Did our first bit fo offroading in the (fairly) new Freelander 2 on Sunday. Mostly sand tracks with about 2km of beach driving (she went way better than I ever expercted - even on road tyres). I'm just wondering what the best method of washing down the underside is - I've been told to put a sprinkler under the car for an hour or two to wash out any salt/sand- is this a good idea?
Any comments appreciated!
That's what I do
Loosens things up a bit
A sprinkler will only wet it down mate. You need to get under there with a hose and look. Find every nook and cranny thats holding sand/salt and wash it out. Park it on a hill and flood your chassi until the water runs clean.
The more you do it the better you will get and pretty soon you will know every little bit that needs to be cleaned and it wont take very long to do.
Yep, it's worth picking up a set of ramps and getting under there with a spray gun. More effective, and uses less water...
Cheers,
Tim
Carbon Really Ain't Pollution.
I've found volume beats pressure when getting rid of sand and salt.
Ideally a fire hose with no nozzle and some ramps is unbeatable.
A plumber mate bent me up some 12mm hard drawn copper to look a bit like one of those massojet thingo's, but we just crimped the end a little bit to keep the volume going. The thing works a treat and makes the job easier.
i use a local fresh water creek go through a couple of times i have to drive for 20 mins to get there but its great you cant beat it .
hilly
gr hilly - Thats thew absolute best thing you can do. When ever I use a high pressure gun or use the propper underbody wash, I can always see heaps of sand when its dry. ANd still heaps in my cills and chassi, etc etc... I just use a hose with no nozzle and flood everything.
G'day,
For every hour you spend on sand spend 2 hours under the car getting out the salt and sand. The sand will grind it away and the salt will corrode everything where sand traps it.
Here are some basics:
You don't have a chassis, as such, but make sure the sub-frames are thoroughly flushed. You might have to look for an unused bolt hole to do this and you might have to drill a lowest point drain hole. Pour warm water and detergent in to dissolve the salt but then keep pouring in warm water until the soap suds stop pouring out because by then the salt is gone.
Expect sand and salt to be packed between bash plates and the engine sump, transmission pan and fuel tank - and anything else protected. You have to get it out or it will wear the paint off the sump, etc and the salt will rust it through - quickly. If you can't wash it out, dismantle, clean and replace.
You must get all the sand and salt off the brakes. The worst is the caking on sliding caliper pins and can result in very expensive whole replacement. Jack each wheel and lower it onto a stand. Take each wheel off and use a pressure hose to clean each brake using high pressure warm water. Warm water dissolves salt. Cold water doesn't. Get somebody to gently pump the brakes while you are hosing it out.
If you have two axle stands take the opportunity to thoroughly clean expanded boots on the steering rods and around the CV and drive shafts by turning the steering from side top side and cleaning from side to side. Thoroughly inspect the boots for tears and perishing. They protect vital components that sand and salt will destroy in a couple of hours.
I expect that your car has plastic inner guards. These rarely have effective seals to the vulnerable and often poorly painted steel panels inside them. If you drove along the tidal line these are now full of salt and possibly some sand. Take them off and wash it out while the wheel is off at that corner. I think the Rovers come off with a PH2 screw driver. While you are there take a long look at the finish underneath and decide if you should invest in some rust prevention. When you put the plastics back coat the screws with lanolin grease. It's insurance for the next time.
After a while you give up on beaches because all the people you took with you don't hang around for the cleaning. But maybe I'm getting too old for it.
We are having fun!
Regards,
White Pointer
you can always just make sure you replace your new car every two years, then you can let someone else worry about the corrosion. Sorry....My Bad.
Four or five years should be enough :grin::grin::grin:Originally Posted by sleepygreg
Cheers,
Tim
Carbon Really Ain't Pollution.
He he - she's leased - does that make me a bad person - or a smart beach driver?
Thanks all for the responses!
Bugger. There goes the holidays.
The old Landrover would spend at least 5 hours a day on the beach when she gets used and after a week we need to spend 70hrs washing. Double bugger. :sad:
It did not take that long to paint her. Maybe just another coat of jam will do??:rolleyes:
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
I think mine was born on the beach 18 years ago so Im completely screwed.
Your dead right about the calipers pistons white pointer. I just replaced mine again $650. And they where ceased in there. But, there really isnt much you can do. If you drive on a beach alot expect to replace them every 2-3 years. Or get a electronic rust system and hope it makes it to the pistons.
On a side note. Having said that 1 side pistons where ceased and chewd my pads out in no time back to metal on metal (while out on a run). The steel flakes that where coming off scratched the hell out of my chrome rims and they have rusted up on that rim (6 weeks old). Does anyone know if electronic rust proofing protects my rims from rusting aswell??
G'day,He he - she's leased - does that make me a bad person - or a smart beach driver?
Thanks all for the responses!
No, because it is a wreck when you surrender the lease you own the cost of refurbishment or the loss on sale. Read the contract really closely.
Regards,
White Pointer
G'day again,
You own a Land Rover. The guy who started this thread owns a Freelander. There is about 60 years of generational change between the two products and probably between the owners.
The later car learned nothing from the earlier one. Apart from Bosch, ZF and a few other clever bits. But none of the new technologies teach us anything about survival.
You survive in the old Land Rover because you have a grudging respect for it's durability. It doesn't have sump, transmission and fuel tank guards in stupid places because it has so much ground clearance it doesn't need them. To ground one of these you have to be drunk or have fallen off the road in your sleep.
You also don't need airbags or pyrotechnic seat belts in these old things because you can't go fast enough and hit anything that would deploy them. If the rear driveshaft snaps with corrosion you are likely to think the brakes have started working properly.
I'm of your school (i.e. age bracket) and I wouldn't own a Freelander let alone take one on a beach. But that may because I don't like being towed home and I hate cleaning cars.
Have you thought of upgrading to an ex-army Land Rover with a 3.9 Isuzu up front?
Regards,
White Pointer
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