Snorkels

[snoxxy]

Hey everybody,

As you guys may have heard Arkansas and surrounding states got hit by a slew of bad weather and storms. Well where I live we actually had road flooding quite a bit and whilst I ventured further then most, I couldn't go everywhere I wanted too, because my intake would have been under water.
So I thought, hey, Why not purchase a Snorkel, so next time, which will happen, I am prepared, but then I thought, How does a Snorkel keep rain water out? or water from the car wash?
I guess what I am saying is, I don't want to make a 400 $ investment to protect my engine, just so a bit down the road when I drive through one Arkansas torrential downpours, i hydrolock my engine.

Thanks for the advice.

Phil

 

[Steinbruchsoldat]

There's a water separator on the safari ones. I also installed one on my homemade snorkel. No problems so far...

 

[Paladin]

Turn the snorkel head backwards driving in the rain. Don't go through automatic car washes.

 

[Squatchout]

How deep are you fording? You also have to be concerned about the alternator which is a real weak spot on many vehicles. Lose that and the truck won't run. Many vehicles use a circuit of the alternator to trip the fuel pump relay. Fire safety. Engine isn't turning. So alt isn't running so fuel pump won't pump fuel. There is a lot more to waterproofing a truck than a snorkle. extended vent lines on the transmission, transfer case, both axles. Many trucks have the ecm in the center console. Deep water comes in the shifter hole in the floor and floods the ecm. If you are planning on deep fording many things need to be moved high on the vehicle. Best rule of thumb is "if the water is above the bumper you're in trouble."

One of the main uses of a snorkel is dust not water. A line of trucks in dusty conditions tends to make a cloud that hangs about windshield height. The snorkel is there to feed relatively fresh air into the engine to keep from clogging the air filter with dust. This can happen in a short time in dusty conditions if the engine is forced to breath this stuff.

Just some stuff to think about.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Throwing a snorkel on does not mean you cab ford water mid way up your windshield. Military vehicles have screw on plug wires onto the plug and distributor and the ignition system is water proof.


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[baca327]

Throwing a snorkel on does not mean you cab ford water mid way up your windshield. Military vehicles have screw on plug wires onto the plug and distributor and the ignition system is water proof.


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Military vehicles are all diesel no distributor or plug wires...

 

[adi]

On my drive home last week I had some snow/ice built up on the inside of mine. It was enough to act as a restrictor plate, forcing me out of OD for most of the way, but since my engine draws air from the top of the airbox (and most do), I had no issues just letting it work itself out.

Plus the fact that I didn't want to even try to figure out how to safely clear it out . I guess taking off the head, and disconnecting it from the airbox would allow me to either put warm water down it or -20f rated de-icer/windshield washer fluid. Main concern with de-icer is it's interaction with the plastic/rubber, and making sure it dries out enough since it's flammable.

ETA: For the rain, the head of the snorkel is designed to let any raid that hits it internally to drain. You will still get some mist/droplets going down the tube, but no major drops.

 

[toylandcruiser]

Military vehicles are all diesel no distributor or plug wires...

No, not all military vehicles are diesel. Modern trucks are, but older trucks are gas.


http://youtu.be/DNSoMjTJ4q

http://youtu.be/WXXZRzAh4bg


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[adi]

I've never seen a fuel pump circuit that did not get power directly from battery.

Same here. Most vehicles you can hear the fuel pump turn on when the key is on the run position, before the engine starts. Chevy trucks are the leaders in this.

 

[flyingwil]

Turn the snorkel head backwards driving in the rain. Don't go through automatic car washes.

When in OZ (returning the rental Cruiser) we had to wait in line at the car wash. We were number 5 in line, and everyone in front of us had a snorkel. We all went through the automatic car wash and had no issues. In order for water to get up into the engine it would basically need to defy gravity. All of the snorkel install we have done the air basically goes through a J, and most of the time vehicle manufactures also have a J pipe or have the factory plumbing in a J to reduce the chance of water ingress.

If my truck would fit in an automatic car wash I would use it.

 

[Fireman78]

There is a warning on the Airflow snorkles that say NOT to ever turn it around cause over 15mph it would cause a vacuum and irreversable engine damage. Just sayin

ps.. automatic carwashes are for sissies

 

[flyingwil]

ps.. automatic carwashes are for sissies

I'd totally rock one... there's a touch-less one down the street from us that is only $0.99 with gas purchase of 10 gal or more. It does the under body spray too... totally worth the $1 if my truck would fit.

 

[Squatchout]

Same here. Most vehicles you can hear the fuel pump turn on when the key is on the run position, before the engine starts. Chevy trucks are the leaders in this.

All Isuzu vehicles (I know) and several others (I'm told) work as I described. They have an over ride on the ignition that runs the fuel pump for 15 seconds to pressurize the system for starting. Once the engine fires (like 2-3 seconds on a EFI car) the alternator circuit then takes over. Some vehicles use an inertia switch and or a roll over switch to disable the fuel pump in the event of an accident. Pumping fuel after an accident is potentially bad news.

On an Isuzu vehicle this is not the main charging circuit but rather a different lead in a separate connector that runs the fuel pump. For us Zoo heads it can be a pain because a standard parts store alternator test doesn't test this lead. Often we get rebuilt alternators that charge fine but still have a blown diode that keeps the fuel pump from running. We have an easy jumper test for this. You pull the pump relay and plug in a jumper. If the pump runs off straight battery voltage you have a bad alternator. I carry a jumper lead with a switch. If I drown out my low mounted alt I can just plug in the jumper and still drive home on the battery if I have to.

I also found out the hard way on another vehicle that you can't bump start a manual transmission EFI car with a dead battery. You can drop it in gear all day long but if there isn't enough juice to run the fuel pump you're walking home.

Sorry about the thread jack. Just trying to make the point that there is more to water fording than a snorkel. Some newer electronic auto transmissions seem to be very susceptible to damage by immersion in water as well. Lets face it. Some car companies don't actually believe that anyone would actually use their new 4x4 to wheel because most don't. There is a huge difference between splashing water on parts and immersing parts in water.

 

[Paladin]

When in OZ (returning the rental Cruiser) we had to wait in line at the car wash. We were number 5 in line, and everyone in front of us had a snorkel. We all went through the automatic car wash and had no issues. In order for water to get up into the engine it would basically need to defy gravity. All of the snorkel install we have done the air basically goes through a J, and most of the time vehicle manufactures also have a J pipe or have the factory plumbing in a J to reduce the chance of water ingress.

If my truck would fit in an automatic car wash I would use it.

I disagree. I've seen freak accidents take out engines. Just a cup of water in the intake in the right conditions can do it.

There is a warning on the Airflow snorkles that say NOT to ever turn it around cause over 15mph it would cause a vacuum and irreversable engine damage. Just sayin

I don't think I'd buy a snorkel from a company that made a ridiculous statement like that.

 

[FellowTraveler]

Interesting

All Isuzu vehicles (I know) and several others (I'm told) work as I described. They have an over ride on the ignition that runs the fuel pump for 15 seconds to pressurize the system for starting. Once the engine fires (like 2-3 seconds on a EFI car) the alternator circuit then takes over. Some vehicles use an inertia switch and or a roll over switch to disable the fuel pump in the event of an accident. Pumping fuel after an accident is potentially bad news.

On an Isuzu vehicle this is not the main charging circuit but rather a different lead in a separate connector that runs the fuel pump. For us Zoo heads it can be a pain because a standard parts store alternator test doesn't test this lead. Often we get rebuilt alternators that charge fine but still have a blown diode that keeps the fuel pump from running. We have an easy jumper test for this. You pull the pump relay and plug in a jumper. If the pump runs off straight battery voltage you have a bad alternator. I carry a jumper lead with a switch. If I drown out my low mounted alt I can just plug in the jumper and still drive home on the battery if I have to.

I also found out the hard way on another vehicle that you can't bump start a manual transmission EFI car with a dead battery. You can drop it in gear all day long but if there isn't enough juice to run the fuel pump you're walking home.

Sorry about the thread jack. Just trying to make the point that there is more to water fording than a snorkel. Some newer electronic auto transmissions seem to be very susceptible to damage by immersion in water as well. Lets face it. Some car companies don't actually believe that anyone would actually use their new 4x4 to wheel because most don't. There is a huge difference between splashing water on parts and immersing parts in water.

You bring up very valid points that should always be considered!