Thought that there would be a snag here ...
This afternoon - I tried, tried, tried ...
start the BX [:(]
Nope !
Right then - toolbox time - suspected the plug wells and the dizzy cap.
Plug wells had no water - but some oil - it appeared with my air line hissing it up my face [:I]
The dizzy cap held a few mL of water however - that was the problem.
There was in fact water all over in the engine bay where ever it could be trapped on engine parts in corners and wrinkles.
What a mess [B)]
Had the engine running idle for an hour or so - trying to heat it all out.
Just tried starting it again - no problem - phew [:)]
fourth time unlucky
Moderator: RichardW
While it is indeed true that a diesel Land Rover will run quite happily under water when fitted with a snorkel, sadly the same cannot be said of the driver and navigator.....
I took an elderly V8 Range Rover through a flood a few years back, water over the bonnet... amazingly it made it out the other end with barely a wimper, but I had to sit beside the road for the best part of half an hour while the water drained out of the doors, boot etc..
On the Xantia (same stream, but not in flood!), I make sure the suspension is in the high position, and check the depth guage on the bridge FIRST!
I took an elderly V8 Range Rover through a flood a few years back, water over the bonnet... amazingly it made it out the other end with barely a wimper, but I had to sit beside the road for the best part of half an hour while the water drained out of the doors, boot etc..
On the Xantia (same stream, but not in flood!), I make sure the suspension is in the high position, and check the depth guage on the bridge FIRST!
Don't Land Rover have bungs for the gearbox for wading (to save the clutch presumably)? I know a diesel can run without electric but dosn't wading effect the electrics - what about the stop solenoid, if that looses power it closes?
Even in emergancies I don't fancy wading a car in anything deep enough to go over the sills; the amount of thick carpeting and sound proofing car have these days just soakes up water and remains wet for ages.
I didn't care in my knackered old Land Rover as the carpet was thin and easily removable - and the holes on the floor let the water out as quickly as it came in!
Even in emergancies I don't fancy wading a car in anything deep enough to go over the sills; the amount of thick carpeting and sound proofing car have these days just soakes up water and remains wet for ages.
I didn't care in my knackered old Land Rover as the carpet was thin and easily removable - and the holes on the floor let the water out as quickly as it came in!
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uhn113x
- Posts: 1161
- Joined: 06 Jan 2004, 22:06
- Location: Near Leeds, United Kingdom
- My Cars: 1981 Dyane - on road all year round.
1982 GSA Pallas - on road April - September.
1997 ZX 1.9D Dimension. - x 1
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by davek-uk</i>
I know a diesel can run without electric but dosn't wading effect the electrics - what about the stop solenoid, if that looses power it closes?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hi Dave
Assuming that by 'looses' you mean 'loses' (very different!)[;)] then true; however, the solenoid is fairly well insulated, and even if it got very wet, more current would flow through the solenoid than through the water, so probably would have no effect.
I know a diesel can run without electric but dosn't wading effect the electrics - what about the stop solenoid, if that looses power it closes?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Hi Dave
Assuming that by 'looses' you mean 'loses' (very different!)[;)] then true; however, the solenoid is fairly well insulated, and even if it got very wet, more current would flow through the solenoid than through the water, so probably would have no effect.
To add to the debate.
An experienced diesel fitter (Lucas trained) told me that you should never allow a hot injector pump to be sprayed with cold water. Such as big puddles or degreasing the engine. Apparently the differential contraction in the pump body and the internals of the pump can cause pump failure.
Another good reason for not driving through puddles. I was driving a large four wheel drive tractor down a back lane when I encountered a large puddle, it was only 6 inches deep do I drove through it. The tractor came trough no problems but the trailer bounced down and up. I got out to investigate and discovered the force of the flood water had dislodged a BT inspection hatch, The large wheels of the tractor bridged the hole but the smaller wheels of the trailer dropped in. In a car at any speed at all it would have been very very nasty.
An experienced diesel fitter (Lucas trained) told me that you should never allow a hot injector pump to be sprayed with cold water. Such as big puddles or degreasing the engine. Apparently the differential contraction in the pump body and the internals of the pump can cause pump failure.
Another good reason for not driving through puddles. I was driving a large four wheel drive tractor down a back lane when I encountered a large puddle, it was only 6 inches deep do I drove through it. The tractor came trough no problems but the trailer bounced down and up. I got out to investigate and discovered the force of the flood water had dislodged a BT inspection hatch, The large wheels of the tractor bridged the hole but the smaller wheels of the trailer dropped in. In a car at any speed at all it would have been very very nasty.
Oh dear, you're right Mike - I did mean if power is lost [:I][:o)]. I usually check before I submit but this Monday morning fingers, brain and eyes are not in perfect coordination!
Would this situation generally save engine bay electrics? They get wet in normal use but items like relays and the ECU are either high up or otherwise protected - but this protection would be useless in deep water (but ok for a bow wave I guess). How do Land Rovers manage it?
Would this situation generally save engine bay electrics? They get wet in normal use but items like relays and the ECU are either high up or otherwise protected - but this protection would be useless in deep water (but ok for a bow wave I guess). How do Land Rovers manage it?
Even if you immersed the solenoid in highly conductive salty water it would still work. Water does not affect electrical items it will only affect electronic items where the currents in the circuit are small relative to the current that will flow through the water at low voltage. At twelve volts water is not very conductive at all.
I had an interesting weekend with the rain. I was down in Silverstone racing a single seater - well supposed to be until it got called off due to flooding - but the practice went ahead without full wet tyres! With the single seater being so light and having relatively wide tyres as soon as the speed was over about 60 it was floating through the standing water and even in top gear at low revs the rear wheels would just spin away if you opened the throttle on the straight. Braking just sent the car sideways until the engine braking had dropped the speed to below about 60 although they were surprisingly good once the aquaplaning had stopped. It made a bit of a change for the cornering to be easier than driving in a straight line but it was a very interesting experience non-the-less.
As much fun as it was to drive in those conditions on track driving back along the motorway in similar conditions was very not very pleasing. Aquaplaning does not affect road cars so much as they tend to have skinnier tyres and are a lot heavier but I was not at all impressed by the lack of regard that some people had for the conditions they were driving in. The worst culprits seemed to be the white van drivers and I saw two of them had been pulled by the Police throughout my journey. There is one piece of advice that I think everyone should know and its something we discover in karts and on days like this and that is to drive where the tarmac looks roughest and were the cars usually dont drive. On the motorway its usually the fast lane that is in best condition as the lorries haven't smoothed it out. In the other lanes you should have one tyre close but not touching the white line and the other in the middle of the road. Trust me this will reduce stopping distances much better than the most expensive tyres when wet.
I had an interesting weekend with the rain. I was down in Silverstone racing a single seater - well supposed to be until it got called off due to flooding - but the practice went ahead without full wet tyres! With the single seater being so light and having relatively wide tyres as soon as the speed was over about 60 it was floating through the standing water and even in top gear at low revs the rear wheels would just spin away if you opened the throttle on the straight. Braking just sent the car sideways until the engine braking had dropped the speed to below about 60 although they were surprisingly good once the aquaplaning had stopped. It made a bit of a change for the cornering to be easier than driving in a straight line but it was a very interesting experience non-the-less.
As much fun as it was to drive in those conditions on track driving back along the motorway in similar conditions was very not very pleasing. Aquaplaning does not affect road cars so much as they tend to have skinnier tyres and are a lot heavier but I was not at all impressed by the lack of regard that some people had for the conditions they were driving in. The worst culprits seemed to be the white van drivers and I saw two of them had been pulled by the Police throughout my journey. There is one piece of advice that I think everyone should know and its something we discover in karts and on days like this and that is to drive where the tarmac looks roughest and were the cars usually dont drive. On the motorway its usually the fast lane that is in best condition as the lorries haven't smoothed it out. In the other lanes you should have one tyre close but not touching the white line and the other in the middle of the road. Trust me this will reduce stopping distances much better than the most expensive tyres when wet.
I'll add my bit - Just 'cos I'm stupid and I'd done it before I took my ZX diesel (I moved the intake to top of bulkhead after a previous "dip") along Walton Island (Thames) during the flood. The island was pretty much underwater and has a current not dissimilar to the Thames at the time. Went fine until the back started floating and turning me round. Then the lights went underwater and both bulbs went pop. Was dark and now couldn't see 
- Just followed the fence along - with the clutch juddering and the wheels scrabbling, made it out the other side. Best bit was touching the water by putting my hand out of the open window ;?) (No joke) - Will never do it again! I thought I'd be washed into the Thames (Hence the open window!)
- Just followed the fence along - with the clutch juddering and the wheels scrabbling, made it out the other side. Best bit was touching the water by putting my hand out of the open window ;?) (No joke) - Will never do it again! I thought I'd be washed into the Thames (Hence the open window!)An update on flooding my zx,
Thanks to the advice given on this forum, i took out the heater plugs turned the engine by hand and the water came gushing out. Soon got the engine started and it ran well for a couple of weeks.
Then it started to use water, about half a litre on a 4 mile drive. Worst still it started to leak oil from just behind the fuel pump,it was a bad leak which was starting to get on the cambelt.
It turned out to be the dreaded head gasket,the mechanic who repaired it said he had never seen a gasget so badly burnt through on the corner which would have been behind the fuel pump,(hence the oil leak).
The car is now running fine, the radiator and thermostat have been replaced, oil changed and all filters.Now i dont know if by trying to take my car for a swim when it didnt want to was the cause of the HG failure or not,(i suppose it didnt help).But i am now looking forward to see if i can get another 128k out of my zx.
Thanks to the advice given on this forum, i took out the heater plugs turned the engine by hand and the water came gushing out. Soon got the engine started and it ran well for a couple of weeks.
Then it started to use water, about half a litre on a 4 mile drive. Worst still it started to leak oil from just behind the fuel pump,it was a bad leak which was starting to get on the cambelt.
It turned out to be the dreaded head gasket,the mechanic who repaired it said he had never seen a gasget so badly burnt through on the corner which would have been behind the fuel pump,(hence the oil leak).
The car is now running fine, the radiator and thermostat have been replaced, oil changed and all filters.Now i dont know if by trying to take my car for a swim when it didnt want to was the cause of the HG failure or not,(i suppose it didnt help).But i am now looking forward to see if i can get another 128k out of my zx.