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Dave's Cowl Snorkel

4K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  coalregionXJ 
#1 ·
Here we go. This is my version of the cowl snorkel. Thanks to srmitchell I got the inspiration to try it myself. The material I used was called "flexible ducting" and it is a fairly rigid flexible tubing that comes in an oval cross section.

Here is the tubing






Step 1: Remove stock airbox.


Step 2: Trace your hole on the backside of the airbox. Try to make it a little small so that the ridges of the tubing snap into the airbox when you push it in.


Step 3: Find a cutting tool. A hot knife would probably work. The trim router with a cutting bit shown here will work



A jigsaw will work. I used a power drill with a spiral cutting bit made for a die grinder. It worked beautifully. I got a nice clean cut with it.


Step 4: Trace the tube on the firewall and make the cut. Here, I used a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade, but you can also just drill a ton of holes around the trace line until you cut it out. Again try to cut it a little small so you can just snap the tubing in place.

Step 5: I got a small piece of rubber tubing from work to make a grommet in the firewall.


Step 6: Cut the tubing to length and snap in the holes. No RTV needed. No screws. Just snap and go.







There you go. A cowl snorkel.
 
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#2 ·
Ok I like it, looks simple, nice and clean but what about the hole in the front of the airbox? Did you seal that up with something? If not I don't see what you,ve accomplished. Water and hot air will still get in to the engine if it's not, right? Being that that is the side with the cowl vents I believe it might ever still suck in water during heavy rain or deep water. What if you ran the tubing under the cowl as far over to the passenger side as possible?
 
#3 ·
I did block off the hole in the front. Forgot to post that sorry. Make sure you do if you make a cowl snorkel! As for the water being sucked in, i took a hose and put it directly into the cowl on full blast and was not able to make water enter the intake tube. It simply drains too fast. Also, the water has to travel upwards first, then down a loop and then up again in order to get to the box, and even if it makes it that far the factory has holes in the box to allow for drainage so the water would seep out. I thought about going to the passenger side but I didn't want to choke the engine off with too long of a straw to suck air through.
 
#5 ·
Looks good Dave, one of the better ones I've seen......and you used a decent size tube instead of the smaller ones I've seen :thumbsup:

I think there might be water drain holes in the bottom of the air box you will want to seal up too...(i think)

:highfive:
 
#9 ·
Copy away! That's why I posted it. I can see no downside to this mod besides having to keep the cowl screen clear of debris and snow. Other than that it's great.
 
#17 ·
With your design, have you considered a mesh screen over the end in the cowl area? Also, if you made the tube alittle longer and put a low section right before the airbox (lower the the air box), you could poke a small hole as a drain hole for water.
 
#13 ·
I picked it up at F.W. Webb. It is sold at many plumbing supply stores across the nation. It's called flexible A/C line ducting I believe. It's apparently a fairly common product. The people at the store would know what you're talking about.
 
#22 ·
Tested the snorkel out for real. I dunked the XJ up to the top of the hood in a real swampy trail. No water entered the intake or the stock airbox. The cowl really drains water quickly so there's very little risk of any water entering the intake hose. I think this is a pretty good mod that's pretty easy to do as well.
 
#23 ·
When u ran the hose into the cowl was the jeep running to ggive the vaccum effect that would be there during normal driving? I don't see how this doesn't suck in rain water..if a little mud blocks the drain hole on tht side I would think you'd be screwed..I do like this though.
 
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