Wading - Going through deep (muddy) water. What needs to be done

[null]

Hello

I've been searching around the internet about going through deep water, and what needs to be prepared before.

Alot of people have a lot of good points, but i havent found one place where all the things are listed.

So this is THE thread with all the things to consider for an "air tight" system.

• Raised air-intake (snorkel)
• Sealing off the 'Valve-air cleaner dump' in the Air filter box (see item 21 attatched image)
• Raised breathers for both axels, the gearbox and the transferbox (would be obvious to extend to top of snorkel)
• Waiding plugs: Plug bellhousing and bottom of the engine front cover (timing belt cover)

Note: The Waiding plugs should only be temporarily, and should be removed when done driving

Is this all, or do you guys see something missing?

There is also some point im not sure about:

1. Does water in the heater blower do any harm as long as it is turned off?. Personally i have had mud spraying up inside my windshield, becuase of muddy water into the heater blower. It still works though, so this might not be a problem?
2. What about the water dump valve in the air intake system (see number 9 in attatched file). Do you guys seal this off?
3. Fuel tank breather aswell?

And finally, just dont let the engine cut out. Water will enter the engine from the exhaust system.

Of course the Land Rover is not a submarine, and there is alot more to be done, if you are planing to drive under water.

Im just trying to list the "most" basic things.

null

[tacr2man]

the most basic thing is stay out of it unless really necessary, as you mentioned its not a submarine , if you want amphib you should have bought a Stalwart or a DUKW . All grease nipples should be serviced before wading , and after. All oil levels should be checked after wading for contamination . If wading after a long run esp when hot , allow some cooling time , as cooling suction could add to risk of contamination. Water/mud in heater will total it , sooner rather than later. Some lecky fans dont take to total immersion well either. Alternator should be washed out after as well , unless sealed type (rare) , also if viscous fan check front is clean of mud after.

Remove drum of trans mission brake to clean out , otherwise shoes/ friction face will get damaged , also could lead to juddering , or jamming. It is also possible to contaminate battery electrolyte if immersing.

So all in all quite a bit of work , IIRC it was two days work to prep and post service a army landrover for deep wading .

[Retroanaconda]

Deep wading has got to be one of the most damaging things you can do to a vehicle. Yes it's fun but I gave up doing it when I got fed up changing all the oils and spending a whole day cleaning mud off the car after a play day. I don't mind fording a river up to the recommended depth, but my car's days of sitting up to the door handles in a muddy puddle are long over!

Also consider things like the breather on the back of the fuel injection pump, the PAS reservoir, top of gearbox, fuse box on bulkhead, interior carpet/trim damage. As above a lot of preparation and restorative work is required to do it deeply without damage.

[steve b]

as said above , try to avoid it if poss , muddy water holes are a recipe for long term probs , mud in the chassis for one .

To check the effectiveness of your snorkel/raised air intake block the top with the engine ticking over , if it doesn't stop instantly (1-2sec max) then you have more to do ....water in the air intake on a diesel will damage the engine . Use a ball bigger than the RAI or a sheet of rubber pressed on with a piece of wood/metal to do the test

cheers

Steveb

[Team Idris]

Not many votes there for wading and rightly so

Lets say you are in so deep the vacuum brake reservoir is underwater? You press and release the brake and water goes in through the seal. It can't have a pipe run up the snorkel, and bad things will collect in there.

Also the starter and alternator will take on water, and so will any part that isn't gas tight. Hot exhaust makes steam, steam is a gas, in it goes, then condenses back to water, and rots stuff.

I have breathers on;

Axels, transfer box, gearbox, PS reservoir, brake reservoir and 4 four other places specific to my truck. And I still consider water up to the floor time to break out the wallet

Honestly speaking, it was built for road use and muddy bits around the farm. It's all got to be very good if water is up past the diff bottom. Anything above that you have to think about every point water can get in, like swivels or anything that rotates. Even then water and mud go into the chassis, but only water comes back out

[Team Idris]

Having said all that.......if you have made sure water stays out, and you are prepared to spend 3 hours garage time for every hour run, then go get a big smile 4x4ing

[Mo Murphy]

Not forgetting corroded fuse boxes, corroded inertia reel internals and the myriad other little bits and pieces that prematurely die following immersion.

Having said that, the best way to learn is the hard way, like the rest of us

Have fun.

Mo

[jai_landrover]

Aye agree with Mo. Driving fords with the water up to your elbows is all great and dandy but the £120+ in oil and parts typically, plus the hassle to strip and rebuild everything to make sure it's reliably serviceable sucks.

[deep]

Just to add to the original list: A friend who is a little more careful than me has an on-board compressor/tank which runs a tricky low pressure system. This lightly pressurises various components, such the distributor, alternator and so on. Positive pressure when underwater must be a good thing and it clearly works for him.

I've had good and bad luck with water-proofing. One Series IIA I had sucked water into every part of the transmission if I just breathed the word "river". It was hopeless. Another Range Rover was mis-treated very often in deep water (several times even going over the bonnet, which I call deep) and, after two years and tens of thousands of miles, apparently had suffered no ill-effects at all (it had three non-standard modifications: an optical distributor, a snorkel and a piece of wood bungied over the radiator grill). Even the carpets stayed dry, thanks to those lovely double door seals.

One thing I have learned is that condensation can do damage well after you think everything is dry (wheel bearings, transmission etc.). You can end up with very light surface rust on bearing surfaces, which wears the bearing out a week or five later and you can wonder why. I know of a 1930 Harley Davidson which never went out in the rain but lived in a dampish basement and it's engine lasted a very short time when new owners actually started using it. Yup, condensation throughout.

I also had a work-supplied Toyota HiLux which became an insurance write-off after someone else drove it into a river to just under bonnet depth. The cost of a proper dry-out plus replacement engine was considered more expensive than a replacement vehicle. Actually, that was a win for me because the HiLux wasn't exactly to my taste but let's not go there! I do pity the person who bought it later from auction - it looked fine... Anyway, this is a lesson for everyone - deep submersion can be very, very expensive!

[deep]

Just one other point: I believe there's something to be said for getting a few dry miles on your truck on your way home from a deep crossing drive as this warms up your transmission, wheel hubs etc. and could well minimise condensation. Of course, if you've been in wet, silty mud, you're just working your grinding paste in but at least the issues that causes will become apparent sooner! I'm interested in what other people think about this.

[Team Idris]

I do the worst with ref above. I get it very muddy, wash it, and put it in the garage for six months.

I run a chepo compressor to the distributor and it works a treat. This is when I figured out steam got into the cap, not splashy water.

[steve b]

positive pressure is used as std on most Unimogs across the transmission components. Autsin Champs used a low vacuum in the same way and were designed to wade to 6' deep . What do the deep wading military LR's use?

cheers

Steveb

[FridgeFreezer]

And finally, just dont let the engine cut out. Water will enter the engine from the exhaust system.

And from anywhere else it can, the longer you sit the more likely it is that things will leak. In my experience water going up the exhaust is rarely an issue compared to all the other things going on when you're up to your nipples in muddy water. if the engine stops when submerged it's probably already got water in via some other route. You can go roof-deep for a quick splash and get away with it, but sitting even bonnet-deep for any time at all will allow any tiny seepage to become enough water to kill your engine.

Sealed fuel filler cap, oil filler cap, etc., oversized breathers, some way of disabling the engine fan so it doesn't thrash itself to death or propel itself into the radiator & eat it, make sure anything that floats (eg sandwich box) is tied down, anything you don't want full of water (EG toolbox, laptop, camera, stereo, co-driver) above the waterline, or completely unpowered when dunked, open doors to allow water to get in (so you sink & get traction) and then drain quickly on the way out, also if there's a flow (EG river) it can flow through rather than roll you over like a pebble, remove mobile phone / wallet / passport from pocket.

If you think you might possibly get stuck, attach tow-rope / pay out winch line beforehand.

If it starts to sound funny, back out quick or kill it & get towed out rather than hydraulic it.

There's a rather good guide to prep & drying-out when it all goes wrong that was in the Shire Land Rover Club newsletter, I'll see if I can dig out a PDF.