibly useful thing I can add is don't assume that the dust gathered around the bottom of the doors, especially the rear door on a wagon is dust coming in. My hypothesis is that it is actually dust that has come in to the vehicle and has passed towards the back and is trying to get out again, not in.