My Disco hates water - help!

[braddles1]

Hey guys

Whenever I hit a decent puddle to splash into the engine bay or get about axle deep... disco spits it and loses power... turns off... takes a while to get going then runs like crap... i get alot of clunking and banging under the car too - sounds like mud flicking off along the highway at speed but it isnt!

Now, i know its water hitting something and cutting the electrics, but I though water didn't conduct enough to short a system? Alos, my mates disco with a higher coil than mine (I have dual battery set up in the way) doesn;t suffer anywhere near as much. I know the clunks are little misfires too.

The dizzy, maf and air filter look dry but just dont know why it wont burn cleanly... also, what is likely to cut power like that?

I have the coil and amplifyer module under the air filter...

anyone sorted this out before?

[naradataranto]

Gee thats a doozie mate, have you spoken to LR and how old is the car?

[braddles1]

its a 97 model and havent spoken to landrover or mechanic yet... i have found no one at a landrover dealer helpful...

[V8Landy]

Not enough info.What car is it
I will assume d1 V8 as you mension coil
what fans are you running
Is the cowl on
Sounds like steam hitting the dizzy and leads to me,It may not look wet but it only needs a little bit of moisture to make it start missing.
If you have the cowl off the fan will pick up water and throw up and create steam(will do this with cowl on to lesser degree)
If you have thermo fans turn them off before going through water.
There is probably other things and sure people will steer you in the right direction.Cheers Brett

[braddles1]

oki doki

97 series one 3.9 with ABS, hence coil and amplifier unit is mounted below the air box (LHS). cowl is on, thermos never work and the vicous fan always spinning.

Today I went through a puddle where the water was half way up right door but dry left side and was fine. It suggests to me that its the coil and associated wiring. can water get in under dizzy and stuff it that way? It dries quick, site on edge of puddle back off and let it iddle so it regains composure, then after a few minutes dries off!!!

maybe you guys could suggest some tests, I will do the haynes test from the book this weekend (voltage measure) but no other ideas...

its a new coil as I thought the old was just ruined but same problem.

i know leads arcing are a common problem. I have seen mine jumping at idle sometimes... mostly after my last fraser trip

[mike 90 RR]

oki doki

97 series one 3.9 with ABS, hence coil and amplifier unit is mounted below the air box (LHS). cowl is on, thermos never work and the vicous fan always spinning.

Today I went through a puddle where the water was half way up right door but dry left side and was fine. It suggests to me that its the coil and associated wiring. can water get in under dizzy and stuff it that way? It dries quick, site on edge of puddle back off and let it iddle so it regains composure, then after a few minutes dries off!!!

maybe you guys could suggest some tests, I will do the haynes test from the book this weekend (voltage measure) but no other ideas...

its a new coil as I thought the old was just ruined but same problem.

i know leads arcing are a common problem. I have seen mine jumping at idle sometimes... mostly after my last fraser trip

Q .. What type of new coil did you install ???

Something to try ...

Try a new set of leads // A good set, not cheapest ... old ones end up letting water in???

I use Champion (gas) leads ... :BigThumb:
I used other lead sets and burn't them out in 4 weeks .... :thumbsdown:

Also give the leads / dizzy cap / coil / amplifier .... a spray (can) of "Innox" or Lanolin based grease (something that takes heat & won't wash off) .... Create a barrier between water & parts

Let us know if it works

Mike

[stevejo43]

Another thing that can cause this is if you sprint through a deep enough puddle of water at speed. The cool of the water spraying on your distributor cap causes condensation on the inside of the distributor cap (like on the windscreen of your car when it rains. In this case the only thing I think you can really do is spray it inside with an anti fog or just remove the cap and wipe it out with tissues or similar

[braddles1]

hey guys - thanks for the suggestions but haven't had time to try them out this weekend... wen i do i will leave some feedback...

problem is i often cant get out of the water... car dies dead... so cant just dry it out and keep going all that easily...

will let you know how i go...

thanks:D

[mcrover]

You have a choice here,

One cheap,

One expensive.

The one I would take is the expensive one.........Go buy a diesel.

But the cheap one is really really simple.

WD40, CRC, Silicone spray, Rust tech, Lanolin spray, Rustoff or any sort of penetrating/water surpressing sprays.

Liberally spray on any electrical componants and stop worrying.

Buy the way, if you want help it makes it easier if you put in your post what vehical your talking about as well as your location so people can point you in the right direction if it is more than what you can handle to repair.

[mcrover]

hey guys - thanks for the suggestions but haven't had time to try them out this weekend... wen i do i will leave some feedback...

problem is i often cant get out of the water... car dies dead... so cant just dry it out and keep going all that easily...

will let you know how i go...

thanks:D

Silicone grease on the dizzy cap seal and on the coil connections etc will also help.

Ive also seen people use battery terminal spray to seal up petrol engines from water ingress in their electrical systems and there are a couple of good clear sprays around these days which look a bit better than blue or yellow painted all over the engine bay.

[Tyresqueal]

Agree totally about the WD40 etc as a quick fix, but I'd also check the dizzy cap for any hairline cracks and replace the ht leads - you can never really tell when they're done in. If you haven't replaced the cap/leads/rotor for a while, I'd start there.

[LandyAndy]

A quick test to find spark leaks.
Run the engine in the dark see if you can spot any arcing on the plug leads,if there are the leads are about stuffed.
Now switch it off and spray the leads with a fine mist of water from a squirter bottle.If it now runs like a hairy goat and puts on a spectacular light show under the hood your leads are definately shot.
Silicone spray is handy on a 4x4 outing put wont fix stuffed leads.
Let us know if the test finds the answer.
Goodluck
Andrew