 | Home > Technical > TDCI collapsed air filter |
 
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| landy andy Member Since: 15 Feb 2009 Location: Ware, Herts Posts: 6060  
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Not got it wet have you???
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27th Oct 2025 8:22am |
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| Topvaruk Member Since: 25 Apr 2018 Location: bratislava Posts: 99  
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That’s a good point
No not wet. But came from storage which would have been cold and potentially a bit damp. The day after I fitted it we had 32mm of rain - i did around 200km of motorway driving in this rain I checked the drain hole in the bottom of the airbox when I changed it 2010 90 LHD soft top 2010 110 XS 2008 110 E LHD 1985 90 soft top |
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27th Oct 2025 9:03am |
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| landy andy Member Since: 15 Feb 2009 Location: Ware, Herts Posts: 6060
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I find rain spray to be the worse for Defender air filters. I can wade as deep as I want. But motorway journeys, rain and heavy spray kills air filters. I always carry a spare and swap as I drive. Although I’ve never had one as bad as yours, I just get a lack of power, then pull over and check it.
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27th Oct 2025 9:13am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 18058  
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This is likely to be the problem I think. Water ingestion causing the filter to collapse and clog. Has a previous owner removed the centrifugal water separator from your airbox? It was once a popular modification for "increasing airflow" carried out predominantly by those who failed to understand its purpose. The best prevention is to fit a quality RAI with a proper centrifugal precleaner (similar to those fitted to Land-Rovers when they were aimed at more arduous tasks than the school run). This sort of thing:  Click image to enlarge |
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27th Oct 2025 10:30am |
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| revd Member Since: 20 Apr 2024 Location: England Posts: 308
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Biblical storm in the Massif Central killed my air filter - (Td5) now swapped to ITG foam filter
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27th Oct 2025 12:42pm |
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| landy andy Member Since: 15 Feb 2009 Location: Ware, Herts Posts: 6060
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Even with the centrifuge doofa in place the filter can be wrecked.
Mines still in place. |
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27th Oct 2025 5:15pm |
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| kmac Member Since: 07 Oct 2009 Location: Middlesex Posts: 1326 
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My Wolf, what RAI is the one in the picture? Looks very neatly done. Take it that the side intake is blanked off |
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28th Oct 2025 10:39am |
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| John P Member Since: 26 Dec 2013 Location: West Sussex Posts: 375 
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Looks like one of these, which I’ve also fitted.
https://www.4x4overlander.com/product/defe...ender-td4/ |
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28th Oct 2025 11:09am |
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| Ianh Member Since: 17 Sep 2018 Location: Essex Posts: 2555
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Yep, Blackwolf has the Nakatanenga Raised air intake . As part of the fitment you replace the poor low flow leaky pipework from the side intake to the filter box with a large round water and airtight hose from the wingtop RAI to the airbox.
As the Nakatanenga RAI is also large bore you can still get sufficient airflow to support higher HP maps. |
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28th Oct 2025 12:06pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 18058
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As others have confirmed, that is the Nakatanega RAI and, not visible in the photo, it is connected to an original NuggetStuff filter. Overall the effect is a considerable improvement in engine breathing making the pick up speed much more freely (and making a nice roar as well). It is also fully sealed. The precleaner is so effective that the air filter element remains clean for about two years, although for some reason about once a year a wasp makes it through the precleaner and dies in the air filter.
The hole in the wing is blanked by a genuine blanking plate as used on military vehicle, which, since it is a genuine part, is now rusting spectacularly under the power-coat.  |
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28th Oct 2025 12:52pm |
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| custom90 Member Since: 21 Jan 2010 Location: South West, England. Posts: 21044
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Looking good there BW.
I tend to think as others have suggested that the issue the OP had is a wet air filter, also with the side intake, passing vehicles, spray picked up consistently. Yes, there is the rain separator issue in the pipe work as well. My Snorkel has a rain separator built in the head, but the pipework one is removed. I’ve never had any issue ever, but the side intake as from the factory I found often was pulling in damp air a lot and a lot more dirty air too, due to its intake height. Now, there is a lot less moisture in the air box, and less debris and dirty air too. I expect LR used the separator to induce some cyclonic effect as well as moisture separation, but I can’t see that being that effective seeing as the pipe work wasn’t fully spherical, and of course when it reaches the square walled air box and filter dissipates anyway. A better approach, is a higher intake anyway, such as BW’s set up or what I have. From the moment a new filter goes in, it begins to contaminate bit by bit, especially in summer. I definitely remember the airbox being more damp, and more detritus and dirt in it from the wing intake. ____\We|Will|Win/___ ____/🇬🇧🇺🇸\____ _//*⛽️🛢️⚙️🧰*\\_ |
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28th Oct 2025 6:32pm |
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| macfrank Member Since: 05 Nov 2015 Location: somewhere in the north Posts: 1139  
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del
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28th Oct 2025 9:18pm |
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| kmac Member Since: 07 Oct 2009 Location: Middlesex Posts: 1326
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Thanks all, something else to add to the list….
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30th Oct 2025 5:44pm |
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| MussEd Member Since: 20 Feb 2013 Location: East Lothian Posts: 378  
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I did the air box mod a few years back. Didn’t want/need a RAI at the time so ran the bigger
bore(bigger than the pathetic plastic LR effort) nakatanenga tubing to the wing top. Fitted a snow cowl on top to mitigate against water ingress. No issues with moisture in the filter. |
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30th Oct 2025 9:45pm |
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