Dobinsons 5th Gen 4Runner Snorkel
- Thread starter Crikeymike
- Start date
Crikeymike
Senior Member
No sales planned, but these are now back in stock.
ChambersTRD ORP
New member
Snow
I have a friend that has the ARB and he said in the heavy snow her had to turn his around backwards and after that it breathed just fine. Cause I was first looking at the TJM that is low profile but after telling me that I opted to wait. Just got in my Dobinson's yesterday.
I have a friend that has the ARB and he said in the heavy snow her had to turn his around backwards and after that it breathed just fine. Cause I was first looking at the TJM that is low profile but after telling me that I opted to wait. Just got in my Dobinson's yesterday.
Decipher
New member
The TJM is soooo nice because it’s much more subtle. I don’t mind the snorkel head but I’m not a huge fan of all the obtrusive plastic running down my fender. Hopefully it’ll look better in person. I had concerns about the TJM jamming up with snow and I figured it’s easier to loosen the clamp and spin the head than keep sliding on a sock that’ll likely get totally dirty and lost.
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Decipher
New member
I got my snorkel but before I dig into this, can you confirm that I’m going to lose my radio antenna with this snorkel? It isn’t mentioned anywhere in the official instructions. The Runner used in the picture does not have the fender mounted antenna.
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Decipher
New member
Finally got mine installed. I’ll say this; all the complaints about difficulty and frustration with the installation are 100% true. I’m not a mechanic or body guy, but I’m a skilled hobbyist with all the right tools. It didn’t matter.
EVERYTHING about the installation got you into the ballpark, but nothing was exact. The template was applied perfectly (I have OCD, especially when it comes to hacking up my truck), but it didn’t matter. I had to drill out all the holes beyond 16mm to fit and some had to be drilled out into an oblong shape to get the bolts to fit. I also had to widen the main hole to get the main body to fit right. I second guessed myself but when I put the template back on, everything was where it should have been.
I also had an issue with the rivets so I had to tap out larger rivets (3/16” x 1/4”) so my rivet pop gun would apply them correctly. This meant I had to widen the bracket holes as well. Not a huge issue with the right drill and step bit but still a pain. I was going to just apply the 3M tape like others, but the amount of force the snorkel needed to pull close enough to the body to get the upper most bolt by the A-Post seated had me super skeptical about the 3M tape holding properly with extreme hot and cold temps. Plus, after all the frustration with the installation, I wanted it done right. The holes for the snorkel to attach to the A-Post bracket were also off so much swearing went into that too.
All in all, this was my first snorkel installation so I can’t compare it to say, the Safari, but they all get reviews of being difficult and taking well in excess of 3 hours. It can be done with an extreme amount of patience by anyone. I’m just disappointed that nothing lined up properly. For that, I give fit and quality a 6 out of 10. Now that it’s on, I’m happy with the look of it and I’m confident I won’t have issues moving forward. So that’s good. Time will tell.
If you’re questioning the need for a snorkel, I’d confidently recommend one if you actually off road. I don’t go in super deep water or mud by any measure (I’m alone a bit too when I’m out so I’m not going to get myself into bad situations) and I had evidence of water and a lot of dirt in my airbox. So this mod was a no brainer.
Sorry for the long wall of words but it will hopefully help those considering this.
Lots of dirt and water in my wheel well and airbox
Finished product- haven’t seen many on silver or light colored Runners where it really sticks out.
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EVERYTHING about the installation got you into the ballpark, but nothing was exact. The template was applied perfectly (I have OCD, especially when it comes to hacking up my truck), but it didn’t matter. I had to drill out all the holes beyond 16mm to fit and some had to be drilled out into an oblong shape to get the bolts to fit. I also had to widen the main hole to get the main body to fit right. I second guessed myself but when I put the template back on, everything was where it should have been.
I also had an issue with the rivets so I had to tap out larger rivets (3/16” x 1/4”) so my rivet pop gun would apply them correctly. This meant I had to widen the bracket holes as well. Not a huge issue with the right drill and step bit but still a pain. I was going to just apply the 3M tape like others, but the amount of force the snorkel needed to pull close enough to the body to get the upper most bolt by the A-Post seated had me super skeptical about the 3M tape holding properly with extreme hot and cold temps. Plus, after all the frustration with the installation, I wanted it done right. The holes for the snorkel to attach to the A-Post bracket were also off so much swearing went into that too.
All in all, this was my first snorkel installation so I can’t compare it to say, the Safari, but they all get reviews of being difficult and taking well in excess of 3 hours. It can be done with an extreme amount of patience by anyone. I’m just disappointed that nothing lined up properly. For that, I give fit and quality a 6 out of 10. Now that it’s on, I’m happy with the look of it and I’m confident I won’t have issues moving forward. So that’s good. Time will tell.
If you’re questioning the need for a snorkel, I’d confidently recommend one if you actually off road. I don’t go in super deep water or mud by any measure (I’m alone a bit too when I’m out so I’m not going to get myself into bad situations) and I had evidence of water and a lot of dirt in my airbox. So this mod was a no brainer.
Sorry for the long wall of words but it will hopefully help those considering this.
Lots of dirt and water in my wheel well and airbox
Finished product- haven’t seen many on silver or light colored Runners where it really sticks out.
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This further reinforces my choice to have it installed professionally... Josh @ Apex Overland knocked it out in well under an hour, that being said, he has done a lot of them; and I think he set his personal record on the snorkel and lift install on my truck.
Side note, truck is looking good!
Decipher
New member
Thank you! I have a hard time paying someone to do what I can do myself, but this may have been one of the times I would have done that. I have a friend shopping snorkels and I’m willing to help him out. I’m curious to see how much time I can shave off. My snorkel just didn’t fit up well even when in place, hence the use of the rivets. It looks good now that it’s on and it seems super secure so I don’t have any issues moving forward. Just give yourself a ton of time and maybe a few beers.
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Decipher
New member
It’s worth a shot. I honestly don’t know if it would make a difference but possibly. If you try it, let me know.
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Crikeymike
Senior Member
That's actually step 5 of the instructions.
agentcross
New member
did the price increase? I couldve sworn it was $250
Crikeymike
Senior Member
Only the first delivery of these last year was that price
Decipher
New member
Great. Well, if it makes a difference then definitely post up. I had so many alignment issues that I doubt it would have mattered and here’s why; the spacing between the mounting bolts is what was off. If I got one side of the snorkel to line up and fit into the holes, the opposite side wouldn’t. I could align the right or left side and the first few would align but the opposite side was off a good margin. Again, I taped this template down perfectly so it tells me it’s good for ball parking but that’s it. Further, I feel like my snorkel was out of fitment spec because even when I had everything aligned and ultimately mounted, my snorkel protruded so far away from the body that I couldn’t fit my upper most bolt. My wife, although she’s all of 110 lbs, couldn’t lean into the snorkel enough to get it to flex while I tried to thread the washed and nut. I had to rivet the A-Post and secure that down (which also has two holes that didn’t align properly with the bracket)then try to unthread the bolt enough to get the washer and nut onto it.
The bottom line is MY snorkel probably shouldn’t have passed the QC test. I got it to work but with a lot of modifying. For a part specifically designed for my rig, that’s not acceptable in my opinion. Dobinsons seems like a reputable company. I believe I may have received a less than perfect part.
Now that it’s on, it feels super secure and I have confidence in it moving forward.
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agentcross
New member
thank you for clearing that up! Now, I do not feel pressure to what for a price drop. Happy birthday to me
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