NAVMAN

Having had a Diesel and now owning a petrol there are a few things you can do to ensure your petrol 4x4 gets to the other side.

1st get some dielectric grease and put it in every connector you can find. http://www.permatex.com/products-2/product-categories/specialized-maintenance-repair/electrical-system-maintenance/permatex-dielectric-tune-up-grease-detail

2nd get a water blind. These greatly assist in creating the bow wave and ensuring the water is deflected away from your engine bay.

http://www.fnb4wd.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2546

3rd option is for a snorkel with option 1 & 2 already sorted



Now why would a snorkel be 3rd you ask? well if you go and look at the air intake system on your 4x4 odds are you'll find it tucked up behind the headlight or into the inner guard.

Now stop and have a look at how high that is off the ground. So at a standstill in water you'd have to be that deep to start taking in water (holes in the system aside)

Next watch some videos on 4x4's going through water crossings. You will note that they all create a bow wave once the water comes up to the bumper/bullbar (important to keep a constant speed to keep it going) and this will normally create a shallow right at the front of your wheels just where you'd normally see your intake opening inside the engine bay. This will allow you to tackle deeper crossings than you would normally.

If you hit the crossing with excessive speed all sorts of things can go wrong, such as water being forced INTO the engine bay and also damaging engine fan(s) and/or radiators.



And of course it goes without saying. Check the water before crossing 1st. On a busier stretch of road you could just wait for someone else to go through and watch their 4x4 and how it handles it.

2nd is to walk the crossing (beware of crocs in certain areas) and get a "feel" for the river itself for things like depth, current, and the base (sand, dirt, rock etc).

3rd is to have a recovery plan in place just in case it all goes wrong.



Of course this is just my experience. Others may have better advise.



