fantic man Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Hello , I hope that you can help me , I am sorry if this topic has been discussed before , My big problem is that my 1989 factory v8 defender just does not like the slightest sniff of water, so bad that I dare not go through an average puddle for fear of breakdown ! as you can imagine this is a bit embarrassing to say the least , big gutsy v8 cant go through puddle !!!!. I have struggled on and off with the problem ever since I bought the vehicle about 4 years ago. I have replaced all the usual items and it has also been to several local specialists for them to look at ,some times i think the problem has been solved only for it to surface again much to my dismay.The parts replaced are as follows , new set of quality MAGNACORE leads ,plugs , distributor cap, amplifier, coil , SU carbs rebuilt with service kits, even fitted a rubber distributor cover. When the problem occurs the engine seems to run very badly ,probably running on only a few cylinders and backfiring like a shot gun. Strangely if you wait a while the engine stars and runs well again. Although these are the circumstances there is some thing that niggles me in thinking is the fault actually electrical, as also I tend to think excessive bumping around ,side to side also seems to cause the fault too. Well that is the problem ,I have tried to explain as it is and I really hope that someone on here could help please as although I love the old girl I am getting to the point of giving up. Thanks in anticipation . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Put simply. Get rid of the dizzy and carbs. Apart from that, the search engine is your friend. Trust me, there is LOTS of info about this Welcome btw.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Welcome to the forum. As Phil has eluded to this is a very common problem for the LR V8 when running Lucarse OEM electrics. Who's going to mention Megasquirt first? Oh, I did Where are you based Fantic Man? If you let us know I'm sure someone with a 'squirted V8 will take you for a run & scare you to death demonstrate the capabilities of a waterproof V8. Mick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Im always embarrassed to say the word megasquirt to newbs. I used to hate the looks i got from my postie everytime i got a package from nige with megasquirt tape all over it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Im always embarrassed to say the word megasquirt to newbs. I used to hate the looks i got from my postie everytime i got a package from nige with megasquirt tape all over it..... I know that feeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Pah.... Wait till you buy safety boots..... http://www.oursoles.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need4speed Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 Boy there coming thick and fast tonight...... Ahem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted December 26, 2014 Share Posted December 26, 2014 I love the old girl I am getting to the point of giving up. Thanks in anticipation . Damn, actually don't look at Megasquirt-v8.co.uk it's a terrible idea. Let me know when you want to sell the 90. I fancy a supercharged trayback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantic man Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi and thanks for your replies , I get the point now and it seems these versions of the landy are trouble ridden in this department , the problem is , I ended up with my v8 for two reasons ,1 ,because of where I live I need a 4x4 2 i love the sound ! . Problem is that it as it does minimal miles per year I dont really want to start chucking loads of cash at it other than what I HAVE to. My real passion is trials on a motorbike hence the Fantic tag. I cant get involved with another cash gobbling project so was hoping there may be a practicable solution , BTW I live in Devon. Thanks again . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich broom Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 i used to race with v8's we had efi. what we did was to drill a 6mm hole in the dizzy cap and glue in a breather pipe. then silicone the cap on. it stops the condensation forming, which is your problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Mr mega squirt reporting in lol Right.....1st off....and prob a surprise for many ....mega squirt is prob not for you... Your on carbs....mega squirt is ott for that....Ms does spark AND fuelling..so is more than you need to be honest YOU Best option would imho be mega jolt....which I don't do but some stuff I do would help with a mega jolt upgrade.... But....guessing this is still to spendy... there are other things you can do to help with water / misfires ....but none are as effective....but...many Will Help And won't cost the earth Magnacor leads are the best you can buy imho and will help... Next Genuine cap and rotor arm NGK BP6RES plugs Next you have to sort the dizzy a bit.... One option is the marigold glove thing ....fairly hopeless Then the as above poster says drill hole and pipe(s) ...worked well on my old racer... The other is a rf suppressor unit...these were military units on mainly 110 sas LRs...to shield rf frequency from showing up...the side effect was that as its a complete unit that covers the dizzy cap..and coil it offers a significant improvement over a standard set up....no..nothing like what Ms can do but fraction of the costs... I had one of these right up to me going full squirt....splashes it copes well with...swamped and stationary in deep water non !,, I. Would say plugs cap rotor arm rf kit and pipe will make a significant difference to your prob for a small outlay... And Spam alert.... I still have my old unit ......link in a mo as on swmbo iPad and I am new to it so will post link below in a mo if all the above posts up ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 http://www.megasquirt-v8.co.uk/diff_offroad.php Yay ! 1 up from bottom of page...pm me for any info as closed at the mo....was going to be tug welding casings...but santas given me man flu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantic man Posted December 27, 2014 Author Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi and thanks for all the help ,i am learning fast albeit getting a bit confused ,just to re cap ,I have new plugs, magnacore leads ,new gen cap and rotor arm ,new amp on distrib, rubber cover on distrib, rebuilt carbs, so reluctant to change any of this again. Liked the sound of the military rf kit but seems to be sold on megasquirt web site. This is the confused bit ,if I were to go megasquirt ,presumably I would need the spark only kit ? as coming round to this idea if it sorted the problem out once and for all. Are there any dealers who would fit ?I have to do things this way as fitment will never happen if I wait till I get round to it !.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 The Military RF Kit is my old one I found in a Giant clearout....its just easier for me to sell it on my webshop !!Megasquirt Spark only is going to be an expensive fix, circa £800, Megajolt (which I don't do) will be significantly cheaper, some of the bits I do are used on both systems. Fitting I don't do, But a forumeer here Bobtail84 / Jeff will do it he's based in essex, but still normal However, it is always a good idea to fit MJ or MS yourself, then you understand your engines system inside out ....he will also fit MJ vs MS too Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybrid_From_Hell Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 http://trigger-wheels.com/store/contents/en-uk/d35.html ^^ Megajolt - NOTHING to do with me...just an option. Don't rule out the RF Kit, for just a bit of extra help on water splashing etc its the best of the rest, then Megajolt - as the dizzy goes - then megasquirt - more advanced than MJ and can also control Fuelling too, but you'd need a EFI Hotwire top end instead of carbs, spark only megasquirt is "Upgradeable to Fuel but MJ is NOT For just a bit better behaviour with water do you really want the added costs of MJ or MS ?.... Nige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tacr2man Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Another suggestion , after running V8 stage 1 Wagon and 110 CSW (inc with later fitment of 3.9i) for something like 30 years , in UK and Australia The biggest stopper with water is coil top , followed by dizzie . Only used gen cap rotor and leads . BUT put coil head and amplifier in sealed lexan boxes with breathers going into main snorkle , sealed up dizzie , and fitted breather to that as well . Never missed a beat , even when crossing creeks and driving thru miles of floods at depths upto 3 feet and tested it by blasting with pressure washer . Not expensive to do , just takes a bit of time making the lexan boxes. JMHE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Jenkins Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 I had loads of intermittent issues with my v8. Megajolt sorted it all out for me! It never failed to start as soon as you turned the key and ran faultlessly. It's really not that difficult as a DIY job, especially if you buy the controller ready assembled. I put the controller in the cab behind the mud console I fitted to hold the radio. The edis controller fits nicely where the coil is on yours, and I put the coil packs on top of the engine. You need to take the pulley off the front, to fit a trigger wheel. The link further back in the thread is what you want. Took time, but well worth it! Some pics: http://www.relcraft23.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_2920.jpg http://www.relcraft23.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_2908.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Gee whizz there are some expensive options out there! I live by a river and drive in it a lot and have done so with two Rover V8s, an injected Range Rover and a Stage One V8. The Range Rover worked perfectly fully submerged (not recommended practice but there is no incentive to turn the engine off and think when the water comes over your bonnet). I cheated on that one - it had a Mallory optical distributor, with otherwise bog standard ignition and injection (plus a very crude snorkel). The Stage One, initially, hated the sight of water and would just pack a wobbly if I parked next to a river. I traced that problem to a poor seal on the top of the coil, after which it was totally dependable in moderate depths of water, though I never had that bonnet under water 'cos it was a nice old truck with a bed in the back. It had bog standard ignition, with points. Later I replaced the points with an after-market electronic setup but it made no difference. It was still totally fine with enough water for the fan to spray it everywhere. My point is that you should be water proof enough for reasonable wet work (i.e. not running submerged for very long) if you have a standard, well-fitting distributor cap (Vaseline on the join can help) and good ends on all the HT leads, especially the coil one. You should also check the wiring loom to make sure the main ignition lead has not been rubbing on something as it sounds like that could be an issue for you. Intermittent shorts on bumpy tracks would give your symptoms, made much worse by water. Friends who are a bit more die-hard than me do the pressurised distributor trick mentioned above, though at very low pressure. I believe they also pressurise the diffs, transmission and other electrical gear. If you spend much time in water .. well, any time at all really... make sure your wheel bearing seals are perfect or you will waste a lot of money. Same with diff and transmission breathers. Bearing surfaces hate condensation. A good, long drive afterwards helps with that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh NZ Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I also ran a Stage 1 V8 when I lived on a property which had a river running though it. I had to cross the river each day and it never had an issue with it. I used to muck around and hit the water as quickly as I could which would often send water over the roof. Totally standard ignition and fuel system. Luck of the draw I suppose, but it's just a matter of methodically checking all the mating surfaces and apply some thought as to how they could seal better. Or there are heaps of aftermarket options. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Incidentally, I have one of those RF distributors lying around here. Shame postage to the UK would stop that being a bargain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Idris Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 It's the steam that gets them, when water hits the manifolds. It gets in everywhere as a gas and then condenses. I've got SU carbs and points distributor with an old-school amplifier and it's been known to throw water out onto the wing off of the belts in deep mud. I run a chepo compressor pumping air into the distributor body off a dash switch. Other than that, it had no changes. (no silicon or grease sealing). But keeping the leads separated makes a difference on the V8 and my Pinto van. So I don't know what's wrong, but it can't be miles off wading up to the crank line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantic man Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 thanks to you all for your kind help ,It has been great to hear all of your ideas and thoughts . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gren_T Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Hi its been said above, the issues will be with the HT side. The steam will find any HT bleed spots, I had my 90 V8 over the bonnet a few times with only very minor misfiring after. Check the fitment of the HT lead boots on the plugs and on the dizzy they should come off with a nice pop, with the standard dizzy you will find a small hole in the base before i swapped to a mallory I made a foam collar to cover the hole but still allow high pressure to escape. Use plug lead separators - they not only keep things neat they help prevent HT bleed. make sure your plugs are good, no cracking or tracking lines in the porcelain. I also used a rubber dizzy cap and rubber coil cover but removed them as they were causing condensation issues. In the end I had swapped out the dizzy & coil for mallory items only to get the benefits on LPG but the standard items can be tweeked to survive water. have fun. Gren Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantic man Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hi to you all again, after all your help with the on going damp based running problems I have got round to having a look at things and applying some of your tips etc, Have just been out in the wet Devon lanes and all seems well , although I wait with baited breath as I have been here before!!!. All that I have actually done is made sure all the leads really fit well into the distributor, separated the leads ,rather than have them cable tied together , applied a bit of vaseline here and there, discarded the rubber condom thingy for the distributor and the coil . One thing I have found is after having a SUCK on the vac advance pipe I found nothing was happening , I then found that the little round valve fitted in line from vac spigot on inlet manifold to the vac advance unit altough fitted directionally the correct way , would not allow any vac advance, whay is this valve ? What is its purpose ?. have removed it and vehicle runs better ! ,any pointers please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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