I have 2002 XJ Sport; Please advise if rain water from the road has ever been sucked into carburator/piston cylinders through the carburator air intake. Engine air intake vent is piped into the front passenger side wheel fender well. Most likely to access cooler and thus denser intake air for efficient combustion. Air intake is well below top of tire. However location of air suction is close to the ground, and car traveling in 6 inches or less of road rain water and wide tires can cause surge (like the bow of a boat pushing water up) of road rain water to rise into the air intake and cause water to be sucked into the air intake (can have 25 inches of mercury vacuum from the engine, so very efficient vacuum cleaner) that can ruin engine. Which has happened to me. Water does not compress in engine cylinders. Air intake needs to be well above top of tire to avoid problem - like it is in other vehicles. Jaguar air intake is bad design in my judgment (I are engineer).

 

well I are a Jaguar tech, first you have fuel injection and a throttle body, carbs went out in the 80's. at idle you might see 25" vacuum. But its on the engine side of the throttle body, not out by the air cleaner. And at idle the air flow is minimal in the location. The best thing you can do if you think you might be going home in high water is to either not. Or, pop the lid loose on the air cleaner so it doesnt become a vacuum in fenderwell... now if youre flying down the road that might be different. Also the wheel arch liners block the opeing to the air intake tube in the fenderwell. That being said Houston has alot of rain and flooding when it does in certain areas. If you want to ford high water, buy the Jagaur SUV(Land Rover)
High water is just bad to go through period. When your driving down the road the trans, diff and wheel bearings are hot, when you drive through cold high water. These components contract as does the air inside causing water to be sucked in past seals and inside the component. It does take partial to full immerssion, and doesnt meen everytime you do it will. But it does happen and leads to failure down the road...

 

Enjoyed the response brutal.

 

Jag was not designed to quack. Stay high and dry.

 

I have the parts from a customer's 4.0 V8 engine that was in a 2000MY S-Type that went through high water at a high power level and bent/broke several rods and broke the block. The heads were fine and 2 pistons were OK. The insurance company elected to install a good used engine so I took and disassembled the hydrolocked unit. Your engine might be good for parts but they need to be checked. Your car was designed with a 'cold air intake' system to draw air from the right wheel arch area and was not designed for amphibious operation. Years ago I was idling through deep water with my 1980 VW pickup and the engine abruply STOPPED. The air intake is from under the front bumper area (under the radiator) and I should NOT have attempted to ford the river running across the road!!!

bob gauff