sand in engine/turbo

Submitted: Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 19:54

ThreadID: 28927 Views:3537 Replies:6 FollowUps:2

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Leonora

just wondering if there is a problem with sand getting into the engine and/or turbo of 2002 Patrol when beach driving or camping especially if there's a sandstorm. Had trouble a few years back with an old vehicle on the Coorong.

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Reply By: Exploder - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:08

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:08

You mean Internally right, like throe the Intake and into the combustion chamber, In which case yes that is very bad, It would cause more issues to the engine than the turbo I would think but getting sand into ether isn't good.

Or do you mean over the engine like on the outside, in which case, not really a problem just makes the motor look chit, my engine is covered in sand and dust right now and has been for 4 months which was when I last cleaned it.

AnswerID: 144196

Follow Up By: Leonora - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:24

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:24

Maybe being a bit paranod but not having had a turbo before and also with the snorkel and air vent thing in the bonnet (I have no idea what I'm talking about - hubby wanted me to ask??)

FollowupID: 397655

Follow Up By: Exploder - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:39

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:39

The air vent thingo is for the intercooler, if you drive in a sand storm then you risk clogging the cooling fins with sand, the snorkel is good except in a sand storm in which case you will probably suck more sand and dust

Driving in a sand storm isn’t a good idea, as you will suck a hell of a lot of sand and dust into the airfilter, which will block it, and also you will not be able to see where you are going.

I doubt any sand or dust will make it past the air filter anyway.

I have driven in a dust storm once up in the Pilbra (WA) we couldn’t see chit and we had a few near misses with trees as we could hardly see the track thro all the dust (we were driving for 10-15minitus in the storm). We only did this, as we had to get back to the camp before a thunderstorm potentiality hit that could of made the track extremely boggy, Subsequently the rain missed us but it hammered down about 50k’s west of us.

I run a K&N filter and they are apparently chit in dusty conditions but no dirt made it past the filter and the 80-Series that had a paper filter was fine as well, This was over Easter so it was Very dry and dusty up that way.

FollowupID: 397661

Reply By: dieselup - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:25

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 20:25

Hi Leonora
I have a 3.0 l diesel with high ks (211000) and a suspect engine , but thats another story! Hopefully it'll be gone next week in favour of a 4.2 TD
After each trip to the beach there is always some sand in the air box ,on the outside of the filter thankfully When we pick up a 4.2the first thing fitted will be a snorkel it should eliminate 99% of the problem. However always be vigilant with the fitting of the air element and the cleanliness of the air box and you should have no problems
happy beach driving -great fun

AnswerID: 144198

Reply By: Sarg - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:02

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:02

Always wipe any sand etc away from the dipstick & oil filler cap area before checking / adding oil.

AnswerID: 144202

Reply By: big fella - Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:50

Friday, Dec 16, 2005 at 21:50

leonora yes getting sand in the turbo is $1400 worth of bad just had to replace mine in the rodeo but it got filled with red dirt after 12months around australia

Regards BigFella

AnswerID: 144210

Reply By: rihearn - Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 at 02:10

Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 at 02:10

This is a little off your topic but when I was looking at used 4wd's a year ago I found one with an airbox full of locusts and the filter was in bits as the insects had torn it up when they were sucked in. Seemed to run ok but I don't know what effect the ingested insects would have had!! (Didn't buy that one)
On the topic of sand getting to the engine if you have both a precleaner and filter I'd have thought it almost impossible for the sand to get to the engine (though it does seem able to get into everything else I own when I camp on the beach)

AnswerID: 144224

Reply By: Bilbo - Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 at 11:31

Saturday, Dec 17, 2005 at 11:31

Any sand that gets into the air intake is unliley to get through to the engine itself. Air filters, if properly fitted are designed to take out anything of a size that could cause an engine problem such as scratched cylinder bores etc,

If the sand around you is very excessive it will clog the filter and then engine intake suction will suck the filter to the extent that the filter collapses. Then, you've got no filter at all. But well before that you should notice a major drop in engine performance as it chokes itself to death.

Symptoms would be lack of pulling power, smoky exhaust, misfiring, excess fuel consumption. These are not exclusive to just a blocked air filter by the way.

If you do a lot of beach driving or driving in sandstorms just pull the filter out, clean it and refit it.

I notice your user name is Leonora. Is that named after the place in W.A. where you come from? If it is then I suggest that you clean the filter and refit it at least once a week. I spend a lot of time in the WA Goldfields and the dust in filters has to be seen to be believed.

Bilbo

AnswerID: 144268