Prepare a Series 3 Land Rover petrol for wading
I am not sure what it is about Land Rovers and water. Most people with an interest in offroad driving get some pleasure from driving through deep water. Land rover provide a good high safe wading depth from standard but if you want to go beyond that there are a few things you will need to do. Obviously, if you go driving round in deep water, you make your own decisions and take your own chances - the following is just my personal opinion!
One thing that I do know is that you must prepare for deep water - if you don't it will cost you far more!
Fit a snorkel
They look good, protect your egine from water and also from dust! They dont always have to be expensive. See my DIY series land rover snorkel page for a very cheap option!
Ignition electrics
Water and electricity don't mix. If you have a petrol land rover, this is a problem if you want to go wading. Mine does surprisingly well in the deep stuff with only a few simple steps. My distributor is covered with a rubber glove. The tips are chopped from all 5 fingers and a lead fed through each. This is a pain to do and doesn't last forever. I am yet to find a better way.
My coil is seated in a Tupperware box on the bulkhead, the leads are fed through holes sealed with silicone sealant. The plug ends of my leads are given a liberal coating of wd40 before i go near the water.
Other breathers
I have fitted an extended axle breather kit. Both axles and the gearbox have a breather fitted from the factory. These are reasonably efficient when new but do get damaged and blocked over years. At the very minimum you should check your breathers are in good, unblocked condition. The best bet is to fit an axle breather kit to extand your breathers up high (if possible up to the top of your snorkel). Extended axle breather kits and gearbox breather kits are available in our online shop. You should also fit a wading plug to the breather holes on the timing belt cover and to the front of the gearbox bellhousing. Wading plugs are also available in our eBay shop! Some people also fit a breather to the timing cover instead of a wading plug.Additional preperation
If you have the time/money/inclination then removing the original land rover viscous fan and replacing with an electric one helps. The standard fan doesn't half throw mud and water all over the engine bay! Removing the viscous fan also makes your land rover quieter, more fuel efficient and helps it warm up quicker in winter!Also remember not to go in the water with your lights on, your asking for popped bulbs at best!