Preparing for water crossings - what mods do I need? (1 Viewer)

[Pulgasari]

Hi everyone,

I ran some trails with standing water (roughly 1-5ft deep) this weekend for the first time. Although my LX was fine, I knew I didn't have diff breathers or anything else beyond a snorkel, so I was on edge the whole time and picked the shallowest paths, which were about 1-2ft deep. Now that I'm actually going offroad, I definitely want to add some diff breathers at the very least. I was thinking of going with the ARB kit, but it seems like that isn't an optimal arrangement since you'd need to buy at least 2 kits to have a rear diff breather that doesn't need to be routed to the engine bay, so now I'm looking into a more DIY approach with transparent tubing. I also want to make sure that I'm aware of any other supporting mods I'd need to feel fully confident in driving through, say, 3-4ft of water.

I'd greatly appreciate some help/answers for the following questions:

1. In addition to the snorkel (already installed) and the diff breathers (still need to install), how important is it to add breathers to the transmission and transfer case? I figure this is a "while you're at it" kind of job, but want to make sure there aren't any cons I'm missing here.
2. Are there any downsides to adding breather lines to the engine bay/rear tail light area? My LX is my only car and most of the time I'm driving it in city/highway traffic, so I don't want to compromise on daily driveability...
3. How bad is the door seal rubber after 24-25 years? I know I need to test these, but I'm wondering if other people are replacing theirs at this point
4. Are there any other supporting mods for water crossings that I'm missing here?
   

 

[Skleet]

anything with a breather that's below the water line, it water, and water will do what water does to opening that do not have a pressure differential or covers to keep water out... ie if ur engine stops running water will go into ur tail pipe. ur cab air pressure flap in the rear lower quarter panel will let water in, if ur fan blades start running while they r covered in water, they do not make good propellers, ur floor pan has a # of rubber grommets that age and can let water passed.... this is just a start, sure others will added and added to the list

 

[Kofoed]

Check the rubber plugs on the underside of teh body, especially along the rockers

 

[Bisho]

I’ve crossed the Buffalo River at 3’9”, and I wouldn’t want much more than that, to keep water from entering the a/c system through the fresh air ducts in front of the windshield.

For breathers, I extended the front diff with standard vacuum hose to the top of the engine compartment. The rear diff I extended behind the plastic shield to the top of the gas filler neck. The trans and transfer case are vented to the transmission filler tube on 98-02s, so you can’t get much higher than that.

Of course, you mostly want to avoid stopping in deep water. I have replace the outer door seals, but I’ve been with others that haven’t without issue.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

Your factory differential breathers will actually do, just make sure the one-way vent valve is not clogged.

 

[Bisho]

Definitely check your gear oil after water crossing trips to make sure it’s not milky no matter what you do.

 

[Texsun84]

Feel like an old man posting this but maybe avoid deep water crossings in your DD.

I also have two trucks so it’s easy to say but feels like a valid point.

 

[Pulgasari]

Of course, you mostly want to avoid stopping in deep water. I have replace the outer door seals, but I’ve been with others that haven’t without issue.

Yep for sure, I just want to make sure that I can see a 3 foot puddle and feel a bit more confident when crossing it. For what it's worth, my AHC works (which gets me an extra 2 inches) and I'm on 33" tires so I do get a slight lift over stock.

Definitely check your gear oil after water crossing trips to make sure it’s not milky no matter what you do.

Stupid question: what do you mean by gear oil? Transmission, transfer case, diffs, all 3, or something else?

Feel like an old man posting this but maybe avoid deep water crossings in your DD.

I also have two trucks so it’s easy to say but feels like a valid point.

Yeah, I'm avoiding deep water crossings in general, I just don't want to feel like I'm stuck on a trail after a bit of rain. Although it's my only car, I don't have a commute and don't need to really use a car for day-to-day stuff (which is how I justified the LX in the first place), plus I can borrow relatives' cars if I need to. I don't want something to happen to my LX of course, but outside of monetary damage, I don't think the risk is that high.

Thanks to everyone else as well for the great responses! I'm putting a checklist together so that I know what I need to do.

 

[Bisho]

Yep for sure, I just want to make sure that I can see a 3 foot puddle and feel a bit more confident when crossing it. For what it's worth, my AHC works (which gets me an extra 2 inches) and I'm on 33" tires so I do get a slight lift over stock.


Stupid question: what do you mean by gear oil? Transmission, transfer case, diffs, all 3, or something else?


Yeah, I'm avoiding deep water crossings in general, I just don't want to feel like I'm stuck on a trail after a bit of rain. Although it's my only car, I don't have a commute and don't need to really use a car for day-to-day stuff (which is how I justified the LX in the first place), plus I can borrow relatives' cars if I need to. I don't want something to happen to my LX of course, but outside of monetary damage, I don't think the risk is that high.

Thanks to everyone else as well for the great responses! I'm putting a checklist together so that I know what I need to do.

Particularly check the diffs. Just open the filler hole and stick your finger in to check the color to make sure it’s not milky.

 

[GTV]

ur cab air pressure flap in the rear lower quarter panel will let water in

Isn’t the “air pressure flap” located behind the rear side windows for this very reason?

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Consider refreshing your weatherstriping (door seals) with Shin-Etsu grease, which is an OE product for a few Japanese automobile manufacturers (Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan).

 

[FamilyCamper]

+1 for the DIY breather extensions. All of them are easy to extend and the hardest part is just wrapping your mind around where they all go. Head to hardware store and pick up some hose and a brass T so that you can link the transmission and transfer case together and run that higher up to the top of the engine bay. I ordered small fuel filters from amazon that I put on top of each line and zip tied it all in place. Rear is best to extend up into the gas neck area as stated above. I ended up with way too much hose and am located in Richmond. Let me know if youre around here ever and I could help you out/give you the extra hose.

 

[FamilyCamper]

+1 for the DIY breather extensions. All of them are easy to extend and the hardest part is just wrapping your mind around where they all go. Head to hardware store and pick up some hose and a brass T so that you can link the transmission and transfer case together and run that higher up to the top of the engine bay. I ordered small fuel filters from amazon that I put on top of each line and zip tied it all in place. Rear is best to extend up into the gas neck area as stated above. I ended up with way too much hose and am located in Richmond. Let me know if youre around here ever and I could help you out/give you the extra hose.

Amazon product ASIN B0B8CXXDY3

 

[Mike NXP]

Put it in 4 low and just send it

 

[hoser]

Don't send it. The fan blades don't make for great boat propellers. I once broke a fan blade that way.

 

[Mike NXP]

Don't send it. The fan blades don't make for great boat propellers. I once a fan blade that way.

Oh come on =]....But you will have fun doing it and will spend less time with EOCP ( early on-set cruiser paranoia ) on the forums . The 100 loves a little abuse.

 

[NE Snowman]

More power to yall river crossers. Most I’ve ever gone through any of my vehicles was MAYBE 12-16”, and that was only the need to get out of a flash flood.

 

[hoser]

Oh come on =]....But you will have fun doing it and will spend less time with EOCP ( early on-set cruiser paranoia ) on the forums . The 100 loves a little abuse.

The fan is only like $125 but on the 4 hr drive home, it feels like your engine is misfiring the entire time due to the fan imbalance.

It can strand you if the fan blade digs into the radiator.

 

[Mike NXP]

The fan is only like $125 but on the 4 hr drive home, it feels like your engine is misfiring the entire time due to the fan imbalance.

It can strand you if the fan blade digs into the radiator.

Ah, interesting. I was thinking bearing failure or something like that. Floppy blades into the radiator would be a bummer, didn't think of that.

Obviously I'm just messing around, I suppose any water over the center hub could do some damage to worn parts/seals/ etc. That previous screenshot was the deepest I've been through, I definitely pucker up when water comes up over the hood.

 

[hoser]

Water over the hood is okay. Slow and steady is the advice (but not too slow).

Quick search.... I'm sure there are many more examples...

Busted radiator after a water crossing

Hi Guys Im new to this forum so please excuse me if this topic had already been discussed but I couldnt find it in the search. I have a HZJ79 series well back and on a recent trip offroading I did a water crossing (bumper level) and had my cooling fan strike the radiator puncturing it...

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