Fording Kit Update

As Bjorn said, the mil-spec deepwater fording kit was a good start point. But it could be improved. I finally finished the install and thought I'd get it all in one topic heading.

I've used a 3 port manifold on the air filter housing for the brake vent, air compressor and the 'normal' venting air source for the inside manifold under the dash.

The manifold has to be removed to access the air filter.

The 'air actuated ball valve '- normally open, will go on the bottom of the clutch housing. When I apply air(on the dash) to the rest of the deepwater fording system, the valve will close and seal the bell housing drain hole. I'll just yell "Prepare to dive!"

Then I used a 6 port manifold under the dash with some cheap 'shut off's' so if one of the vent lines get torn off by debris I can shut the one line down and maintain pressure. I used the plastic DOT quick connect lines all around.

By request here is the BOM from McMaster, will post the crankcase breather solution.

Lil Ruthie Fording Kit Upgrade BOM
Supplier - McMasterCarr, www.mcmaster.com

Air Operated Valve - for bottom of clutch housing and a dust filter that lets oil out but keeps the dirt out
9833K12 1 Each Breather Vent, 3/4" Npt Male, 20 Max Scfm, 1" Height
8168K22 1 Each Bronze Low-profile Air-actuated Valve, 3/4" Npt Female, Normally Open

Gauges/Regulators - One for the pressurization system(low psi) one for the Air Actuated Valve(higher psi)
3847K11 1 Each Multipurpose Gauge +/-2% Mid-scale Accuracy, 1-1/2" Dial, 1/8" Npt Male Bottom, 0 - 15 Psi
9892K121 1 Each Miniature Air Regulator, 1/4" Pipe Size, 22 Max Scfm, 1 To 10 Psi Range - system

Misc 'Push-to-connect' Tube Fittings - order as necessary DOT might be overkill
51495K134 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Tee For 1/4" Tube Od
51495K134 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Tee For 1/4" Tube Od
51495K218 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Swvl 90 Deg Elbow For 1/4"tube Od X 1/4"nptf Male
51495K264 2 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/4"nptf Female Pipe
51495K264 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/4"nptf Female Pipe
51495K191 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/4" Nptf Male Pipe
51495K191 10 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/4" Nptf Male Pipe
51495K191 1 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/4" Nptf Male Pipe
51495K144 2 Each Nckl-pltd Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Swvl 90 Deg Elbow For 1/4"tube Od X 3/8"nptf Male
51915K61 3 Each Low-temp D.o.t. Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Swvl 45 Deg Elbow For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/8"nptf Mal
51915K11 3 Each Low-temp D.o.t. Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Adapter For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/8" Nptf Male Pipe
51915K31 2 Each Low-temp D.o.t. Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Swvl 90 Deg Elbow For 1/4" Tube Od X 1/8"nptf Mal
51025K194 1 Each Brass Push-to-connect Tube Fitting, Coupling For 1/4" Tube Od

Nylon Tubing - DOT might be overkill
5097T832 150 Ft. D.o.t. Choose-a-color Nylon Tubing For Air, Nonreinforced,.170"id,1/4"od,.040"wall,black

Air Manifolds - plastic or metal
5469K115 1 Each Aluminum Manifold, 3 Outlets, 1/2" Npt Inlet X 3/8" Npt Outlet - air filter housing
5469K153 1 Each Aluminum Manifold, 6 Outlets, 3/8" Npt Inlet X 1/4" Npt Outlet - under dash for system

Shutoff Valves - shutoff's for each line if wanted
4912K72 6 Each Miniature Chrome-plated Brass Ball Valve, Wedge Handle, 1/4" Npt Male X 1/4" Npt Female - under dash

Dash 'Pull Out' type Air Switch - system goes to normal air psi when system is not pressurized
2700K14 1 Each Hand-operated High-flow Air Control Valve, Manual Return,3-way, 0-145 Psi,1/4"npt,palm Button

beautiful work! thanx for the update.

now if we only had water in nevada. i guess since i bought my dogs a wading pool and my horses some sprinklers, i should get my duece a pool so it can "swim"

Nice work! Have you attacked the crankcase breather yet?
Finding a place to ford is going to be your biggest problem.
......Not to mention those "after fording" maintenance routines....

Re: RE: Fording Kit Update

bugei said:

i should get my duece a pool so it can "swim"

Click to expand...

I'm sure there's somebody in the neighborhood with an inground pool.

Ya just gotta remember to yell "Killer Bee's" before ya drive in.

They'l be so busy runnin they probably won't hardly notice you and the duce were there.

Have fun and don't forget some pics.

RE: Re: RE: Fording Kit Update

With that manifold plumbed into that nipple, where did you plumb the air compressor?

RE: Re: RE: Fording Kit Update

Cranetruck,
Still thinking about what to do with that crankcase breather tube, saw what you did on yours. I don't really want to plumb it to the air cleaner and gunk it up.
In the Chicago area we had a great 100yr rain back in the 90's that would have been perfect. But since then they built a 'deep tunnel' rain storage system and acquired a bunch of old quarries that are now used to keep any standing high water under control.

Recovery4x4
That vertical 3/8 copper tube from the compressor goes straight down into the compression fitting on the manifold. Grabbing air from the air filter canister and high snorkel intake.

RE: Re: RE: Fording Kit Update

nice work!

RE: Re: RE: Fording Kit Update

Very clean, I like it!!

Readyman,
I am in the process of putting together a fording kit also. Can you give us more details about where you got all your hardware, part numbers, prices,etc? That would be a big help. Thanks!

Lax,
You don't have to go bazerko on the valves/shutoff's like I did. But I'll pm a list of parts to you.
McMaster Carr near Chicago has an excellent online catalog and order system with shipping second to none. I got all of the parts there because of the 'one stop shop' advantage.
I'm double cursed tho, with having an open account there... and the warehouse/pickup counter being on the way to the workshop every day!
But to start out, you'll need about $50 worth of 1/4 inch nylon tubing and $20 worth of little fittings.

Finishing the fording kit up.

I've been mulling over the crankcase breather/slobber tube shutoff. Trying to keep it simple and automatic. One option is to route it to the air intake housing, which could eventually gunk up the air cleaner. So I opted for this simple home made float valve at the bottom of the slobber down-tube.

It's not brain surgery... it involves a PVC pipe fitting and a plastic hollow ball. I keep the ball in the fitting with a thin threaded ring(cut from pipe). Gravity keeps it down/open and water floats the ball and shuts the valve. Blowby should be able to push past it easy enough and keep it self cleaning.

That looks like a great setup for the engine draft tube. I would be interested in hearing how it works out after some field testing. My only concern would be that oil residue and dirt will cake around the seat after some miles and prevent the ball from sealing the seat properly.

why not do it like the 900's and just plumb the draft tube into the intake with a check valve or something when your under boost.

jwaller said:

why not do it like the 900's and just plumb the draft tube into the intake with a check valve or something when your under boost.

Click to expand...

I have measured the amount of oil discharged along with the blow-by fumes in the multifuel engine and it's about 1/10 of a quart every 1,000 miles or so. This oil could mess up the air filter before too long if the fumes were not filtered.
The LDS465-2 dumps the crankcase fumes into the exhaust, which I'm not in total agreement with either.
My solution is to first filter the fumes and then pass them on to the air intake.

Don't know how the check valve would work (above posts), reminds me of some skindiving snorkles I have seen.

Maybe I'm missing unique about these engines here, but for boost to affect the vent, it'd have to be post turbo. Wouldn't a check ball into the post-turbo part of the intake tract still require that the crankcase reach boost pressure in order to unseat the check ball? I'm still thinking on it, but I would think since pressure builds in the crankcase from a slow leak of very very high pressures in the combustion chambers, and if you pay attention to a draft tube for a while there's a large volume of gasses, fumes, air, etc coming out it'd certainly keep pressures rising in there until the ball unseated. With a normally closed valve wouldn't that also lead to pretty signifigant negative pressures in there as the engine cools after use? Any newer civilian turbo diesel I've seen "rebreathing" vents it to the intake in the pre-turbo area without the need for special valving The compressor (intake side) gets "oiled", but it's just a spinning wheel, the oil volume is a lot less than it appears to be based on what the bottom of a road tube looks like, so the turbo doesn't seem to care about compressing the vent gasses as well as the fresh air charge. A good common example is the 7.3 liter Powerstroke in a Ford and the T 444 E in an International. Same engine, same vent, for all intents and purposes the same turbo. International vents down to the road, Ford literally bolts the vent on backwards and turns the veht up to the turbo inlet pipe.

Bjorn,
Or a Sears wet/dry shop vac.

The orignal fording kit runs the slobber tube up to the same hight as the snorkle. You have to drill a hole in the side panel for the hose to fit through.

Ken, that would be okay for short periods of time, for a longer time, the tube would fill with oil where it droops.

Great use of the air control panel on the passengers side, really nice looking setup. One question: Has a passenger ever accidentally kicked the heck out of it, and if so how did it hold up?

What do you do about the alternator?

Thanks