ok, here is the problem - my disco II keeps getting water into the intake when i go off roading. im not doing any deep crossings (usually less than bumper deep) but we do splash thru aLOT of puddles and watery ruts. i saw that snorkels only help waterproof diesels not gasoline rovers. my question is what can i do keep water out of my intake - im tired of replacing air filters that get soggy.
HELP!

 

A snorkel will keep the water out of your intake but does nothing to waterproof the ECU. The stuff under the hood is designed to take a certain amount of water without problems.

 

A snorkel will help, don't get too crazy in the mean time, you'll eat a MAF or even worse hydro lock your engine.

 

Im mostly concerned with water in the intake btw. not so much worried about the electronics and what not. i do know that if im gonna be playing in the mud and water a lot i need to raise the vent lines. speaking of which where in my diffs ARE the vent lines anyway?! i need to raise them to the back of the firewall correct? any tips on doing this?
i noticed that i keep having water puddle up inside my airfilter box and in the little drop-bubble-thingy between the MAF and the intake. can i just drill a hole in the bottom of the air box and put a piece of rubber on it to make a one-way seal or what?

thanks

 

UrbanPanzer has a good write-up on relocating the axle breathers. Sounds like you need to slow down for now and get the snorkel if you're getting that much water in the airbox. Are you sure the lid of the airbox is totally sealed too? Next to the clips are some tabs that need to go over the lower airbox section. I accidentally had one of them get pinched under the lid and had som water enter in through the gap.

 

A snorkel will greatly reduce or eliminate your water in the intake problem. If you splash high enough to suck water through a snorkel then it's time to reconsider your driving style.

 

Just get a snorkel... and please please please seal your ECU.

 

You are entering the water to fast. Slow and steady wins the race.
I drive through water up to the "Land Rover" lettrering on my hood every spring and have had no problems what so ever.

 

how do i water proof my ECU?

i dont think my airbox seals very well either - one of those tabs is broken. that i can fix before the next outing. does one kind of air filter handle moisture better than another?

ok, so waterproof list :
ECU
breather lines from diff (any other vent lines i need to lengthen?)
airbox
snorkel kit - gotta get one of those! pronto!
what else?
one of my jeep friends said exhaust snorkel too. worth it or not?

thanks guys!

 

First off the speed at which you enter water has a BIG effect on how far it gets pushed into the engine bay. Personally, I did not venture through any real deep water till I had the snorkel fitted.

That is your FIRST thing to do, dont mess with water and air intakes, its not worth the risk, and snorkels look cool and provide your car with a LOT cleaner airas well

The D2 Air intake is in a vunerable place even more than the D1, because "if" you hit quite deep water, then its pushed up around the headlights and front indicator and goes up the inner wing and straight into the intake. There is a drain in the bottom of the air box that should get rid of most of it, but some will inevitablysoak the air filter.

This brings me on to the drain. It exits the bottom of the airbox and protrudes into the wheel arch area. Its supposed to be a 1 way rubber valve, however over time it fills up with dirt and crud, stretches and then stays "open" at the bottom, so you hit a large amount of water and it goes straight up the hole. This "could" one of your weak points. There is also another small square hole in the bottom of the airbox, take the airbox out and seal them both up completely with RTV or similar.

Even after fitting the snorkel and sealing all the joints with RTV, blocking up the drains in the airbox etc, I still after DEEP wading had a small amount in the airbox and ruined a few more filters....WTF !! I thought, so recently after checking all my joints I decided that the ONLY place it could be coming in was around the join between the lid and the base of the airbox itself. So with this in mind a added a strip of waterproof adhesive foam trim (about 3mm thick) all around where the top meets the bottom of the airbox. Refitted it all and it was a lot tighter to clamp it up, then last week I did another deep swim (over bonnet for 60 yds or so) and upon getting home checked the airbox, and its now bone dry

I have talked to guys who suffer the same issues but with dust, and they to came to the same conclusion about the joint between the lid and base of the airbox.

Your Front axle, gearbox, and transfer box breathers are already high upat the bulkhead, the rear axle is the "risky" one, this only goes up under the rear left wheel arch,so wheel deep water can be "risky", so if your going to do anything, atleast extend that one either rewards up behind the body tail lights, or as I did bring it right to the front to meet the others. Disco2Guy has already posted the link to what I did, its still basically the same, but the breathers now go up inside the snorkel instead of the "A" pillar trims.
Even after all the deep wading I have done, when I dropped the Axle oil /transfer boxoil's there was no evidence at all of any water.

Remember this, "if" you have ANY leaks from your axles etc, if oil is leaking out, water can get in. its not a big issue, but it would require you to change your axle oils for example more frequently because of the wading you do.

Im not sure where exactly the V8 ECU is on the D2, Mine on the TD5 is located under the plastic cover where the jack goes, its not water proofed at all and so far has been fine.

Exhaust snorkel ?? Why lol ? Not needed, water will not enter the exhaust whilst the car is running, unless you reverse in very deep water - very quickly (not a good idea). For water to get in, the engine must not be running, if your at that point, its already all gone wrong and water in the exhaust is the least of your worries lol.

Hope this helps a bit