Right i finally got round to fitting raised breathers and vets etc to my disco, angle grinded the bumper off and all ready for serious off road and wading. However after going through some water i thought what about the electrics and particularly the battery? After off road i wash the engine to get rid of the mud and everything remains ok but is there anythng you need to do to any electrics and the batter to stop stuff shorting out? thanks for any help guys
Wading
- Thread starter since1875
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- Doncaster
After washing down, and the engine bay normally gets very muddy, I generally spray a load of WD40 all over, especially around the battery and battery area, wires, fuse boxes etc. That's about it!
When I take the battery terminals off and put them back on again I always cover them with Vaseline, I also have a Silicone grease spray that I use, again after cleaning, on all the light fittings, 'specially the recessed ones in the back bumper and the wires/connectors behind the headlamps and indicators.
Main thing I've found is to check every time the earth connections, battery to chassis, starter etc. Stray branches or stones can (well it seems to happen often enough) easily dislodge them and cause random electrical glitches. Almost every glitch I've had with the electrics has been traced finally to earth strap mounts, or corroded earth straps.
When I take the battery terminals off and put them back on again I always cover them with Vaseline, I also have a Silicone grease spray that I use, again after cleaning, on all the light fittings, 'specially the recessed ones in the back bumper and the wires/connectors behind the headlamps and indicators.
Main thing I've found is to check every time the earth connections, battery to chassis, starter etc. Stray branches or stones can (well it seems to happen often enough) easily dislodge them and cause random electrical glitches. Almost every glitch I've had with the electrics has been traced finally to earth strap mounts, or corroded earth straps.
me4x4
New Member
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- market rasen lincolnshire
new to this ,do you jet wash the engine or use a normal hose pipe i jet wash all the underside and the arches etc never thought about engine bay
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- Doncaster
Depends how mucky it is ... 
Every time I've been out I use normal hose pipe, if it's mucky I sometimes jet wash and at least twice a year or if I've had a problem, oil leak etc, I use Gunk first with a kitchen pot brush to work it in then jet wash.
Every time I clean the engine bay I WD40 it and re-seal the electrics as earlier ... not that there's much in a 300Tdi ...
At least once a year, more if I've had a good year, I gunk, jetwash, then spray Waxoyl/whatever's available or on offer, underneath.
Every time I've been out I use normal hose pipe, if it's mucky I sometimes jet wash and at least twice a year or if I've had a problem, oil leak etc, I use Gunk first with a kitchen pot brush to work it in then jet wash.
Every time I clean the engine bay I WD40 it and re-seal the electrics as earlier ... not that there's much in a 300Tdi ...
At least once a year, more if I've had a good year, I gunk, jetwash, then spray Waxoyl/whatever's available or on offer, underneath.
battenberg
Well-Known Member
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- 2,101
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- Birmingham UK
I take my 300 to the local Jetwash, if i'm paying that much for doozel, then they can clean the drains!
I tend to leave the engine running and stear clear of the exhaust manifold and turbo with the lance. I also use silicone grease in the headlamp and indicator plugs to help waterproof them.
I tend to leave the engine running and stear clear of the exhaust manifold and turbo with the lance. I also use silicone grease in the headlamp and indicator plugs to help waterproof them.
battenberg
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good call... you should have seen the mess this left behind at the local jetwash!
I had to hug my car after getting me down that lane!!!
I had to hug my car after getting me down that lane!!!
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Cool ...
Southdown snorkel ... where the pipe goes throught the windtop, the little rubber bit that helps seal, does that have a connector on the inside of the wing, or does the flexible pipe connect to the stainless bit directly and the wing top bit is just a cover to make it look nicer?
Keep seeing them on ebay and they look like a sensible part to cover the gash I'm likely to make of cutting the wing ... but if all they do is make it look nice I'm not too bothered, to start with, but if it's functional I'll seriously consider buying one.
Southdown snorkel ... where the pipe goes throught the windtop, the little rubber bit that helps seal, does that have a connector on the inside of the wing, or does the flexible pipe connect to the stainless bit directly and the wing top bit is just a cover to make it look nicer?
Keep seeing them on ebay and they look like a sensible part to cover the gash I'm likely to make of cutting the wing ... but if all they do is make it look nice I'm not too bothered, to start with, but if it's functional I'll seriously consider buying one.
battenberg
Well-Known Member
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- 2,101
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- Birmingham UK
The stainless pipe goes into the wing and the plastic bit, where it joins to a flexible pipe on the end. The plastic thing is just to seal and glue it in place against the wing and is a bit of a game to get the stainless though as the stainless has a bend on the end of it...
basically it has no bearing on the airflow other than to hold the bottom bit of the pipe to the wing...
basically it has no bearing on the airflow other than to hold the bottom bit of the pipe to the wing...
battenberg
Well-Known Member
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- 2,101
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- Birmingham UK
Lovely job, thanks. It's what I thought 'cos I couldn't work out how it all fitted otherwise!
Must admit to liking the Southdown, great looking bit of kit, and not as expensive as Safari.
yeah, I opted for the southdown for looks and price...
it has it's pro's and cons...
on some tight deep lanes where the car is listing the safari can catch against a sidewall and be ripped up or caught up in trees and twisted around. see these stills: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjAx5ioHmPQ&feature=channel_page"]YouTube - BB's Recovery 13/04/08[/ame] The southdown's metal pipe is stronger and it's position on the top of the wing makes it less susceptable to scraping along the side.
However, the way the southdown is routed inside the engine bay makes it difficult to mount a second battery unless you convert your air filter to a 200 cylinder type.
The Safari routes around the back of the stock square 300 air box and enters through a 'new' hole giving space for a second battery.
you pays yer money and you takes yer choice!
trax99
Well-Known Member
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- 1,149
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- Montgomeryshire
ok I'm convinced - southdown for me
