Flood - tractor driver
- Thread starter Harry Bloomfield
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I suppose you have to be careful that the car doesn't start to float and lose traction.
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Inconsiderate driving is a crime - and that was clearly inconsiderate driving, hopefully it will go to court and he will be banned, but then again if he is a farmer then nothing will happen
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True that.
Reminds me of a period when car recoverers were calling BMW's aqu vacs. They'd pick one up and take to a main dealer thinking it would be covered and then picking them up again and dropping them off at the owners. New engine needed.
A fine could be 20% tax efficient on death if he is a farmer
Certainly seems like very inconsiderate driving - and rather risky. Not familiar with that model, but the air intakes in some are not actually all that high up, and diesels are not forgiving of water in the cylinders. Oh, and did I mention all the electronics - and the other items that can suffer from wading as discussed below.
When I was turning 16, which is ... a few years ago now so things could have changed, you could not drive an agricultural tractor on a provisional licence. So I booked and passed my test on a tractor. Had to wait ages, as they come out to you (I did mine round the village green) and you have to wait till there's enough applicants to fill a half day for the examiner.
If we stick with "pre-electronics" vehicles, and I'll stick with what I know, pre-electronics Land Rovers, then things to deal with include :
Wading plugs for the timing belt cover and bellhousing. Neither the timing belt nor clutch like being submerged in dirty water.
Extensions to the breather pipes for axles and gearboxes (4 in total). As standard these only come up a couple of foot above ground level - dive into cold water after a run, axle or gearbox cools down rapidly, cooling air contracts, so air drawn in through breather, and you don't want dirty water mixed in with your gear oils.
Some like to extend the exhaust as well. While airflow will keep water out with the engine running, should it stop then all bets are off.
And while still on the engine, not everything has the engine breather hooked to the air intake, so you may need to modify that as well.
A (synthetic) rubber glove over the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs is also a good idea - brake fluid is hygroscopic enough without letting small amounts get in through the breather hole.
Not many people do all of this - you either take your chances as you aren't going all that deep, or you just c.b.a. as it can be a lot of prep (and you also can't leave your wading plugs in all the time).
And if you do have electronics, the P38 (first model to have all the power electronics) had the main BECM (body electrical control module) sited ... drumroll ... on the floor under the driver's seat. That was Land Rover's first foray into modern electronics, and the P38s didn't have a good reputation for electrical reliability.
Lastly, I've not mentioned ignition which is a subject all of it's own, but see below ...
OK, I jest ... a bit. But it's true that Rover V8 ignitions do not like water.
Again, with the right prep it's OK, but it's really hard to fully waterproof a Lucas DLM8 dizzy - really hard.
Indeed, a bit problem driving through any depth of water is not knowing what's under the surface ...
... such as some big lumps of concrete !
Most people have probably never even though about it.
Is the test bit true ?
When I was turning 16, which is ... a few years ago now so things could have changed, you could not drive an agricultural tractor on a provisional licence. So I booked and passed my test on a tractor. Had to wait ages, as they come out to you (I did mine round the village green) and you have to wait till there's enough applicants to fill a half day for the examiner.
There is quite a bit more to wading depth than a snorkel on the intake.
If we stick with "pre-electronics" vehicles, and I'll stick with what I know, pre-electronics Land Rovers, then things to deal with include :
Wading plugs for the timing belt cover and bellhousing. Neither the timing belt nor clutch like being submerged in dirty water.
Extensions to the breather pipes for axles and gearboxes (4 in total). As standard these only come up a couple of foot above ground level - dive into cold water after a run, axle or gearbox cools down rapidly, cooling air contracts, so air drawn in through breather, and you don't want dirty water mixed in with your gear oils.
Some like to extend the exhaust as well. While airflow will keep water out with the engine running, should it stop then all bets are off.
And while still on the engine, not everything has the engine breather hooked to the air intake, so you may need to modify that as well.
A (synthetic) rubber glove over the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs is also a good idea - brake fluid is hygroscopic enough without letting small amounts get in through the breather hole.
Not many people do all of this - you either take your chances as you aren't going all that deep, or you just c.b.a. as it can be a lot of prep (and you also can't leave your wading plugs in all the time).
And if you do have electronics, the P38 (first model to have all the power electronics) had the main BECM (body electrical control module) sited ... drumroll ... on the floor under the driver's seat. That was Land Rover's first foray into modern electronics, and the P38s didn't have a good reputation for electrical reliability.
Lastly, I've not mentioned ignition which is a subject all of it's own, but see below ...
Nah, I think that's fake. Why, it sounds a lot like a V8, and the venerable Rover V8 is renowned for one thing - you only have to think of driving into water and it'll start running rough. In reality, the ignition would have crapped out before it reached the water
OK, I jest ... a bit. But it's true that Rover V8 ignitions do not like water.
Again, with the right prep it's OK, but it's really hard to fully waterproof a Lucas DLM8 dizzy - really hard.
I think you’ll find that it’s a mechanical injection diesel engine. They can run under water as long as they can take in air. No way would any electrical injection diesel or petrol engine run whilst submerged.
They will if you can keep the water out of where it shouldn't be. Oh yes, missed an item from the previous list - fuel tank breather, you don't want water in your fuel either.
For example, on an old Escort I used to run (proper one, not those horrible front wheel drive things they stuck the badge on), I managed to get it such that I could put a hose on the engine & ignition without it suffering. I know people who have managed to get Rover V8s to run submerged (at least for a while). It can be done. And petrol engines are far more forgiving of a small amount of water in the intake due to the lower compression ratio.
Personally I've never fitted a snorkel, so have always stuck to a wading depth according to where the air intake is - definitely a bit more than Land Rover would approve of
Worst was dunking the front end of my Mk1 Disco V8 under water such that the bonnet disappeared and the bow wave was half way up the windscreen - but it was "down and up" such that it looked dramatic but that was mostly bow wave and the engine kept running (I did have a tow rope pre-fitted just in case ).I have in the past seen video of the old Camel Trophy events, and one where they drove (admittedly professionally prepared) Land Rovers completely under water with the drivers' heads up through the sun roof - but clean river water somewhere abroad.
I seem to recall one model of the early transit van
That had the air intake at low level bumper height ??
I stand to be corrected, but I recall reading that the MK1 Lotus Europa (not the original Europa) had an air intake below the front bumper, and non opening windows. If you pulled up behind a bus you had to open the doors.
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