A question for P38 off-roaders

brianp38dse said:

hi saint, went to penton park with a trailer to get my brothers in inlaws out, then the neighbours asked then the friends, then form an orderly line, seeing all the flooded places was sickening and the people were very glad for help brothers now got a disco I think at help his choice of cars

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Parents neighbour did the same....he went out and swapped his Audi qsoft top for a disco 3.....

I was offroading with someone in a coil converted P38 on Salisbury Plain and he got stuck in a bomb hole with a flooded engine. Exactly the same thing with the electrics happened after a minute or so - it's amazingly hard to concentrate with the horn and the alarm going off! Think his windows were going up and down too. It was all a bit comedy (although not so much for him).

Another reason not to go for coils perhaps - my standard air equipped one didn't have any problem!

kooky_guy said:

I was offroading with someone in a coil converted P38 on Salisbury Plain and he got stuck in a bomb hole with a flooded engine. Exactly the same thing with the electrics happened after a minute or so - it's amazingly hard to concentrate with the horn and the alarm going off! Think his windows were going up and down too. It was all a bit comedy (although not so much for him).

Another reason not to go for coils perhaps - my standard air equipped one didn't have any problem!

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There endeth the lesson. Unless you fit a lift kit which may aid off road wading, but is then like driving it around the roads with a piano on the roof.

I waded in my p38 (DSE) two years ago over a badly flooded bridge.

what scared me was a woman who when she saw me put her hand over her mouth in shock and fear.

I had new fully working air sus set to wading and viscous fan mod (thanks datatek)

I had no problem at all but I must say 1/2 way across I did not like it.

Having said this. I knew how deep it was as I took notice of the sign and waited for another 4x4 to go through first and watched.

If I was in a unknown p38 or a petrol. I don't think I would have gone across.

Be very sure of what you are driving and be prepared to right the car off.
More importantly try and ensure you are safe if the car stops.

I once splashed through a big puddle - being a v8 P38 owner I was bricking myself for weeks afterwards!

Baloney999 said:

How deep will she go? If one fits a snorkel, and as the distributor rack is high up at the back of the engine, provided that the axle breathers are all in good nick, (and the door seals are good) what is a safe depth of water to wade a petrol P38?

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Here we see an abandoned P38 water has completely killed it, you can see the extent of the water on the tyres!


here's another stuck due to water, being pushed back to safety by Mike Brewer


Even with a snorkel fitted this one has had to be abandoned, look at the owners face