In article , NY writes
"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
vidual.net...
On Mon, 17 Feb 2020 14:46:10 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
Indeed! But also there was that bit of vid on the BBC news showing
a
street in Wales I think were a Audi was bombing down the road with
water up to and then over its bonnet makes me wonder just how it
kept
on f driving maybe the air intake is just that little bit higher?
I've been told driving at more than a crawling pace can create a bow
wave that keeps the engine air intake above the water. But just passing
that on with zero experience of doing so.
Well I got away with driving through a flood with the water lapping
up onto the bonnet like that Audi but it took a lot of throttle and
clutch slipping in 1st just to keep the thing moving and not letting
the water get further up the bonnet. Water does not want to get out
of the way like air...
I suspect that there is an "optimum" speed for going through a flood.
Too fast and water is thrown up into the engine compartment soaking
distributer or plugs, leads, coil packs or getting injested. Still
has to get past the air filter but I guess a soggy air filter won't
let enough air through. Too slow water can rise up into the engine
compartment with similar effect. "Optimum" the water doesn't get a
chance to rise up behind the grill, radiator, oil coolers, aircon
condensor etc. So the engine stays dry.
The low down starter motor was never quite the same after my deep
flood drive but nothing else suffered.
I am very cautious about driving through flood water, both from the
point of damage to the engine and the car being washed away by
fast-flowing water.
I notice that this ford https://goo.gl/maps/XJtySvYQYFZ8UYX49 has a
metal rail to prevent cars being washed off the ford. I've seen a 4x4
driving through this ford when it was in spate (we parked where the red
car is in the photo, and looked at the flooding from the old bridge
alongside the ford) and the driver was having to steer suddenly away
from the barrier as he entered the water - which was about 2 feet above
the road and really thundering along.
This ford https://goo.gl/maps/XxWwtzKK88CkbLKt7 and
https://goo.gl/maps/y962wBCWRJyvHpLN8 is an intriguing one, because you
drive along the *length* of a stream for about 100 yards. The first
time we encountered it, I stopped and my wife walking along it in bare
feet to check that it didn't get any deeper, before coming back and
telling me it was OK.
I wouldn't like to try either ford when they were full. I remember
driving down to the second one when there had been heavy rain, with no
intention of going through, but just to see how high it could get. You
have to reverse a long way to get to a turning-round spot, if the one
by the gate in https://goo.gl/maps/XxWwtzKK88CkbLKt7 is several feet
under water ;-(
Cycling through that ford is scary because even when the water is at
its normal level and flow (as in the photos) the current tries to move
the bike wheels off course as you turn the corner at the far end
https://goo.gl/maps/y962wBCWRJyvHpLN8
Land Rovers are excellent because a) the door seals leak and let in
water so they don't float and b) they have flat floors without sills so
having exited the water just open the door and the water flows out. Best
to be wearing wellies though.
--
bert