If one is going to have a snorkel on any vehicle - for any reason - it makes sense to install one of those filter heads (cyclone) as the straight intake duct just filters dust to the engine.
Damage multiplier effect of a snorkel (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter kcjaz
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This may be a dumb question/comment, but does anyone make a fender grate/screen, snorkel? In other words, instead of having the intake go all the way to the roof line, just have it go to the top of the fender and end there in a grate. I think this option would work for 99% of drivers. The deepest river crossing, I have ever done was water hitting the top of my wheel well. I know others do much more, but once you exceed the hood line, you are likely F'd anyway.
Having said that, this one looks very unobtrusive compared to most I've seen
Having said that, this one looks very unobtrusive compared to most I've seen
Awesome!. My favorite thing off-road is the drama and adventure.
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There’s plenty of that where I live!
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
Some of the local guys who don't see a lot of water crossings fab up short snorkels that just stick out of the fender. I have seen them regret this choice when a good splash or hood dip put's it under water. But if serious water depth is not on the agenda, I see no problem with this approach. They are also less prone to snagging or scraping trees on tight trails.This may be a dumb question/comment, but does anyone make a fender grate/screen, snorkel? In other words, instead of having the intake go all the way to the roof line, just have it go to the top of the fender and end there in a grate. I think this option would work for 99% of drivers. The deepest river crossing, I have ever done was water hitting the top of my wheel well. I know others do much more, but once you exceed the hood line, you are likely F'd anyway.
Having said that, this one looks very unobtrusive compared to most I've seen
The style you have pictured seems to be a really good approach for most people most of the time.
This picture (which I have posted a few times in different discussions) illustrates the only shortcoming that I see of this approach. This does not happen often, but the '80 series and the 100 and 200 too all suffer from a tendency to roll water across the hood and up the windshield when the hood is dipped unexpectedly with even moderate forward motion.
I want to try and build a home brewed version of this type snorkel which leaves a little bit of space between the roof line and the intake, as well as the ability to rotate the intake backwards while on the trail to address this issue.
Mark...
I always find snorkel posts, arguments, and discussions amusing
Think it helps in water? Your alternator is the weak link, mounted very low and completely exposed
Think it helps with dust? How much does an air filter cost? How many air filters can you buy for the cost of a snorkel? Likely 10x more than you’d ever need in your lifetime
If ya like the looks of the snorkel, then go for it, because that’s the only function it serves on most modern vehicles
My .04 (inflation)
Think it helps in water? Your alternator is the weak link, mounted very low and completely exposed
Think it helps with dust? How much does an air filter cost? How many air filters can you buy for the cost of a snorkel? Likely 10x more than you’d ever need in your lifetime
If ya like the looks of the snorkel, then go for it, because that’s the only function it serves on most modern vehicles
My .04 (inflation)
kcjaz
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No offense taken. I wasn’t really trying to start yet another snorkel use case debate thread. My original reason for adding a snorkel was really just for water crossing “engine insurance” for trips like HWM. The thing I didn’t factor into my pros and cons was the “con” of collateral damage if the snorkel gets hit or snagged on something. So, for me, while my risk of falling into an unexpected hole crossing an Arkansas stream, isn’t zero, I’m much more likely to hit a tree and cause damage that would be avoided without the snorkel.
If I do another snorkel, it will be plastic or fiberglass one. If there was such a thing as a removable snorkel that could just be put on when actually needed, I might think about something like that.
send a few to us to USA
I watched a youtube video a while back where this Aussie smoke tested all of the big-name snorkels on a variety of trucks, including LCs. They all leaked, even the custom unit on his own truck, much to his dismay. After watching this, I just wonder how effective a snorkel would really be in preventing water ingress into the engine. Also, for deep water, the driveline breathers all have to be relocated to a higher position, otherwise, water in the diffs, T-case and tranny. I have only seen one snorkel setup that was truly waterproof, and that was on my old Unimog 404.1. Also, the driveline breathers were located at the same height as the snorkel, which was eye-level when in the driver's seat. That engine was designed to run under water as all the electricals were sealed and waterproofed. One hell of a setup. That Unimog is now with a family friend in Texas. As for dust, the times I have been on dusty roads and not the lead vehicle, there is as much dust ten feet above the car as there is to the sides and everywhere else, and it only gets worse the further back in the line you are. I just don't see that the air is any cleaner at the roofline as anywhere else. It's all bad. Driving the forty miles of the North Fork Road out of Columbia Falls up to Polebridge is a good place to test. The dust there can be un-Godly unless the road has been oiled. I was going to go the snorkel route but after reading this thread about the increased damage, the youtube video and my experience on dusty roads, other than getting a pre-filter top on the thing, I'm not really seeing an advantage, no?
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The cyclone snorkel head was a game changer for my VDJ200 in terms of further decreasing dust and debris intake. I’ll get one soon for the VDJ79. Filters certainly stay cleaner for longer, and in my part of the world, you cannot just pop in to your local shop and get a new OEM Toyota air filter. As stated in a previous post, my cruisers (VDJ200 & VDJ79) had snorkels put on from Toyota. What that tells me, is that Toyota had done sufficient R&D to justify them using snorkels (elevated air intakes) on their vehicles in some markets (Africa/M.E./Oz). Both of my cruisers have all of their diff/gearbox breathers run to the top of the firewall, as far away from water trouble as they can be. But to be honest, if I cannot walk across the water crossing, I’m not taking my cruiser in for a swim. It’s mainly cheap insurance. To me, the main purpose of these snorkel/elevated air intakes is to minimize dust intake. I’ve traveled in many solo and in convoys in the bush of Angola & Zambia, and we run into talc like dust that leaves clouds so thick you cannot see. Regardless of convoy or solo travel, what I do know is that those who have standard intakes suck in a lot more of that talc dust than I do. But, too each their own. I find the Toyota snorkel on my VDJ200 is very robust and tough. The Toyota one on the VDJ79 was less so. I replaced it with a safari unit as I don’t like 2 piece snorkel/air intakes. However, I’ve seen the OEM ones take a LOT of abuse by some people who have ZERO mechanical sympathy.
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
I have been dealing with water crossing for the last 40 years or so. Often a single day on the trail sees more than we bother counting. Running solo, running in groups and leading larger groups.
The count of vehicle crossings just during the larger "guided group" events is in the tens of thousands. The count of all the others would be higher than that.
These are only outing that I have been personally involved in. I am not padding the numbers by including runs that I have not been on.
In that time, I have seen two rigs suffer alternator failures on the trail. Three if I count one which failed 1/4 miles in from the trailhead before the rig saw any water at all, just maintenance issues. In actuality it is likely that the other two faulures were not due to water immersion either, rather than simple age, wear and tear. But I'll go ahead can call them "water damage" since I can not prove otherwise.
Does this prove that it does not happen more often? Nope. Is it a decent sampling? I'd say so.
It is a fair assumption that frequent immersion in silty water immersion is not good for an alternator. Clear water is less of an issue, but still safe to assume that it does not make an alternator last longer. But, I have been involved in a lot of the maintenance of the various rigs that are included in the above numbers, and others which see the same exposure, just not on trips I am on. The alternators do not seem to suffer any significantly higher failure rate than they do on more street bound rigs. I cannot quantify this, so I am only gonna say "seem to" and I'll even assume that there *must* be some degree of adverse effect. But there are no indications that I have seen that is is significant.
Just my experience. Others may have different.
Mark...
Mark W
Yep, I really don't really care that much I guess.
I have seen guys do this. Usually on rigs where the cosmetics are not a major concern, but with some thought I would expect you could come up with something that was pretty clean looking.
I have also seen a different approach... I think it first surfaced in the Tacoma crowd about 25 years back. Might be from somewhere earlier, that is just where I first saw it...
Anyway instead of running an external snorkel, they ran an additional tract to the air cleaner which came through the firewall into the cab of the rig. Under normal use this was capped at the in cab terminus and was not connected to the air cleaner assembly. When a lone water crossing on a trail was an issue, they would stop and reconnect things. When multiple crossings had to be dealt with, they just left it all connected until the need was done.
It was kinda loud... sucking air from the cab after all. But it seemed to work well for occasional use.
I did have a mini-truck in deep enough and long enough on one occasion that water was coming in to the cab via the exterior air intakes and gushing out of the interior heater/ac vents and the standard exterior snorkel kept me going on to the other side. But generally speaking... and even that event... you will not see enough water in the cab to fill up the footwells enough to affect a snorkel intake on the firewall unless your plan has already gone sideways in a majorly not good way.
Mark...
Which one is this?This may be a dumb question/comment, but does anyone make a fender grate/screen, snorkel? In other words, instead of having the intake go all the way to the roof line, just have it go to the top of the fender and end there in a grate. I think this option would work for 99% of drivers. The deepest river crossing, I have ever done was water hitting the top of my wheel well. I know others do much more, but once you exceed the hood line, you are likely F'd anyway.
Having said that, this one looks very unobtrusive compared to most I've seen
I don't know. I googled snorkels and a link to that one came up. I do remember it was $499. When I saw it, it looked the most flush all the way to the roof, which is cool. If I find it, I will post it.
TLC2013
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Monsterservice Snorkel
Hello, Anyone out there install a Monsterservice Snorkel on a 2021 200 Series...? If so lmk your thoughts on this product. Thanks JM
forum.ih8mud.com
Looks like this one, Monsterservice Snorkel .
Best looking option in my opinion. My concern would be airflow restrictions with its slim design. Considering Safari (ARB) has a specific snorkel for the 5.7 gas motor 200 that is larger in size than their other model i'd be hesitant going with such low profile style.
Oh nice thank you. Just saw two trucks (not toyotas lol) get water in their engine this weekend, easy enough to stay out of those pits tho.Monsterservice Snorkel
Hello, Anyone out there install a Monsterservice Snorkel on a 2021 200 Series...? If so lmk your thoughts on this product. Thanks JM
Looks like this one, Monsterservice Snorkel .
Best looking option in my opinion. My concern would be airflow restrictions with its slim design. Considering Safari (ARB) has a specific snorkel for the 5.7 gas motor 200 that is larger in size than their other model i'd be hesitant going with such low profile style.
