Today I have been mostly.... installing a lunchbox in the Disco

[sidewaysste]

I got rather fedup of being told to buy a diesel so have decided to attempt to waterproof the V8. After shamelessly reading all the threads I could find, (Cheers MrNoisy) I've completed the first step - putting the coil and ignition amplifier in a sealed container. I used grommets to seal all the cables where they pass through the container and covered these with plenty of RTV.

The other aim was to start clearing the nearside battery tray in preperation for a twin battery converion.
I've still got to find somewhere to put the PAS reservoir and find a snorkel that connects into the side of the airbox rather than the front but doesn't run down the outside of the wing....

 

[1spin]

Is there still room for a packed lunch in there.

 

[sidewaysste]

Is there still room for a packed lunch in there.

I was seriously tempted to put a fake apple in there....

 

[Mr Noisy]

I was seriously tempted to put a fake apple in there....

That is lol. And a mars bar to complete the look!

Anyway urm how did you manage to get the amp in there? I thought th entry of the wires from the Hall sensor would be critical? I also didn't think the amp was susceptible to damp being a sealed unit and LT. I do know it uses the dizzy as a heat sink so make sure it ain't getting too hot!! Same with the coil I guess.

I will admit however that mine is good underwater, not GREAT like megasquirt. It will still miss in very dirty water, although its better again now it's got new plugs in (tip top components make a good wader)

Pleased to see you're making the effort to prove them all wrong though. I was once at parkwood, came from the hill end of the pond and into the deep side, trawled through at bonnet depth then hit a hole about 3/4 of the way through, she dunked deeper but was still on 8. I couldn't believe it, neither could the approx 30 guys stood about watching.

Was a major grinnage moment

 

[Mr Noisy]

Maybe get a 3.5 airbox mate and then do this:

I use a southdown snorkel, so it enters the wing near the screen and then it's just a length of 2 3/4" iirc ID ducting to wherever you want.

Get your airbox, weld a plate ont' end to blank it, weld a 2 3/4" iirc OD chob intut' side to open it up again and bobs your mother's brother.

Regards PAS reservoir, yours looks different to how mine was. Mine was mounted next to rad on slam panel. I have moved mine down and made a little plate to mount it to the radiator casing itself. Down low and out of way. Kinda directly below top hose entrance. Not ideal but it's ok for checking oil.

Should keep you busy

 

[sidewaysste]

Mine's running an RPI switchable curve power amp (for the LPG), lthough the metal case hasa tight lid and grommets it isn't completely sealed so figured I might as well bung it in with the coil. I just hope there's enough air to keep everything cool. Some delightful person had joined all the wires with chocolate blocks - one of my pet hates so I disassembled it and soldered fresh cable to the PCB so that I could then feed them through a blanking grommet pierced with a pointy thing and cut to length and terminate with heatshrink connectors.

The idea would be a standalone ECU and I'd go for an Adaptronic -very powerful bit of kit but, one, I can't justify the cost and two, I fancied the challenge of getting a dizzied v8 to run underwater.
I don't think I can mount the PAS reservoir where yours is as that's where the oil cooler lines for the gearbox run into the rad. I think if I reverse the rad/pas clamp I may be able to get a little more room....
I've been thinking about the sealing/venting of the dizzy and I assume that there is always slight negative pressure from the vacuum advance unit - if you look carefully there is a small hole inside the unit adjacent to the actuator arm. I've yet to find out what will happen when I install my sealed but not vented Dizzy. I guess there's a chance that it could immediately pull full vacuum advance - we'll see :s

I couldn't put a mars bar in the lunchbox - it'd kill me to know there was food I couldn't eat!!

 

[sidewaysste]

Regarding the airbox, I've only just got hold of that one so don't want to have to throw it away just yet. I guess I could modify it to accept a southdown snorkel with some aluminium, some rivets and a lot of RTV....

 

[Mr Noisy]

Well whichever mate, the idea is there anyway, you should be able to mod that box easily if youre handy. Get a plastic welder or a soldering iron attachment, very handy but need a big iron!

Sounds like you are handy and already have a soldering iron though, just had a re-read nice job you've made then

Didn't know about the vac unit myself, the problem there is that it might/probably will draw moisture up from the crankcase. A dizzy under vacuum is more likely to pull water in. It's gonna need a breather mate!

 

[sidewaysste]

PS, I don't suppose you know what the difference is between their finished and unfinished snorkels is do you? apart from £30 that is....

 

[Mr Noisy]

Didn't realise about box cooler mate, mine has a pipe cleaner cooler in front of the rad. They changed so much on the later cars!

Tbh it amazes me they use the hot radiator to cool the box. Ok for a diesel oil cooler fair play cos radiator is cold anyway but on a petrol is seems silly.

Maybe mount a standalone cooler on flexible hose, 1 problem solved, 1 hot gearbox cooled more efficiently?

 

[Mark L]

PS, I don't suppose you know what the difference is between their finished and unfinished snorkels is do you? apart from £30 that is....

One is shiny, the other one has a brushed effect - the latter being the finished one.
I only know this because I asked them the very same question before I ordered it.

 

[Mr Noisy]

PS, I don't suppose you know what the difference is between their finished and unfinished snorkels is do you? apart from £30 that is....

No I don't. I bought the top and bottom plastics on eBay thinking could make my own tube, couldnt. So bought the tube off them also. Made my own bracket, got my own pipe etc.

I can only guess that they brush up the tube? Mine still had the etching on the side, you know stainless grade, batch number etc etc and there were a few marks from where it was bent. The plastics I bought off them on eBay were supposed to be seconds but they were perfect.

All a bit odd

 

[Mr Noisy]

^^^ doh!! :doh:

 

[sidewaysste]

Vented.

Mine also has a pipe cleaner cooler. so I have engine oil cooler pipes on the driver side, transmission oil cooler on the passenger side AND a pipe cleaner in line with the passenger side cooler pipes. Very strange

 

[sidewaysste]

PS Cheers mark might save meself £30 then

 

[Mr Noisy]

Lovely venting! Top banana!

Where does the pipe cleaner go to then mate?

My (manual) trans cooler pipes run down passenger side of block, along chassis and then across to centre of rad nearly, under the rad and up (winch was there hence rubber pipes now fitted) where it then splits and goes each way to a full width pipe cleaner.

3.5 doesn't have engine oil cooler so it's a bog standard rad.

Cheers

 

[sidewaysste]

Along the block, up to the bottom of the rad, into the rad, out the top then down and under to the pipe cleaner which I assume is in the same place as yours.

 

[Mark L]

PS Cheers mark might save meself £30 then

You'll not be disappointed with it. Sits nicely out of harms way:

 

[sidewaysste]

Damn. Just when I thought I'd manage a month without buying something for the Disco.

 

[Mr Noisy]

Along the block, up to the bottom of the rad, into the rad, out the top then down and under to the pipe cleaner which I assume is in the same place as yours.

They must have seriously struggled with heat then...