By Marc on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 11:52 am: Edit

Has anyone waterproofed their ECU? I have a 95 disco and I hate where it is, seems very vunerable under the PS seat. I almost got it wet last weekend, and I was merely stuck in a medium size mud hole. Water was up to the doors, and I was freaking out.


How can I waterproof it?

What about moving it? Probably more complicated, but it might work.

Would really like to head this one off at the pass.

-Marc

By Bill Bettridge (Billb) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 01:07 pm: Edit

You could try housing it in some tupperware- just cut hole(s) for the harness and then silicone -em up. If you wanted to be really fancy, you could vent it up high somewhere. At least you don't have it stuck under the hood like mine (97) - still haven't figured out what to do about that.

Bear in mind that I haven't tried the above - just a thought....

By r0ver4x4 on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 01:12 pm: Edit

di electric grease helps....I have seen tupper ware applications on distributor caps in trucks that spend about 90% of thier time in deep mud

phil

By Marc on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 01:14 pm: Edit

Bill,

I like the tupperware idea - I might work on something along those lines. I will post if I figure it out.

-Marc

By Bluegill (Bluegill) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 01:17 pm: Edit

Hey, my wife is hosting a tupperware party at our house for a friend of hers. I'll shop for "ECU Application Tupperware." Now I have another reason to attend (other than the obvious reason).

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 01:46 pm: Edit

Do you think there would be an issue with heating up if its sealed into a tupperware container?

By Bill Bettridge (Billb) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 02:03 pm: Edit

It could - that's why I mentioned possible putting in a vent tube that could run up an A or B pillar to the headliner (??) Other electronics put out considerable heat -but I'm not sure about an ECU

Also, it could be set on a piece of silicone or high-temp textile inside the tupperware to keep any plastic from melting

Boy I'm bored today

By Marc on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 02:34 pm: Edit

If you mount it in the tupperware with the top off, you could just pop the top on the tupperware when you need it to be dry.

By Carl E. Cedeholm (Cederholm) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 02:48 pm: Edit

I would worry about frying the electronics before I would worry about melting the plastic, and I don't think a vent tube would help with out some cross venting. I like the removeable top idea.
my 2cent, worth about 1

By Bill Bettridge (Billb) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 03:04 pm: Edit

Carl

Thats a good point - though I wonder if it would get any hotter that the later models like mine with it mounted under the hood? Never checked it, but after running for 6 hours or so - it's damn hot under there and it doesn't seem to affect the ECU

I think the removeable top idea is good also - just wonder how to get the wiring harness into the container without cutting through the top sealing lip (nescessitating resealing with silicone each time you put the lid back on)? ECU connector is awfully large - probably too large to cut into the side of the conatiner and then have to seal all the way around the much smaller wire bundle?

Any thoughts?

I'd like to do the same for my underhood mounted ECU.....

By Carl E. Cedeholm (Cederholm) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 03:41 pm: Edit

Very true Bill,
Anything surviving under the hood should be able to withstand some heat.
Marc, or anyone with an older truck, (mine is also under the hood) have you ever put your hand on the ECU after a few hours of driving to see how hot it is?
I think if it's not to hot to handle, than it should be fine in a confined area.
I know the bottom of my laptop gets pretty hot without hurting anything, and the ECU should be built to take more abuse than that.

By p m on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 04:48 pm: Edit

>Do you think there would be an issue with heating
>up if its sealed into a tupperware container?

Dean,

it's microwave-able.

peter

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 04:53 pm: Edit

Peter - LOL

Yes, imagine staring at your ecu melted all over the floor and saying 'oh no, my container!'
Dean

By Moe on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 05:16 pm: Edit

So no real examples or experiences? Someone must have done this. I would think waterproofing the ecu would come before the need for the snorkel

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 05:22 pm: Edit

Get the wife to pump out the water. If your lucky, the wet stuff won't come in too fast.

Leave the doors open all night before you leave, and let the rubber seals expand a little. Unless you park on the road, that is!

Dean

By p m on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 05:53 pm: Edit

you guys should see the innards of an instrument case with 8 big lifeline batteries flooded with seawater, after two months...

all 8 batteries cracked open...

By Wayne on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 06:27 pm: Edit

Beware of completly sealing a tupperware container on with silicon. You will end up with moisture in there through humidity, sweat or something, I don't know how it gets in there but it always does, we have tried it before. If you vent it that should fix the problem, but if you ever get into really deep water, the water will find a way in. The only sure way to protect it is to relocate it. We move ours up into the dash, and mount them above the glovebox. It's alot of work, but if the water gets that high you have more then the ECU to worry about.
Regards
Wayne

By r0ver4x4 on Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - 09:07 pm: Edit

simple.......get a diesal and drive it under water..

r0ver4x4

By michel on Thursday, October 25, 2001 - 02:58 pm: Edit

I've had water in the disco floor up to about 8" and my ecu is on the floor 95 disco. No issues with it.

For relocation, you could screw it on the bottom of the seat instead of the floor or raise with a box and mount on top of the box, not as much work as the glove box. That should do ok.

Michel

By Redsrover (Redsrover) on Thursday, October 25, 2001 - 03:04 pm: Edit

My 1997 ECU is in the engine compartment and I squirted some silicone sealant around the edge of the plastic cover and the body. Done.

Red

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Thursday, October 25, 2001 - 03:04 pm: Edit

Michel,

You mean you ecu was under water, with no protection?

Dean

By lynden on Thursday, October 25, 2001 - 05:47 pm: Edit

I can believe Michael. Think about it, your digital watch worked under water when you were a kid even though it wasn't water proof or anything... that is worked for a while!

I really haven't looked for my ECU, I figured it was in the passenger kick panel. What does it look like under the hood? Is it the black box w/ the fuses in the top?
Thanks

By Reed Cotton on Friday, October 26, 2001 - 05:38 pm: Edit

Like most of us, I haven't given the problem any serious study, but have thought about it a lot.

When I was younger I did a lot of underwater photography. Before I couldn't afford underwater cammeras, I couldn't afford housings for my land cameras. Though the average Disco wouldn't be under the preasures involved in even a shallow cammera dive, the principle is the same.

1. Electronics do get hot, and sealing them up, even in tupperware, leaves no place for the excess heat to go. but is usually gets very hot under the hood.
2. Even for shallow submersion it is hard to really waterproof anything with wires sticking through it.
3. Driving your new submarine through fresh-water will keep the wet electonics alive (after drying out), longer than doing the same trip in sal-water. (Read salt-water as any water that is more contaminated than say Lake Tahoe.)
4. The ECU is the most Engine/System critical electronic part, but don't forget that the fenders are fulll of all kinds of misteriously wired relays, all of which seem interdependent on each other.
5. Weld the doors shut and get a really good bilge-pump, with an Optimax deep-cycle, you might even keep it afloat.
6. I wish I knew the answer, I would like to try the snorkel out in something other than dust.

By Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) on Friday, October 26, 2001 - 06:07 pm: Edit

You could duct-tape the doors shut and climb in through the window, but I havenever tried this technique yet