I.B.ASH Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hello, This is probably a very noob-like question, but I have been reading about raised air intakes, but it would seem as though a snorkel to the air filter isn't enough, and you also need to take into consideration; axles,gearbox,transfer box and timing chest. I think for some of this its a simple case of buying a wading plug for the likes of the fly-wheel housing, but what do you do to the rest? If someone could explain or point me in the right direction that wold be great. Cheers, Ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzar Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hello, This is probably a very noob-like question, but I have been reading about raised air intakes, but it would seem as though a snorkel to the air filter isn't enough, and you also need to take into consideration; axles,gearbox,transfer box and timing chest. I think for some of this its a simple case of buying a wading plug for the likes of the fly-wheel housing, but what do you do to the rest? If someone could explain or point me in the right direction that wold be great. Cheers, Ash The traditional approach is to run a narrow pipe from these components to a high point. Beside the snorkel top is the usual place - though not without it's own problems. You would remove the existing breathers from the axle and place a pipe in, through a suitable fitting and then route the pipe to the snorkel, bulkhead or whatever. Ditto the gearbox, and timing chest. Kits exist to achieve this - try the usual mail order suppliers, ebay and the like. Kits usually have all the fittings, but if you are handy you can sometimes make your own, remove a suitable plate, tap it, put a brake bleed nipple on and run a pipe. Hope this helps. G PS, no shame in being ignorance, only in being too ignorant to ask! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.B.ASH Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Cheers Gazzer. I have found this; http://www.shop.landyworld.co.uk/land-rover-defender-wading-extended-axle-breather-kit---free-postage-4-p.asp Is there anything else I will need? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Axles, gearbox etc all have breathers when a warm axle etc hits cold water the air and oil inside contracts causing a vacum if the end of the breather(normally terminated at the back of the head) is wet/underwater at the time the water gets pulled in mixes with the oil rendering it useless. There are breathers on both axles,gearbox, transferbox, injection pump and fuel tank. The timing chest doesn't have one but many people fit one in the blanking plate at the side of the water pump bell housing is another good one to do. If you never wade more than say a foot deep breathers are not a problem but it's cheaper to fit them than fix the problems caused by not having them. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyWinny Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hi There, Although this isn't a complete guide to preparing your Landrover for wading it is based on what I have done (some time ago). I have a 2.25 petrol Landrover and wanted to try getting it wet so did a fair bit of reading before hand. 1. Air intake. Yes, fit a snorkel but ensure all joints are water tight (Some people use silicone sealant on each joint). Also, remember to make the air filter housing water tight, e.g. where it separates to replace the filter element and if a drain plug is fitted. I also carry a spare air filter just in case it gets wet. 2. Raised breathers. Front & Rear axle, gearbox and transfer box all have breathers. You can buy kits to extend these pipes. All except the rear axle can run up the side of the snorkel. 3. Bellhousing Fit a wading plug to protect the clutch etc from water. Remember to remove and inspect every so often as if there is an oil leak the oil will collect in here rather than drip out onto the driveway. 4. Timing chest Ok, so it looks like you have a 200Tdi or 300Tdi so I can't advice other than to fit a wading plug and ensure water does not get in here or you are headding for cam belt failure. 5. Other notes I have sealed beam headlights. Useless at night but they don't fill up with water I also protected the coil, distributer and breather of the fuel chamber in the carb - not applicable to a diesel. Ah, yes I fabricated a raised breather for the clutch fluid - only needed as I have been stuck in deep water and neded to press the clutch pedal :-) I've also greased the battery terminals - not sure how much diference it makes but wanted to insulate the +ve terminal. As well as a snorkel for the engine I have raised the heater air intake as it never closed properly and the heater filled up with water as it came over the bonnet :-) I have found that wading through clean water not too bad but muddy water is very good at destroying oil seals, alternators, starter motors etc. Remember to change oils e.g. axle oil, not forgetting the swivel housing on earlier models where oil is used instead of grease), grease the propshafts etc often. I used to to this after every third trip to a pay and play site. If you have a Td5 then I believe you can buy an extension loom for the ECU. Finally, I'm sure there are more/different things you can do. I started wading in shallow water and gradualy went in deeper as I learnt what the Landrover (and I) could cope with. If I think of anything else I'll post another reply. Hope this helps get you started. Regards MW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuddyWinny Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Ok, miketomcat made a good point about how deep you intend to wade. At first bumper depth was fun but now I tend not to get too excited now until the water is about 3ft deep. MW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 It might be worth mentioning that in some cases a raised air intake is not a snorkel. Water pressure on a seal may make it fail, whereas air will not. Soft sponge seals are fine for air, but much too weak to handle water pressure, so they could fail and you have a busted engine. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 a standard Defender will be happy to wade through upto 0.5 metre [20 inches] of water with just the factory supplied wading plugs fitted. you only need the additional high intake & extended breathers if you intend to wade deeper than 0.5metre. extract from Defender Td5 owners handbook below --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 After having changed all the mixed oil and water in both of my axles and the transfer box on my 90 after fording a 3ft ford for 'fun' (all breathers were raised and clear, but the water got in through the damn hub seals), I now generally try to stay away from deep water where possible. The amount of problems it can cause with water in things and general corrosion/electrical issues is a nightmare. How many people fit a breather on the back of the injection pump before they go and get stuck in 3-4' of water at a P&P site? Not everyone I'm sure. Serioiusly deep wading requires so many things sealing with breaters, PAS, brake/clutch reserviors etc. Good fun though, but I'll stick to water a couple of feet deep for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 As a self confessed noob my advice is If you want a submarine buy a submarine , wading is very risky, to your vehicle and wallet, its something you do only if you really have to, i.e. fording a river in the bush . Thats my humble opinion , but as the saying goes you pays your money.............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie dd Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I know of two vehicles in the last 6 months who have lost their engines through wading too deep (both without snorkels) and getting water into the engine. It's worth taking all reasonable precautions (snorkel, wading plugs, breathers), but deep wading is a risky activity!! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gromit Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I was pondering today as I drove along in the hammering rain - where does all the rain forced into your snorkel (Safari type) end up. I have images of it all collecting at a low point somewhere and then being ingested in one gulp when rounding the next corner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Should drain out of the air system's drain points. On a 2.5TD/200Tdi there is a drain on the wing vent intake and another on the air filter assembly. The safari snorkel itself is also designed to expel the water from the airflow through the neck of the intake, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gromit Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Should drain out of the air system's drain points. ..which would have been sealed up, given that if they aren't sealed, they make the whole point of a snorkel ....ermm..... pointless. On a 2.5TD/200Tdi there is a drain on the wing vent intake and another on the air filter assembly TD5 has one on the bottom of the airbox, along with the usual LR method of sealing the airbox (i.e. leaving lots of holes in it) I've filled all of them. The safari snorkel itself is also designed to expel the water from the airflow through the neck of the intake, apparently. I was looking at the neck of it, wondering about the shape. That makes sense. I wonder if it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.B.ASH Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hello. Thanks for all the replies, all very helpful, and all warnings considered. Im not planning on deliberately driving across a river, but I like to know that whatever I come across will not be a bother. 4 years ago I had my dream bike - a KTM 950 Adventure S, where I was living we had floods, but I figured the bike could handle it - it couldn't, and I no longer have my dream bike. I figure its better to preempt as much as possible. Am I making any sense? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanuki Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 People fit snorkels, wading-plugs and extended breather-pipes for diffs/transfer-boxes/gearboxes. But they forget things like the wheel-bearings, the power-steering-reservoir, the battery, the handbrake-drum, the headlamps, the brake-fluid-reservoir [you should truly panic if you have ABS and it gets full of water!], the alternator and the starter-motor. My only wading-related failure was a TD5 alternator/vacuum-pump, which exploded rather expensively all over the A390 a few minutes after getting wetter than an otter's pocket during flood-rescue work in Cornwall last year. --Tanuki. Windows has detected new hardware. Do you want to configure "Airbus A380" now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.B.ASH Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 But they forget things like the wheel-bearings, the power-steering-reservoir, the battery, the handbrake-drum, the headlamps, the brake-fluid-reservoir [you should truly panic if you have ABS and it gets full of water!], the alternator and the starter-motor. --Tanuki. Windows has detected new hardware. Do you want to configure "Airbus A380" now? Cheers, good advice, so...asides from the breathers, how do I sort those bits above? No need to worry about ABS, as my lump is 26 years old, and the headlights are sealed beams. (200tdi from an RRC, sorry, should have said that way before!). Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gromit Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Cheers, good advice, so...asides from the breathers, how do I sort those bits above? Cheers Wheel bearings can do with being removed, inspected and regreased, if you do a lot of wading. Depends on what you are wading in. Silt or muddy water is much harder on components than clean water. Some mud also eats brake pads for lunch. Handbrake drum may need to be cleaned out periodically. The alternator can be rinsed with clean water while running, to get any silt out of it. The starter should be reasonably sealed depending on the type. Other possible items are greasing prop UJs, changing swivel oil. So, lots of extra maintenance required. Sometimes I think it'd be easier to just get a boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natas Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Only wading in The Bahamas is salt water. We use boats for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.B.ASH Posted April 5, 2011 Author Share Posted April 5, 2011 Wheel bearings can do with being removed, inspected and regreased, if you do a lot of wading. Depends on what you are wading in. Silt or muddy water is much harder on components than clean water. Some mud also eats brake pads for lunch. Handbrake drum may need to be cleaned out periodically. The alternator can be rinsed with clean water while running, to get any silt out of it. The starter should be reasonably sealed depending on the type. Other possible items are greasing prop UJs, changing swivel oil. So, lots of extra maintenance required. Sometimes I think it'd be easier to just get a boat. O right Iv got ya. Yeah i tend to do the extra maintenance anyway, as I work in forestry and Im out driving on either dirt tracks or peat, I learnt the hard way concerning the props! My job is one of the reasons I was to sort the breathers, I never know how deep the puddles are! Cheers again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 I bought a sealed-beam headlight from my local spares shop. The guy asked "For your swimming pool?" I said yes, then noticed that the box was marked "not for vehicle use". So I wonder if sealed-beam lights are illegal for road use? The light was made in USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retroanaconda Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 For the UK, as long as they're E-marked I think it'll be fine. Then it will have the correct light pattern etc. After all, most British cars in the 60s/70s used them. My Series III has them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Once you've had water coming in through the vent flaps, a soaked dash, heaps of corroded terminals and your heater does a good impression of a sauna for months on end, the novelty of deep wading will have worn off Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_P Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 ..which would have been sealed up, given that if they aren't sealed, they make the whole point of a snorkel ....ermm..... pointless. Not if you want to reduce the amount of dust and dirt that the air filter has to filter out, well for those in dustry conditions anyway. But what I don't get is when a raised air intake is used for that purpose, why are so many plastic ones fixed facing forwards?! Or is it just because of all the "It's Gripped, It's Sorted, Let's Off-Road" sort of people buying them without any real understanding? At least with the Mantec ones you can rotate the intake to face backwards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Snorkels are only bought by hardcore off roaders ... apparently Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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