If the engine should stall, through water getting on to the high tension, try to re-fire the engine immediately - don't just sit there, risking water getting into the various housings. Put it into first gear, make sure the handbrake is off, and wind yourself out of the water on the starter. At least then, with the front wheels part of the way up the bank, you can get out and sort the problem.

Usually, with a petrol engined vehicle, a squirt of WD40 over the distributor cap, leads and coil will get things going again. If you decide to take off the distributor cap, think twice about spraying WD40 inside. Firstly, you are more likely to coat the contacts inside which will break down the high tension and, secondly, you will have one almighty bang inside the cap as the trapped vapour is ignited by the high tension. It's better to wipe out any moisture with a soft, dry cloth, should droplets of water be inside.

As with hill climbing, never underestimate problems associated with water - especially when it is deep.

If you're crossing a water area that is obviously full of debris, I suggest you hang a piece of sacking across the front of the radiator to stop rubbish getting into the radiator core.

If you are in any way concerned about the amount of water you've driven through in a day, then check all oils later for colour. If they look white, grey or creamy, change them straight away. Finally, don't forget to remove the wading plug(s) that you fitted before driving.

Some automatic Range Rover Efis do not have a threaded hole for the wading plug. All they have is an unsealed slotted hole at the very bottom of the bellhousing. I've got to admit, it's an odd one, this. Perhaps Land Rover has a part number for chewing gum to temporarily fill these open slots.

Checking the Land Rover over after off-roading

So far I have not mentioned the 'new' Range Rover. This has been on purpose, as it's going to be the subject of a future chapter which I will cover on Solihull's newest vehicles.

The maxim, 'drive slowly as possible.... and as fast as necessary', is well worth bearing in mind. This gives you built-in reliability, comfort and, above all, safety - which is of paramount importance.

In a nutshell, don't try to drive the impossible, or you could sustain damage to the vehicle and suffer either embarrassment, or a real headache in having to be recovered, possibly miles from anywhere.

Having made full use of the vehicle's capabilities, it's important to check the vehicle over to ensure continued reliability - and safety on the road.

Index [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

(c)Goodwinch Limited 2006