Thread: Water has me worried

The first thing you may need is a snorkel. You can also buy a rubber cover for the distributor.

The car should already have extended breathers on the transmission and the axles.

Originally Posted by p38arover

The first thing you may need is a snorkel. You can also buy a rubber cover for the distributor.

The car should already have extended breathers on the transmission and the axles.

This is the kind of thing that Ron is referring to here WATERPROOFING KIT V8 DISTRIBUTOR AND COIL - BA2840 - Land Rover Parts & Range Rover Parts

Or there's a very good write-up on a more comprehensive solution just here if your pockets are deeper.

Ive had a 92 v8 3 door disco through a sustained crossing depth to the top of the headlights with about a 5 foot section up to the wipers. Wasnt planned that way, I got off line at the start. Didnt miss a beat until I was out the other side and had shut it down, thats when the alternator quit.

This is the kind of thing that Ron is referring to

I had one of those about 10 years ago. It became a PITA as it eventually melted onto the dizzy cap.

IMHO you do not need any of this stuff, as hall effect dizzys are far less susceptible to water than points ones.

I have been through water in various carby and Injection RRCs up to 1.1 metres ( prepared) , but do not like going over about 500-600 MM unprepared. Besides You fill up the headlights and spotlights, and have to pull them out to dry them.

A snorkel is essential as I have seen water ingestion from a large puddle taken at speed with the normal Injection air inlet point.

I recently chickened on the creek before Nolans Brook on the OTL not so much because of the depth, but more that the crossing was so long that something would eventually get wet.

I think that is where diesels have the edge , that you can churn along for hundreds of metres, whereas a petrol will probably give up, though with modern cars ( not D1) the transmission wiring may get wet and no go.

I know what water does to a cars electrics in the longer term so I try to avoid stopping in water at all costs. 3 new 200 cruisers both petrol and diesel got stuck in Nolans brook on a tagalong the day I declined and all would have been write offs.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I had one of those about 10 years ago. It became a PITA as it eventually melted onto the dizzy cap.

Ahh. I'd seen them but have no experience with them.

Originally Posted by PhilipA

IMHO you do not need any of this stuff, as hall effect dizzys are far less susceptible to water than points ones.

I was thinking of water up inside the cap. I remember it well from the days of owning a Morris 1500 Nomad.

After posting my comment above, I wondered if I should have mentioned a radiator blind, e.g., a tarp over the front of the car..

I wondered if I should have mentioned a radiator blind, e.g., a tarp over the front of the car..

I am not a very good example here as I broke a fan blade off in AFAIR Cannibal Creek, the one where you have to turn back on yourself 180 degrees. The 300Tdi fan I have replacing my white plastic one is one of those fibre filled plastic jobs and although caught on the rad, the blade turned 90 degrees and flapped about on the core rather than breaking off completely.
I didn't fit a radiator blind as I thought if I stayed close enough to the inner shallower edge I would be OK. But as shown by a photo I posted a few weeks ago, it was almost up to the bonnet on the LH side and because of the turn I couldn't form a bow wave.

However even then she didn't miss a beat.

So do as I say not what I do.LOL
Regards Philip A

Thanks all for the info. Seems a snorkel is the go. Does the coil cover etc. have to come from the UK or are they available in Australia.

Before I had my snorkel I had the water over the front edge of the bonnet in my 3.9 V8 Disco.
Since I've had the snorkel I don't think I've done any water crossings like that.

The only time I've had water issues with my petrol Disco is when the water was coming out of the engine, not going in