Omaroo
New Member
- Posts
- 31
- Location
- Sydney, NSW Australia
Hi all 
I know this subject comes up more than it should, but I'm starting to hear a few stories around the traps about the vulnerability of TD5 electronics in close proximity (read: under) water. I was talking to one bloke the other day that told me that out of three of the TD5-equipped Defenders that went on one trip with them a while ago - all failed due to water somewhere in the works. All the TDi's along on the trip were OK. Well - I have a TD5 and love it, so I'm sure that advice to ditch it in favour of an older TDi is not what I want to hear. It isn't an option going back to an older oiler as I want road power for all the trips we do into the hills.
I'm also sure that plenty of people around the world wade their TD5 Defenders and Discoveries all the time - some encountering problems and others none. To say that a TD5 wading in up to the bonnet (a reasonably common occurence with me on our trips) will certainly die has got to be bunk... hasn't it?
So - I'm going to start investigating how difficult it would be to prepare my 110 the best I can for water crossings of reasonable magnitude (Australia: Murray River, High Country stuff and Cape York).
The ECU can be re-located, but that seems like an awful lot of bother because cable looms need to be extended - adding to the possibility of failure in itself. Has anyone here actually done the relocation to the roof successfully? I'm looking at a big waterproof (i.e. with massive grommet sealing the lid) jiffy box in aluminium or polycarbonate to build the ECU and fuse box under the driver's seat into. Sealing in-coming cable looms is not a real problem with a collared collapsing grommet and some automotive (no ammonia) silicone.
The thing I worry about is the fly-by-wire potentiometer attached to the accelerator pedal. I'm going to investigate enclosing this too - and off-setting it to the right in it's own box - still actuated by a sealed shaft though the side of the box. We'll see.....
The big one - under the bonnet. Are the electrics under there reasonably OK? Do the injectors dislike wet plugs, etc? Alternators are usually OK with water for a time but hate mud - but that's OK - so do I. What else is likely to spit it if it gets wet?
Any thoughts on this subject, and have people successfully given themselves a better chance with the water by doing any of the above before?
Sorry to bore everyone with this again - but I love my Defender and don't want to not go tripping around the country simply because I'm worried about water deeper than the top of the rims. I do run a Safari snorkel and also use a water blind if the cossing is deeper than the bumper height to protect the radiator from fan blade ingestion.
Chars
Chris
I know this subject comes up more than it should, but I'm starting to hear a few stories around the traps about the vulnerability of TD5 electronics in close proximity (read: under) water. I was talking to one bloke the other day that told me that out of three of the TD5-equipped Defenders that went on one trip with them a while ago - all failed due to water somewhere in the works. All the TDi's along on the trip were OK. Well - I have a TD5 and love it, so I'm sure that advice to ditch it in favour of an older TDi is not what I want to hear. It isn't an option going back to an older oiler as I want road power for all the trips we do into the hills.I'm also sure that plenty of people around the world wade their TD5 Defenders and Discoveries all the time - some encountering problems and others none. To say that a TD5 wading in up to the bonnet (a reasonably common occurence with me on our trips) will certainly die has got to be bunk... hasn't it?
So - I'm going to start investigating how difficult it would be to prepare my 110 the best I can for water crossings of reasonable magnitude (Australia: Murray River, High Country stuff and Cape York).
The ECU can be re-located, but that seems like an awful lot of bother because cable looms need to be extended - adding to the possibility of failure in itself. Has anyone here actually done the relocation to the roof successfully? I'm looking at a big waterproof (i.e. with massive grommet sealing the lid) jiffy box in aluminium or polycarbonate to build the ECU and fuse box under the driver's seat into. Sealing in-coming cable looms is not a real problem with a collared collapsing grommet and some automotive (no ammonia) silicone.
The thing I worry about is the fly-by-wire potentiometer attached to the accelerator pedal. I'm going to investigate enclosing this too - and off-setting it to the right in it's own box - still actuated by a sealed shaft though the side of the box. We'll see.....
The big one - under the bonnet. Are the electrics under there reasonably OK? Do the injectors dislike wet plugs, etc? Alternators are usually OK with water for a time but hate mud - but that's OK - so do I. What else is likely to spit it if it gets wet?
Any thoughts on this subject, and have people successfully given themselves a better chance with the water by doing any of the above before?
Sorry to bore everyone with this again - but I love my Defender and don't want to not go tripping around the country simply because I'm worried about water deeper than the top of the rims. I do run a Safari snorkel and also use a water blind if the cossing is deeper than the bumper height to protect the radiator from fan blade ingestion.
Chars
Chris
