Waterproofing your engine
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Senior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 105
Likes: 2
From: Prince George
Waterproofing your engine
I was just out mudding and going through some relatively large water holes. The holes were big enough so that when I drove through, water would come up over the hood. My truck, a '92 F250 460 with 33's died, luckly on dry land. The engine would turn over, but would not fire. After cheking a few things, I pulled off the distributor cap and sure enough there was moisture there. I wiped it down with a cloth, and sprayed some WD-40 in the cap, replaced it and it fired right away. Anyhow, I wanted to know how to prep my truck so that this, and similar things did not happen in the future, or so that I knew tricks, like the WD-40 one, to make a quick fix. All your help is appreciated.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 18,423
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From: iowa
if you go to a wrecking yard, and look for either a mustang or linclon town car from the late 80s to early 90s with a 5.0 in it they had a rubber boot that goes over the dist, and hooks underneath around the base these will fit both the stock, and MSD dist just fine, and will keep 90% of all water and mud off the dist. I actually use one on my mud drag truck, and haven't had any problems
Junior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 53
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Since its a 92
What about the computer? I have a 91 and I agree about the distributer, the thing that scares me is the computer getting soaked. Anyone have any ideas on them? I'm sitting here looking at one (mass air conversion project) and wondering if you could just silicone all the seams and coat the contacts with di-electric grease. Does anyone know if sealing them off would cause the electronics to overheat? The bottom looks as though it is made to work as a heat sink, but does anyone know if how hot they actually get? As far as the distibuter boot goes, I'm surprised the trucks didn't come with them from the factory. I had always assumed since I got my truck used that someone took it off and never put it back on. Oh well, I guess I just rob one off one of my Mustangs, hopefully their off roading days are over!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
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From: Topsfield, MA
I would be most concerned with water getting into the engine. You'll ruin that motor real fast if water gets sucked in. Snorkle. Make a snorkle that can be installed before the water hole, and not be a perminant fixture.
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Lead Driver
Joined: May 2000
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From: Senoia, GA
you can fab/build a snorkel actually quite easily with a lil extra creativity. i am about to put one on my truck and i am gonna run it through my firewall so it comes out behind my glovebox... i don't like the snorkel look either.
i am looking for something to use but i think i am gonna use PVC hard pipe and run it through a hole i cut in the firewall. then i am gonna silicone around the hole to keep the elemnets from coming in that way. if i have water coming up higher than my glovebox then i have many other problems than water getting in my carb!
also to help keep water mud from splashing in i have heard of ppl using old rubber floor mats and self-tapping screw them to the inside of the body to fill in the gaps between the body and frame... just a thought
-cutts-
i am looking for something to use but i think i am gonna use PVC hard pipe and run it through a hole i cut in the firewall. then i am gonna silicone around the hole to keep the elemnets from coming in that way. if i have water coming up higher than my glovebox then i have many other problems than water getting in my carb!
also to help keep water mud from splashing in i have heard of ppl using old rubber floor mats and self-tapping screw them to the inside of the body to fill in the gaps between the body and frame... just a thought
-cutts-
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 14,947
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From: Topsfield, MA
Originally Posted by fishmanndotcom
i am looking for something to use but i think i am gonna use PVC hard pipe and run it through a hole i cut in the firewall. then i am gonna silicone around the hole to keep the elemnets from coming in that way. if i have water coming up higher than my glovebox then i have many other problems than water getting in my carb!
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,711
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From: Pittsburgh
use wax toilet seals and two flanges to hold it to the firewall. Have one flange and one gasket on one side, another flange and another gasket on the other, through drill it all and bolt it together in about 6 different spots. The bolts through the firewall will keep shift to a minimum and the wax seals will keep it water tight.\
Justin
Justin
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 11,945
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From: Spokane, WA
Originally Posted by hoxiii
use wax toilet seals and two flanges to hold it to the firewall. Have one flange and one gasket on one side, another flange and another gasket on the other, through drill it all and bolt it together in about 6 different spots. The bolts through the firewall will keep shift to a minimum and the wax seals will keep it water tight.\
Justin
Justin
I'm not terribly familiar with the trucks from that era but take a good look at where the electronics are. Ignition boxes and injection controls can be ruined quite easily with just a little bit of water (don't ask me how I know). Something like Fishy is talking about will work great if you use a dryer hose instead of PVC so it can flex. If you seal up your distributor make sure you vent it like Hoxiii mentioned. Also check the vents on your axles to make sure they're extended high enough to keep water out. Otherwise you'd be best to lengthen them and then replace the fluid in your diffs. Something I did one time that you'll want to be careful of is went under water that was deep enough to flood into my oil breather and get in my crank case. Keep an eye out for that if you get into stupid deep stuff. Also watch your fan. A mechanical can can act as a propeller in deep water and the blades will go right through your radiator. I switched to electric cooling fans so I can turn them off in the water.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,711
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From: Pittsburgh
Afternoon dump thankyouverymuch
I know on my truck the computer is (was) above the gas pedal about lower chest level, kinda between the radio and the guage cluster. Best bet is to just keep the water at or below headlight level and it'll be safe. If you insist on going stupid deep, make a box to put the computer in that lets it get airflow, but that when you go swimming you can close it up and protect it. I've seen ziplocks used, but then you ahve to mount and dismount the computer every time you go wheeling (DO NOT leave it in the bag!!!!!)
Justin
I know on my truck the computer is (was) above the gas pedal about lower chest level, kinda between the radio and the guage cluster. Best bet is to just keep the water at or below headlight level and it'll be safe. If you insist on going stupid deep, make a box to put the computer in that lets it get airflow, but that when you go swimming you can close it up and protect it. I've seen ziplocks used, but then you ahve to mount and dismount the computer every time you go wheeling (DO NOT leave it in the bag!!!!!)
Justin
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,871
Likes: 0
From: Coutts Canada
Any electronic piece that doesn't need to be vented-seal er' up with duct tape, i have the rubber boot that monster described and it works great. On thing that i would do is with the inner fenders, fill in all the gaps you can with canvas like this:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=52300&width=0
and
I myself will be running all the electronics onto the top of the dash and then i will make a snorkel like what cutts described, only instead if using pvc for the whole, i will use it pvc for the elbow and adapter to the carb then i will use vaccumm hose from the elbow then i will run it into the cab (using inner tube rubber to seal it (it will be clamped between 2 steel rings, then screwed to the firewall) and run it up onto the dash and us a coneical filter k&n filter hose clamped to the end of the hose, i will also be locating the battery into the cab, where the glove box is so its out of the way of the water and mud (i've killed one battery-shorted it out in some weird way with the mud/water crossing onto the battery hold down). Thats all i can think of for now, if i can think of anything i've done or will do i'll post it up.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...=52300&width=0
and
I myself will be running all the electronics onto the top of the dash and then i will make a snorkel like what cutts described, only instead if using pvc for the whole, i will use it pvc for the elbow and adapter to the carb then i will use vaccumm hose from the elbow then i will run it into the cab (using inner tube rubber to seal it (it will be clamped between 2 steel rings, then screwed to the firewall) and run it up onto the dash and us a coneical filter k&n filter hose clamped to the end of the hose, i will also be locating the battery into the cab, where the glove box is so its out of the way of the water and mud (i've killed one battery-shorted it out in some weird way with the mud/water crossing onto the battery hold down). Thats all i can think of for now, if i can think of anything i've done or will do i'll post it up.
