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Wading plugs


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Hi guys

When not off roading do you normally take them out or leave them in, i have been running with them in for months then read somewhere you should always take them out but son did Silverdale last week and Kirton yesterday and on both occations forgot to fit them so i am thinking of fitting them in and leaving them in, what do you guys do.

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I leave mine out, for the 2 minutes it takes to fit I’ll fit before wading etc. Without plugs in you’ll see if your clutch slave leaks and oil in/on the timing belt. As I found out after prolonged wading (weeks), water ingress through crank dust seal behind the front pulley which amounted to a cup full on removing timing chest plug!

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Just a tip here, and this is gained from bitter experience.

If the wading plug is fitted and the engine is hot and you go into deepish water, that is above the engine crank depth ( about 600mm deep) the timing cover and bell housings are going to rapidly cool down, the air inside will contract and water WILL be sucked into the timing cover through the front dust seal and into the bellhousing through the bellhousing face joint.

If you're going to be doing a lot of wading drill the top of the timing cover and bell housing and run 1/4" breather hoses to a high position. If you go to my photos you can see how I did my front cover. On the bellhousing I rescued an axle banjo fitting from my local wreckers and tapped the top of the bell housing at about 2 o'clock to suit the banjo. I've never had any water egress problems since.

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I run with my plugs in and grease/check them from time to time, I have a breather on my timing chest and boost diaphragm too.

If you've got an oil leak either clutch or engine oil, having the wading plug in wont stop it from seeping through the bell-housing joint (unless you put sealant on the joint then yes it might keep it captured).

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I put swivel push fit connectors in the wading plug holes and run my breathers to them, you can just uncllip the pipe to check for any water/oil ingress every time you grease the props wich is of course every time you've been off road.

Will.

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I run with my plugs in and grease/check them from time to time, I have a breather on my timing chest and boost diaphragm too.

If you've got an oil leak either clutch or engine oil, having the wading plug in wont stop it from seeping through the bell-housing joint (unless you put sealant on the joint then yes it might keep it captured).

Hi Maverik, how did you attach one to the boost diaphragm?

Harry

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Just a tip here, and this is gained from bitter experience.

If the wading plug is fitted and the engine is hot and you go into deepish water, that is above the engine crank depth ( about 600mm deep) the timing cover and bell housings are going to rapidly cool down, the air inside will contract and water WILL be sucked into the timing cover through the front dust seal and into the bellhousing through the bellhousing face joint.

If you're going to be doing a lot of wading drill the top of the timing cover and bell housing and run 1/4" breather hoses to a high position. If you go to my photos you can see how I did my front cover. On the bellhousing I rescued an axle banjo fitting from my local wreckers and tapped the top of the bell housing at about 2 o'clock to suit the banjo. I've never had any water egress problems since.

Thanks for that, this could be my problem. This last winter floods saw me daily driving through 24-30” of floods for a few weeks, outgoing cold engine and return would be hot Never thought about it pulling a bit of a vacuum. A job to coincide with new timing belt and renewing the dust seal

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  • 4 months later...

Was thinking about this recently... if wading plugs are not fitted AND you have a breather, then at any time you are stationary in deep water then the water will surely find its level and fill the timing case.  However, if you didn't have a breather, then some amount of water may be sucked in, but would soon run out again once on dry land, and it would only come in to the extent that the reduction in air volume allows.  Beyond that, the air in the timing case would prevent water ingress.  So, is the best option to fit the plugs, or to not have a breather?

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The best option is to have the raised breather and fit the plugs for wading and remove them afterwards.  But I think the risk of running with wading plugs permanently installed is higher than wading without them (no breather).  If you can't remember to fit the plugs before wading, then put a storage bracket on the dash or next to the transfer box lever.

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... Because you didn't have an oil seal fail.  If you keep the plugs in and have the crank front seal fail, the timing case will get a hell of a lot of oil in it, almost guaranteeing the timing belt will slip and jump a tooth or more and causing subsequent damage to the valves, pitons and rocker gear.  If you leave the plug out and have such a seal failure, then the oil will run out the bottom and give you good warning with no further harm.

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