SNORKELfor my SUCHKA

[EDELWEISS]

Im ready to start the mods on my Suchka a '06 Wrangler. One of of the first additions is going to be a snorkel. There seem to be a few options and some include pre coolers. Im hearing that the snorkel alone will likely add up to 3MPG and a pre cooler possibly more???

Im adding it mainly for the "cool factor"; with some actual need in the event of flooding. Is there anything I should be aware of? Any brand better than others?

Ive heard at least one version makes it difficult to change doors???

[P.McKenna]

I've done some research on this subject as I wanted to add a Snorkel to my Toyota 4Runner. This is what I've gathered from the information that is out there: Some brands are better than others and in this game "Safari Snorkel's" which is made by ARB are the best. The intake heads on the Safari Snorkel's are reversible which means in normal driving it faces forward and when in dusty/sandy conditions it faces backwards unless you use a removable filter that fits in the head.

Now the mileage claims, some manufacturers claim that they improve your MPG's & there are plenty of threads on the net which says they do or don't. I think its possible as the air you are capturing is cooler and cleaner than what usually comes from behind your headlights and possibly less restrictive. I've been told by fellow 4runner owners that they saw a 1-2mpg increase which if that is true, that's awesome. The way I see this is that If there is any chance of me crossing water high enough to drown my engine, I'd take the kick in the MPG or HP area to keep my rig safe eitherway.

Its a good investment from where I'm sitting and they look Badass when they are installed. If you do go with a snorkel, you should look into installing extended Differential breathers if your rig doesn't have them. Would save you from having to change the gear oil in your diffs every time you cross water and or axle seals.

[dirtydirtysouf]

a snorkel is a waste of time unless you are going to extend the tail pipe to the same height as the snorkel........if your deep enuff to be using the snorkel and the rig gets turned off/dies/ect. but the exhaust is still under water you have a chance of water being pulled in thru the tail pipe up to the motor (ive seen it happen b4), even if it doesnt reach the motor you now have about 20#'s of water in the exhaust pipe that the motor cant push out......

so if your doing it for looks cool, but if its going to be for real world use think about what i said

later
DDS

[Anthony]

a snorkel is a waste of time unless you are going to extend the tail pipe to the same height as the snorkel........if your deep enuff to be using the snorkel and the rig gets turned off/dies/ect. but the exhaust is still under water you have a chance of water being pulled in thru the tail pipe up to the motor (ive seen it happen b4), even if it doesnt reach the motor you now have about 20#'s of water in the exhaust pipe that the motor cant push out......

so if your doing it for looks cool, but if its going to be for real world use think about what i said

later
DDSWith a gas' engine maybe, but not with diesel.
Diesel seems to be higher pressured.

Although I do agree with you, if possible. Get that exhaust pipe up high. - Looks even meaner too. :wink:

If it cannot be done, - or one doesn't want to bother, then just keep the revs up when crossing deep water, and hope that the engine doesn't stall.

I've done enough river crossings, with water pouring into my jeep, and over the hood, yet my exhaust was not raised (just couldn't really be done well on my 4x4,) and I never had a problem.

But as I said, I also never let the engine stall when in the deep water.

Regards,
Anthony.

[Anthony]

Btw:
Definately a good adition, - a snorkel.

There is a lot of crap that can be put on a 4x4, but a snorkel certainly isn't.

I have crossed rivers which would have been impossible without a snorkel, and I even drove down flooded roads in Rio de Janeiro, which I wouldn't have been able to without the snorkel, and would have had to stop and wait for the water level to drop, like the other motorists, - with all the discomfort and risks involved. - Flooded streets brings the street punks out to rob the motorists stuck in the traffic.

Regards,
Anthony.

[dirtydirtysouf]

With a gas' engine maybe, but not with diesel.
Diesel seems to be higher pressured.

true but he is talking about an 06 wrangler

[Netpackrat]

a snorkel is a waste of time unless you are going to extend the tail pipe to the same height as the snorkel........if your deep enuff to be using the snorkel and the rig gets turned off/dies/ect. but the exhaust is still under water you have a chance of water being pulled in thru the tail pipe up to the motor (ive seen it happen b4), even if it doesnt reach the motor you now have about 20#'s of water in the exhaust pipe that the motor cant push out......


I wouldnt worry much about the exhaust... The whole point of the snorkel is to prevent the rig from dying in the first place, so that won't happen. Also, the exhaust is already much lower than the stock intake, but it doesn't seem to have cause my '01 Wrangler any problems doing water crossings, and I've definitely submerged the exhaust on multiple occasions.

That being said, there are other things on a late model Jeep engine besides just the intake that you need to think about. My brother got water into his throttle position sensor once during a water crossing, which made the Jeep run like crap until it was replaced. On an '06 you'll have a camshaft position sensor low on the right side of the engine that could potentially cause problems (I don't know how well those are waterproofed), not to mention you're likely to suck water into the drivetrain components if you get in too deep, since the vent tubes for those only go so high. I've sucked water into my front diff on a couple of occasions; the second time it cost me several hundred dollars in repairs. Anytime you get into deep water, you want to be sure to check the diffs, transmission, and transfer case for water immediately afterward. It isn't a bad idea to carry spare fluids and whatever you'll need to change them out.

[Anthony]

The differential and gearbox vents can be raised.
I had mine raised to right up high under the hood with valves to stop the entrance of water splashed on them.

The older and/or more simple the 4x4, the less computorized crap (chips etc,) the vehicle will have.

Regards,
Anthony.

[P.McKenna]

Netpackrat- did your brother seal all his Wires, TPS, TB, fuse box with dialectic grease before making that crossing ? Because everybody should know that if they are making any crossings. Also I wouldn't worry too much about sucking water up his exhaust, as long as he keeps forward movement and stays on his throttle he will be good to go. The guys that get in trouble are the ones that stop half way through the crossing and then end up stalling their rigs and have to be pulled out.

[Netpackrat]

Netpackrat- did your brother seal all his Wires, TPS, TB, fuse box with dialectic grease before making that crossing ? Because everybody should know that if they are making any crossings.

Nope. And truth be known, I haven't bothered with any of that myself. There's just no place I need to go so badly that I'll bury my Jeep that deep in the water. I think the only reason I got water in my front axle was a bad axle seal, which must have been damaged when I had a shop install a Detroit Truetrac differential. When it finally started leaking gear oil, I took it in for the seals to be replaced, and the shop found that the bearings were hosed, too. In addition to new bearings and seals, I also installed outer tube seals, which are just another layer of defense, at the price of adding another item that has to be greased periodically.

[Anthony]

Nope. And truth be known, I haven't bothered with any of that myself. There's just no place I need to go so badly that I'll bury my Jeep that deep in the water.Yes.
A lot will depend on where one lives.

Down here, water IS the biggest problem, and the likelyhood of flooding in our tropical downfalls in the summer is great.

But an American living in the western states?
Mind you, I know there are flash floods there sometimes.

Regards,
Anthony.