Water - Tdi vs V8i

[Dunc]

Greetings everyone, question to cogitate;

I'm trying to decide whether to keep my Rangey for best and get a Disco Tdi for work/play or whether to take the next step in modding for the Rangey and get another Rangey for best.

Currently the Rangey is on H/D springs and i've got a snorkel and steering guard to fit, spare set of rims with Amazon 235/70 tyres on.

Here it is...

I love it!

Now, let's be honest; I doubt i'm ever going to enter a 'Challenge event' but i do get into situations where a winch would be handy.

The reason i keep thinking of swapping to a Disco is because of the Tdi engine's economy, durability and its ability in regard to water. I've had both 200 and 300 Tdi Discos before and although they're painfully slow and noisy, they're really good tools. Only sold my last 3-door 300Tdi in march!

Long winded i know, but, can a V8i Rangey be made so it isn't terrified of 2 foot of water? My old petrol Series Landys used to be ok, but V8s can be temperamental bxggers at the best of times!

I daresay heart will rule head in the end and i'll 'develop' the Rangey, but i can't help but think that my money may be best spent on a 5-door 300Tdi Disco with +2" springs, winch & bumper, snorkel, removable tow hitch, roof bar with lamps, Van Aaken fuel pump mods, J Fearn intercooler...

Any suggestions? Therapy perhaps?

Maybe it's like the wife said and me and Landys are like her and shoes... B)

Cheers

Dunc.

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

Dunc,

Hi and welcome (from a fellow V8 Lover)

Have a lookie here : http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=1014 a link to this very subject in the tech archive (worth a visit or 6 in its own right !)

I am still thinking through a couple of final options on mine along with Jon White, so more is comming !

Nige

[Niall_CSK]

Her Ladyship's feet & shoes were on the dashboard by this stage.

I would find it hard to be parted from my V8 for very long either. As you say they can be tempremental at times, it takes a fair bit of effort to get one sufficiently water resistant and needs regular attention to keep it that way.

On the one hand the V8 is cheaper to buy & repair & can be readily converted to LPG but at extra cost of course and then the ignition system is even more critical. Even with EDIS the ignition system will be prone to the deep pani but there have been some very positive reports of it's reliability. V8 or Diesel I would recommend fitting the best electric fan set up you can afford with a wading inhibit switch and a prominent warning light when it is activated. A snorkel of course.

A winch, well naturally elctric winches are prone to water ingress as well, many people use them regullarly & effectively and they have the benefit of working even if the engine fails, personally I would prefer to have a hydraulic one, swings and roundabouts, a cheap winch will always be a cheap winch.

The only hopefully helpful suggestion I can think of is look for a late TDi Rangie.

The benefits of having two Rangies would of course be that everything you have now will swap over, you are familiar with the Rangie already and obviously prefer the comfort. You could even have a bit of fun painting them both up the same colour with close reg plates to really confuse people

If you wanted that bit more power out of the TDi you can always fit LPG suplemetary injection which has various benefits apart from being a lot simpler & cheaper to fit than to a V8.

Maybe it's like the wife said and me and Landys are like her and shoes...

I can empathise with this, my only response would be if I had proportionately similar collection of Rangies, I would need a couple of acres to store them in so I think I am being quite restrained with 4 and a shed load of parts. Thankfully I do not have to buy the latest models, I recycle, one size fits all and they never pinch, you won't see the ladies at Sodbury rummaging through a box of last seasons Jimmy Choo's will you.

I rest my case before I get a thumping

[Niall_CSK]

Dunc,

Hi and welcome (from a fellow V8 Lover)

Have a lookie here : http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=1014 a link to this very subject in the tech archive (worth a visit or 6 in its own right !)

I am still thinking through a couple of final options on mine along with Jon White, so more is comming !

Nige

Look out, there must be a cat or some hot wax about

What are you doing up at this time in the morning Nige?

[FridgeFreezer]

I refer you to Dave White's challenge 100"

http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/vehicl.../megasquirt.php

And the water testing procedure!

Placed 33rd out of 55 finishers in the 2005 Outback Challenge, which I think was his first try at that event.

[Dunc]

I refer you to Dave White's challenge 100" ... And the water testing procedure!

I found this bit VERY interesting;

"Recent testing has shown that the ignition is quite happy running submerged although a problem with the cold idle did cause the engine to stall - the water was so cold (we had to break the ice in parts) that with the engine immersed in near freezing water the engine temperature dropped rapidly triggering the cold start enrichment function in the ECU. I was too late to catch it by increasing the revs and the engine stalled. As the exhaust manifold was still under water at one side I couldn't risk restarting it so had to be pulled out of the water where it fired up first time. A second test, where I kept the revs up a bit, saw the water up over the bonnet with the vehicle stationary (no bow wave to artificially lower the water level) for a period of time and the engine never missed a beat."

Ber-limey!

I agree with the "Shoes proportional to Landys" comment. I too would need to buy most of mid-wales to keep my Landys if i had as many as she does shoes, boots and handbags!

Switch for fan is a top idea. Hadn't thought about that one.

Does anyone know if you can get a wind-up actuator for Rangey windows to replace the elastictrickery bits?

Oh, i've just spent £220 on a spankers new top tailgate frame too...

Dunc

[Niall_CSK]

I too would need to buy most of mid-wales to keep my Landys if i had as many as she does shoes, boots and handbags!

Tell me about it, we could own the two main reblious Gaelic nation states between us.

Does anyone know if you can get a wind-up actuator for Rangey windows to replace the elastictrickery bits?

Two door mechanisms can be made to fit without much difficulty, hand't thought about that one myself.

Can't wait to get mine on the road so that I can rip it apart agin to get MS onto it.

[Dunc]

Have a lookie here : http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=1014 a link to this very subject in the tech archive (worth a visit or 6 in its own right !)

Nige

Thanks Nige, lot of info on that one. Followed the link to one of the Reads4x4 pages for cool vids too! B)

Ultimately, i think the nail has been hit fair and square - why do i keep selling my Discos but i've always got a Rangey around... I guess once the darn things are under your skin you're in for life!

One thing i keep thinking; 30-odd years ago they did the whole Darrian Gap thing through the jungle with a couple of 2-door Rangeys. They didn't have snorkels even (did they?) and were good with water, so it must be possible...

Still thinking! B)

Dunc

[fisha]

Can't wait to get mine on the road so that I can rip it apart agin to get MS onto it.

nor can we.

[FridgeFreezer]

Can't wait to get mine on the road so that I can rip it apart agin to get MS onto it.

I'm very busy that day

[geoffbeaumont]

Mine currently has major issues with the slightest hint of damp (well, actually it currently doesn't, on account of the ignition being largely irrelevant when your timing gear has disintegrated ), but once I get the new engine in in a couple of weeks I'm going to keep the Rangie off the road for a bit so I can fit the Megasquirt and EDIS ignition that's sitting in a box waiting I'll probably fit a snorkel at the same time, as I've already had one close call with water in the standard intake...besides, I reckon a V8 with a snorkel will sound fantastic

Then we'll see how well it works on a more general purpose machine than Dave White's - I reckon it should be pretty good.

Fridge - how's your machine coming on? Still a pile of bits in the corner?

[FridgeFreezer]

Geoff - I can confirm the burble from the top of the snorkel is a Good Thing , you'll find driing with your window open a lot more enjoyable

My machine is gradually becoming less individual bits, currently everything's being moved to a new workshop so that's delayed stuff a bit but should be a much nicer place to work.

[Niall_CSK]

nor can we.

Oi Mr. Jelly Mould, surprised you can keep yours on the road from your description of the handling, done anything about that yet?

I'm very busy that day

I think the help I will need soon will be of the Dr. Frasier Crane type!

The Rangie (Kermit) in the picture above actually has a Mazada 3.5 SLT in it, it has only run on three cylinders since then because I couldn't get the dammed injectors out (might have bu@@ered one methinks) but it still started first turn of the key after having been left standing for over a year, amazing.