| Author | Message | ||
     John S. Bleazard (Injun) New Member Username: Injun Post Number: 35 Registered: 12-2003 |
Noob question. I just took my 98 D1 on some moderate trails including steep inclines, much mud and water, few rocks. Never got stuck, but water was up to rockers. What are some things that may need special attential upon cleanup? Anything in the engine compartment that should be checked? The thing is covered in mud top to bottom and front to back. Any suggestions on cleaning the engine compartment? Thanks and Im now a bonafide LR freak. This thing flat wheels! | ||
| Kristopher March (Apexdisco) Senior Member Username: Apexdisco Post Number: 331 Registered: 02-2002 |
Do a search on transfer case, diff, and axle breathers. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 1021 Registered: 05-2003 |
John, Get out your garden hose and spray the entire truck down. Open the hood and spray it down too. Be careful when you spray from the front, peek inside and make sure that you don't spray debris into the radiator. Get under it with the hose, spray down everything, and manually remove trail debris. Really go at your wheels and your brakes from the inside and from the outside, all kinds of gunk will come out of them. Things are pretty open down there, so you can climb underneath and get a good visual of leaves, pine needles, etc. If you get to the mud pretty quickly, it won't take alot of scrubbing to remove it - it just takes time and it's a dirty job. Good Luck, Jamie | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1521 Registered: 02-2002 |
Check the diff oils, especially the back. If its milky then theres water inside. If they are wet, then check the T-case and transmission oils too. Dean | ||
| Andrew Homan (Andy) New Member Username: Andy Post Number: 33 Registered: 01-2004 |
Hey Jamie whats your opinion on cleaning the engine with degreaser and a pressure washer or something like that. I want to clean mine in the worst way. but some of the posts indicate i could screw up electronics. I bought dialetric grease to seal connectors etc after the cleaning and have a compressor to blow out any water. Your thoughts? | ||
| John S. Bleazard (Injun) New Member Username: Injun Post Number: 36 Registered: 12-2003 |
Thanks Kristopher, Jamie, and Dean. I will crawl under tomorrow and check things out underneath. I will especially check the driveline fluids, wheels, and brakes. Ive heard of some vehicles that need wheel bearings changed if they have been submerged. LRs arent like this are they? | ||
| Kristopher March (Apexdisco) Senior Member Username: Apexdisco Post Number: 332 Registered: 02-2002 |
Andy - FWIW, I sprayed some orange smelling degreaser all over my engine, (I was carefull not to over spray) let it soak for a few minutes, then hosed it down with a regular garden hose. A pressure washer may be too powerfull and you may end up getting water in places it shouldn't be. But I'm sure others here on the board have used that method with no problems. | ||
| Clif Ashley (Cta586) Senior Member Username: Cta586 Post Number: 534 Registered: 04-2002 |
Make sure the degreaser is not corrosive to aluminim. Washing the engine is just a gamble, percentages based on how careful you are. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 1025 Registered: 05-2003 |
I don't use degreasers or any other chemicals. Since I've been consistent with post trail clean up, that hasn't been necessary. Personally, I wouldn't use a pressure washer inside the engine - I'd probably break something with it. This is just my system, I start on the roof and pulling debris off of the upper cabin, then I do the front wheels, brakes, and the underside of the front half of the truck. Then I open the hood, stand on a ladder, and spray down the engine area gently. (I do the engine after the bottom because stuff would just get sprayed back up there anyway). Then I check to make sure the air filter is dry. Then I start the engine and let it run while I do the rear wheels/brakes and underside. This way it gives the engine some time to dry itself off while it is running and I can be certain that all sounds ok while I finish the cleaning. After that, I leave it. I don't worry about the mud on the outside of the truck as long as all the moving parts are good and clean. I'm usually way tired enough to quit then anyway since all of that takes about 2 hours (especially when I've been in pine needles). I save spraying off the exterior for another day since it's not urgent. Tomorrow my truck will get its first waxing ever and I've had it for almost 2 years  Take a close look at your springs, stuff gets stuck in there where it's hard to see. After you do this a few times on your truck, you'll come to know where all the debris you pick up likes to hide. Remember, mud = sandpaper. Good Luck, Jamie p.s. has anyone found a way to get that mud out of clothes? what's with that stuff anyway that it stains clothes so badly? clorox will eat through shirts before it removes the mud. | ||
| Big Ed (Sandman) Member Username: Sandman Post Number: 65 Registered: 02-2004 |
Jamie...what's this "mud" you speak of? Can it be made or manufactured? I'd like to try it with my Disco sometime. Remember, sand=sand SandMan | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 1026 Registered: 05-2003 |
Florida Swamp Mud, it's yucky. | ||
| Alan E. Foster (Vt_alan) New Member Username: Vt_alan Post Number: 40 Registered: 11-2003 |
When I had a Volvo one of the enthusiasts suggested I clean the engine by just wiping the engine off with a wet rag whenever I'd wash the car; now I do it with the Rover and pickup too. It sounds super simple, and it is, but won't corrode anything, and helps ensure that you know how everything is supposed to look under there. | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1524 Registered: 02-2002 |
I took around 20 lb of sand out of my frame once. Funny that now I have the rovertym bumper, I don't get any sand in it. Seems like it was coming in from the front or something!?!? Check the drain holes in the frame. Dean | ||
| Andrew Homan (Andy) New Member Username: Andy Post Number: 37 Registered: 01-2004 |
I think I'll try a non corrosive degreaser and a garden hose followed by compressed air and dialectric grease. Want to start clean and see what leaks so I know. Maybe I don't want to know. Oh ya sand and mud whats that? I have obsidean lava rock and cinders and about a foot of snow. thanks for the advice and didn't mean to interupt your thread John, sorry. cheers, Andy | ||
| John S. Bleazard (Injun) New Member Username: Injun Post Number: 39 Registered: 12-2003 |
Man, Im glad I didnt use the oven cleaner on the engine compartment. I spend about 2 hours yesterday cleaning up the undercarriage and pulling hunks of mud out from behind body panels and above the frame. I sprayed down the engine compartment with a garden hose only and it looks better. I bought the Disco from the original owner, a physician, and the engine compartment and undercarriage were spotless. Not anymore. I think I'll leave the mud on the roof, hood and sides of the exterior for now. Looks better than the baby shit green paint. | ||
| John Brazelton (Florida_rover) New Member Username: Florida_rover Post Number: 31 Registered: 07-2003 |
If you wade it's also a good idea to check the air box for water. Also, check that little "emergency" water trap by shaking it and listening for water sloshing around.>JB | ||
| Robin Cooper (Cooper1) Member Username: Cooper1 Post Number: 64 Registered: 12-2003 |
I used plastic grocery bags to cover the alternator fuse box, whatever (engine cold of course) and then sprayed specific areas with a degreaser and then used a hose to spray off. Worked nicely and a lot of crap came off as well. | ||
| Craig Kobayashi (Koby) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Koby Post Number: 1137 Registered: 02-2002 |
Just make sure you keep the sticks out of your undercarriage.  | ||
| Big Ed (Sandman) Member Username: Sandman Post Number: 67 Registered: 02-2004 |
Robin, Better yet, stop those folks from crapping in your engine compartment. :-) Try not to spray directly on the distributor either. SandMan | ||
| Anre Pretorius (Anré) New Member Username: Anré Post Number: 26 Registered: 10-2003 |
John, to get back to your 2nd question - YES! Land Rovers are like the other cars as far as wheel bearings are concerned. As you drive, hubs, axles etc. get hot. When you hit water, the metal and the air inside it contracts, causing suction. If your hubs seals don't seal 100%, chances are water will get sucked in there. If left, it will cause your bearings to rust and die! IMO the first post wading check should be to pull out your half shafts and check for water in the hubs. | ||
| Marco A Mendoza (Kkngtgr) Member Username: Kkngtgr Post Number: 55 Registered: 10-2003 |
I was concerned with postwading, but now I'm more concerned, any pics of the half shafts? so I can go right now and check ? Thanks -Marco | ||
| John S. Bleazard (Injun) Member Username: Injun Post Number: 43 Registered: 12-2003 |
Yep, I better check these. Thanks Anre. That was my real main concern. Now the big question is How? | ||
| Anre Pretorius (Anré) New Member Username: Anré Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2003 |
Quite easy to do: Jack up one wheel and take it off. Start with the rear - it's easier. The halfshaft is connected to the flange with the 5 bolts that you see in front of you. Undo those, and you can actually pull out the halfshaft. For the purpose of checking for water ingress, you only need to pull them out about 20cm's or so. Once there, you see the bearings - should have plenty of grease packed in there. If, when you pull the halfshaft, water comes out - you'll have to strip, clean, and regrease. That's step 2 though!! Remember to itghten to 60Nm when reassembling. Hope this helps, Anre | ||
| John S. Bleazard (Injun) Member Username: Injun Post Number: 45 Registered: 12-2003 |
Thanks Anre. | ||
| John Brazelton (Florida_rover) New Member Username: Florida_rover Post Number: 33 Registered: 07-2003 |
So I have to take off all of my wheels and take the half-shaft out every time I wheel? That sucks. Whats the worst that can happen from completely neglecting that check up? Are those brearings expensive or something. Curious if anyone else out there does this? | ||
| Anre Pretorius (Anré) New Member Username: Anré Post Number: 29 Registered: 10-2003 |
Did the dealer promise you a low maintenance vehicle? It is a major schlepp to do that everytime, but well worth the hour or two the next day. Bearings aren't that expensive (About $50 a wheel here in SA), but if a bearing seizes while you're driving, it basically burns itself onto the stub-axle. New stub-axle: About $150. The heat can deform your axle housing, which can potentially snap your halfshaft. If all this happens at 50 or 60 Mph, it can be quite exciting controlling the truck with a locked wheel! Ask me, I've had the pleasure. I'm not saying you should be paranoid about it, but definitely a worthwhile check every time after you've been wading. One way to avoid bearing hassles is to let the truck cool down a bit before taking a dive. | ||
| 20/20/20 (Chrisseries1) New Member Username: Chrisseries1 Post Number: 11 Registered: 03-2004 |
i am thinking that evertime you go offroading or wading is a bit on the over kill side of things. yes wash all the mud off the truck with a hose or something, espescially the calipers, visiually check the under carrage for damage. start the season off by changing all the diff oils. looking for water contamination. inspect wheel bearings at this time and repack with quality grease. this is all routine mantince and preventive mantience as well. so with that done you should be fine but; now if you off road every day then this is a different story. now you shoiuld be considering checking your dif oils weekly or bi weekly for water ingress. you should now be thinking of checking and repacking wheel bearings three times through out the season. you have done it at the start so do it in the middle and then finally at the end of the season or before winter sets in. this is the routine that many seasoned off roaders follow. every time you offroad? pulling your half shafts? no way. thats over kill. keep in mind roughly how many times you have been in the deep water or deep mud. i mean if it is everyday for 12hrs a day all year then yes it stands to reason that the mantence will be higher. but it is up to you on how you mantain your rover. so maybe we will see you on the trails. |
