Snorkel or No Snorkel?

[mteolus]

Actually I lied, I re-measured and it was 27 inches deep. So that was enough to jack up my starter. I believe a 4runner is supposed to be waterproof up to 36 inches. Apparently that doesn't include the starter as others have had the same problem. Maybe the wake added a few inches.

 

[Grug556]

Agreed..cheaper to bring a boat..put a zodiac inflatable on the roof.. good enough.

 

[jmf_tracy]

if you have to ask...

if you have to ask then you obviously don't need it

 

[hoobhoob]

Actually I lied, I re-measured and it was 27 inches deep. So that was enough to jack up my starter. I believe a 4runner is supposed to be waterproof up to 36 inches. Apparently that doesn't include the starter as others have had the same problem. Maybe the wake added a few inches.

4Runner does not have a published spec; the FJ Cruiser does and it is 26" with stock tires/suspension.

 

[moshie]

Man thank you. I was wondering how everyone thinks it’s for water and was reading through all these comments.

It’s for cleaner colder air. Intake sits in the fender which can get dirty.

You need a snorkel as bad as people need an $800 switch system to turn on their $1k light bar they’ll use once a year because they’re “overlanders”. I bought one because I like the look and I wanted to.
Can I set it back to stock? Not easily but I can. But I’m not going to.


I guess I’m confused with this whole thread. OP you said you don’t want one and don’t like how they look so why even start the thread?


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Even though, I don't like the look doesn't mean that there aren't benefits to them. I'm not looking for water crossings, I do them already but the cleaner air sound better for the vehicle.

Toss a coin..heads says you buy a snorkel. Tails, says you don't.

Problem solved.

Best way yet.

I did 6 low water crossings last week visiting Hardy Arkansas - 3 there, 3 back.

I bought a snorkel off ebay 2 years ago for my 2006 Nissan Frontier. It's still out in my garage. I still have the Frontier but it's become a secondary vehicle.

Reasons for not putting on a snorkel:

It will make your vehicle stand out in a crowd. That can be detrimental as your speeding down the highway. Who's the cop going to remember? Sometimes it's best to be "gray man."

I AGREE WITH THIS. I already have a speeding problem

Just do a quick breakdown of all the driving you do. How much off-road driving do you do or intend to do with the truck? How much of that is going to be in extreme dirt, sand, or behind a bunch of vehicles also racing down a dirt track at medium to high speed? How many water crossings do you intend on doing etc. etc. It is a $500-600 expense and a 4-5 hour install over a weekend but do it if you really need to do it. I don't think that you'll take a sizable hit in terms of resale value given folks who tend to buy T4R's are usually familiar with Snorkels etc but perhaps when you sit down and do the math you may run into other better investments to make...

Regardless, don't go in for something like this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_UJZzPcMLQ

Perfect, thank you! Yeah. I have seen the process. I'm not scared of drilling into the 4Runner and ruining the resale value, I just don't want something that doesn't provide a purpose for me. Like if cleaner air is going to keep me going longer. I'm in!

Snorkel or not, can we at least please agree to never ever call our trucks 'baby'?

YES!

Actually I lied, I re-measured and it was 27 inches deep. So that was enough to jack up my starter. I believe a 4runner is supposed to be waterproof up to 36 inches. Apparently that doesn't include the starter as others have had the same problem. Maybe the wake added a few inches.

Holy smokes

Agreed..cheaper to bring a boat..put a zodiac inflatable on the roof.. good enough.

I need one of those..hmm!

if you have to ask then you obviously don't need it

That's not true at all. I want to know about everything before I put it on my 4Runner. I have just been getting conflicting information and wanted to make sure of my decisions before I do it.

4Runner does not have a published spec; the FJ Cruiser does and it is 26" with stock tires/suspension.

Thank you!

 

[Atomiklan]

Anyone that is considering a snorkel should think twice about the open front facing scoop type too. Yeah they look awesome, but I have heard awful tales of them filling with massive amounts of bugs.

 

[666HailSanta]

I put a snorkel on mine for a trip down the High Water Mark Trail in the Ozarks last year. It added some piece of mind - I also extended my breathers as well. I didn't hydrolock, but I also don't know that the snorkel made a difference.

I don't buy the cooler air/dust selling point unless you're going to run a pre-filter. My air box was loaded with dust/dirt from CO/Moab and I wasn't driving behind anyone. For sure NO performance gains - it's still slow as you'd expect.

No real downsides to snorkeling your truck unless you're planning on trading it in or selling it down the road. Knowing what I've done in mine, I sure as hell wouldn't buy a used 4Runner with one.

It sounds like you're already sold on the concept and looking for validation in this thread. If you like it aesthetically, just do it!

 

[Drobs]

Anyone that is considering a snorkel should think twice about the open front facing scoop type too. Yeah they look awesome, but I have heard awful tales of them filling with massive amounts of bugs.

I'd worry about cigarette butts finding their way down a snorkel parking in public.

 

[moshie]

I'd worry about cigarette butts finding their way down a snorkel parking in public.

OH MY. Some idiot might actually do that...

I put a snorkel on mine for a trip down the High Water Mark Trail in the Ozarks last year. It added some piece of mind - I also extended my breathers as well. I didn't hydrolock, but I also don't know that the snorkel made a difference.

I don't buy the cooler air/dust selling point unless you're going to run a pre-filter. My air box was loaded with dust/dirt from CO/Moab and I wasn't driving behind anyone. For sure NO performance gains - it's still slow as you'd expect.

No real downsides to snorkeling your truck unless you're planning on trading it in or selling it down the road. Knowing what I've done in mine, I sure as hell wouldn't buy a used 4Runner with one.

It sounds like you're already sold on the concept and looking for validation in this thread. If you like it aesthetically, just do it!

Hmm, interesting..I'm probably with you on not buying a used 4Runner with a snorkel. Thanks for the insight on probably no real gains.

Anyone that is considering a snorkel should think twice about the open front facing scoop type too. Yeah they look awesome, but I have heard awful tales of them filling with massive amounts of bugs.

Woah, I never thought about the bugs...living in North Carolina and driving at night, they are awful!

 

[thennen]

Originally intended to reduce dust inhalation by the engine. If your in an area that's very dusty then it will help because most dust stays fairly low to the ground. Even then most people do not run one and are just fine. I'd run one in our deserts though especially since I'm usually following someone faster.

The water capabilities were a secondary gain from adding a snorkel but the rest of the vehicle is not sealed so you can't go into submarine mode.

This was my understanding, a means of getting cleaner air in a dusty environment. Going so deep that a snorkel is required to keep the engine supplied with air is inviting a ton of other problems.

 

[Mutant138]

I generally avoid deep water if possible. It's just bad for things regardless of breathers or a snorkel.

Cross enough creeks regularly that one day one might rise on my way back and I will have to push my truck deeper then I would normally. So, for the unexpected I'm covered with breathers and the snorkel.

I live in the desert. I noticed a massive build up of dust in my airbox. That was the initial reason I went with a snorkel. Far less dust in there now. Still debating a precleaner.

 

[The_Green_Wang]

To counter the selling, you can always trade plus cash for your fender and snorkel for a clean fender. Theres always ppl wanting a snorkel. As for other things, just overland points haha I'll be getting one but that is cause I have no fender liner and my intake is just out in the open [emoji3061]

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[OffKamber]

I have a snorkel on my JK. Before the snorkel... I’ve taken it into deep enough water to kill my head unit. Basically right at the intake line. If I have breathers for my driveline and used marine grease on all my electrical connections... I would feel comfortable taking the 4runner as deep as the intake line.

For deep water crossing there is a lot more prep work than just a snorkel. Greasing all electrical connections is a pain in the ass.

Other reasons for a snorkel (and no need for other maintenance) is:

1: big splashes. I enjoy driving fast into 1-2 feet deep water and making 25 feet tall splashes. But now that I live in CA... those opportunities are too rare to justify a snorkel.

2: desert driving. If you can take your snorkel and flip it backwards... it’s justified if your driving in the desert a lot as you will get much less dust in your intake.

Cons of a snorkel (in some cases): highway performance suffers. When I supercharged my JK we did a ton of testing (I was the test rig for RippMods) and we learned that going above 65 mph the engine was struggling to get enough air for power. We had to modify the snorkel by drilling holes to let air pass through certain sections to increase performance. This may not be the case with a stock 5th gen (I wouldn’t know as I haven’t tested it and don’t plan to)... but something to consider, especially if you plan to do engine mods to increase performance.

Final thoughts... if your playing in the pines (NJ) or doing a lot of desert stuff... get a snorkel. If it’s for a daily driver and you go out a few times a year... I would stay away.

 

[weezol]

I know this is a pretty old thread, but I figured I'd post my question here instead of starting a new one on the same topic.

I'm considering adding a snorkel to my ORP.

-No I do not plan on doing any deep water crossings.
-The aesthetics and resale value being affected do not bother me.

I'm mostly interested in the cleaner air aspect of it. I drive through pretty dusty conditions regularly, and currently live in NC. I see lots of dusty roads on the way to work, and lots of bugs here as an earlier post mentioned. In a couple years I'll be moving back to TX where I'll be seeing just as much, if not more dusty roads.

I won't say that the dust I see now is so bad that my 4Runner is choking every week, but a part of me wants to add a snorkel just because.

What I wanted to ask was:

Are there any detriments to a snorkel?

I've seen pre-cleaner filters available that go over or inside snorkels. Do these cut down air into the engine in any way?

I've also seen posts mentioning snow clogging snorkels. Would one of these pre-cleaner socks help?

While I don't live in an area that sees snow, I would like to know if I'm "handicapping" my 4Runner in any way by adding a snorkel to it if that makes sense.

And for reference, I am considering either the TJM or ARB Safari. Thanks for any input

 

[Lexington]

I’ll throw my 2 cents.

I don’t have a snorkel on my 4Runner yet but my friend has one on his with a AEV Prefilter. However I do have a USMC M1044 HMMWV that does have a snorkel and I have done a deep water river crossing.

DUST
My friends and I often travel off road in the Nevada desert and there is always a fair amount of dust but when you are in a groups of vehicle and your behind the lead vehicle there is a lot of dust! In these conditions a snorkel really does help. I know with my 4Runner I have to tap the dust out of my filter every now and then. Not my friend. Also, as I mentioned he has a AEV prefilter which he thinks helps even more. He said he also doesn’t have to worry about rain or snow with it either.

WATER CROSSING
If you’re going to do water crossings there’s more you need to do than just add a snorkel.

Before I get a snorkel the first thing I would invest in is adding breathers for your transmission and differentials. If you bust a seal and water gets in it can be a mess because at minimum you will have to replace all your fluids plus the seal or seals! In my case I didn’t realize my breather had popped off my transmission previously from off roading and the nipple clogged with mud. So when I did a river crossing the seal leaked and I got water in my whole hydraulic line. Also I didn’t know at the time about letting the engine cool before going in. I thought military vehicles were indestructible. Wrong! It ended up costing me about $1,500 to replace all the fluids, seals and I decided to replace all the breathers too. (The joys of owning a old military vehicle)

The next thing you need to do is modify your exhaust. As long as your engine is running there is no problem. The exhaust pressure will keep the water out but if your engine stalls and you’re deep enough, water will flow too your engine and ruin your day. Ideally you want to have a exhaust that is as high as your snorkel but this is impractical mod for most people not to mention it’s can be expensive if you want to make it look nice. I’ve heard of rubber hose attachments that you can put on your exhaust. It’s just a temp mod to use only when crossing. I also saw a guy modify his exhaust pipe by putting it in his wheel well. I basically worked as a upside down “P” pipe. So if the engine stalled it would trap air in the P and prevent a water back flow.

Now if you go into deep water you should disable your fan. If you don’t you could possibly break the fan blades when it hits the water if they are spinning fast. I think many newer cars the fan only comes on when needed. So letting your engine idle should turn it off. The USMC HMMWV has a snorkel switch which turns off the fan to prevent just that. Also if your fan is real close to the radiator it can pull forward when it hits the water and damage the radiator.

Someone also mentions that you should also waterproof some of you electrical connections too although I don’t have much knowledge in this area. With military vehicle all their wiring is already water proof.

Also, avoid letting water get into the vehicle. It will smell like stinky river afterwards. (Not to mention the electrical gremlins it will create.) The one time I did a river crossing the water flooded inside, which the HMMWV is designed to do, and my vehicle reeked for months after that.

So as far as water goes, if you are planning to go in water as deep as your snorkel you need to think about a lot of other things. Here is a good link to check out on water crossings. It seems the Aussie love crossing rivers. Water Crossings in your 4WD

That said, I like snorkels. I think they add to the macho factor big time. And throw a AEV prefilter on top of that, is icing on the cake!

One final note. With the ARB or Dobsinso. Snorkels, they do stick out a fair amount on the side. You have to use caution when going down a tight trail. A guy I know side swiped a tree with his snorkel. While the snorkel was fine it push in his fender. I’m guess it wasn’t a cheap repair.

So final verdict.

Help with dust? Yes. Prefilter? Even better!

Moderate water crossing? Sure. It will keep the splash water out. Deep water crossing? You need a whole lot more than a snorkel.

Macho factor? Absolutely!

 

[Finslayer83]

I don't like the fact I can't do most car washes (physical damage).

But once you cut out liners for a bumper, you start to expose the massive hole in your inner fender, so it's needed IMO if you change up the front end.

Notably when you have water around.

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[island_emily]

I thought adding a snorkel was supposed to improve mpg! Is that wrong?

 

[mrblah]

I thought adding a snorkel was supposed to improve mpg! Is that wrong?

No affect at all