The benefits of Snorkles please.

i put one on my ute recently mainly for water crossings. i used to use 10.5 ltrs per 100 kms now im getting 9.6 since i put it on. so give it a go im more than happy i put one on. good luck with your trip im doing much the same trip in sept 07.

sorry i hit the wrong key it was ment for the gentleman who originaly asked the question

Voxson, you would be surprised by the amount of dust which comes up into the engine bay.

My best evidence would be using light dry sand as an example. When I go to Fraser Island and drive through the dry sand on the inland roads, then check under the hood, there is heaps of sand sitting on top of the air filter. I mean heaps; 10 to 15mm deep where there are places for it to be trapped.
Without a snorkel, I can only assume a lot of sand would be sucked into the air cleaner.
With a snorkel, I believe very little sand is thrown up outside the mud guards high enough to be sucked in via the snorkel.

Dust is lighter, but the same principle would apply.

Voxson - I agree with you for my NP Pajero - the intake is above the radiator. The Diesel even has a cyclonic pre-cleaner which removes the larger dust, insects and even small amounts of water.

But it seems others have the intake directly at the air filter, inside the engine compartment. Just drawing in hot air from behind the radiator will reduce engine efficiency.

Ok.. Fair enough....
I have only ever had Patrols...And never been an issue...
I would have thought with a moving vehicle the air wouldnt be so hot unless it was a stinking hot day.....

Voxson,

I am like you and have never understood why people say the cleaner air argument. I have one on my Patrol which was an experiment to see if this could reduce engine heat (which it did not) but out of this experiment, I am finding that I am cleaning the air filter heaps more often with heaps more insects and what not in the filter so I think the snorkel actually failed in both it's pretences being claimed here. I would still have one if I was doing a lot of water crossings.
I am not however going to remove the snorkel on my Patrol and leave a huge hole in my front guard !! and my Jackeroo will not get one either.

Cheers, Trevor.

Trevor R,
..........'was an experiment to see if this could reduce engine heat(which it did not)', it's really hard to understand someone elses logic. Why oh why would you expect a snorkle to reduce engine heat???. There are one hell of a lot of components that make up an engine, all of them get hot.

andy

Trevor, I agree on the bugs etc. Used to have a Troopie with a snorkel which sucked all manner of things out of the air which my 'unsnorkelled' 80 series doesn't with the air intake infront of the wheel arch and inbetween the panels. Water- crossings are another story though.

This directed to Andy,

The experiment with heat reduction in my overheating GU has been ongoing since I bought it new in 2001. It has progressed from Intercooler fitted to all kinds of other efforts and one of those advised to me by Nissan and other supposedly informed people was that a snorkel reduces the intake temp of air and therefore may help reduce the onset of overheating and help my situation. Basically it failed to do so. This was by no means the only thing I did to try and prevent my engine from cooking itself inside to out., lots of fuel/air settings and all sorts of tricks to the cooling system by "people in the know" were tried but to date all have failed. Some have helped a little but the eventual winner was SLOWING DOWN and dealing with what I got.

Hope this helps you understand my "experiment" and my "lack of logic" LOL.
Trevor.

G'day Trevor, yeah ok, I'd heard that some poeple had mistakenly bought this model of Nissan.

When I had a petrol Pajero I measured temperature inide the engine compartment that was 20 degrees above outside air temperature when travelling at highway speeds. Working hard at low speeds, the air behind teh radiator would be even higher.

So if your engine air intake is behind teh radiator, it will be preheated by at least 20 degrees.

This would be less for a Diesel since it is more heat-efficient.

bleep , you should stick you're head under my bonnet on a 40c day after 50ks down a soft beach! It's like opening the oven door - seriously! You have to pop the bonnet, and very quickly undoo the latch and snatch you're hands back so they don't get burned, then go in for another go and lift the bonnet with you face turned away and prop it up.

The surf will easily run the water temp at 100c on the mechanical guage on a hot day, more if I push her for long periods (full throttle), EGT's I don't know as I don't have a Pyro but I shudder to think! I'm glad she's sucking the cool sea breeze in through the snorkel on those days...

In the 4bies I've had in the past without snorkels, that grey fine dust we get over here in WA was a KILLER on your air filters. You could go for a drive for half a day in the pines and you're paper filter was a throw away job, no amount of compressed air could clean it! With the surf and snorkel unless you are following someone else that is kicking up heaps of dust onto your windscreen, you'd never know you'd even been 4bying.

That's why it's suggested that you always walk a crossing first (and if I'd followed that rule, it would have saved me being bogged for four hours)

Its one of those puddles which doesn't look too bad, and in the wet you tend to cross it once a week or so to access middle springs. I got a real shock when I drove through the middle of it, and instead of the usual 3 - 6 inches, water came just over the bonnet. I was lucky - my snorkel had just arrived and was sitting on the front verandah at the time patiently waiting to be fitted. I was tempted to go back on a weekend, drive through a few times so there was wet tracks entering and exiting the middle, then hiding with a video camera. If I had a bit more of a mean streak, I would have done it. Probably would have won some cash on funny videos, and got beaten up as well!

Snorkel got fitted the next day.

Cheers Andrew

That's hardly "fit for purpose" in a vehicle where headlight bulbs WILL need to be replaced.

If you buy goods that are not "fit for purpose" you are entitled to a refund under the trade practices act.

Hey Mike.. yeh we just don't see any possible way that you could change a bulb without having to disassemble the whole lot under the bonnet..
My plan is to buy the new bulbs as required, stop buy the shop that fitted the snorkel and say 'here ya go, off to it!'

Cheers
Jo

2 things Jo.

1) ONLY a girl????

2) Great Idea with the bulb replacement, make sure you video it.

Hey Bonzareli!

'Only' a girl.... cause I'll admit I don't know it all yet!!!!!!
'THE' girl if I did know it all!!!!!!!!!

Mate honestly this bulb replacement, it even throws Mark out on how it could be done without pulling everything out!
I'll have to take a pic of it and you can see for yourself!

Cheers
Jo

hmmm yer wanna see the passenger side Nissan one Jo, I always lose skin changing them, or have done three times, not blown just me doing a Roachie.... We can swap pics if ya like

yeh same here, no bulb blown but want to change to the bright white bulbs but what if a bulb was blown and we needed to change!
Send me some pics Bonz.. jarsofclay@optusnet.com.au
I'll send some back when you email.

Cheers
Jo

A snorkel is a definate!

I got in big trouble off my mechanic the other week! we had been driving on the sunday, went through some bog holes nothing dramatic at all, but got in big trouble because the air box was filled with water and mud. In a very stern voice I get.. 'Now you are going to fit a snorkel aren't you???'
Yes I said it is already booked in for thursday! hence then the snorkel went on without any delay!
Cheers
Jo

Was the sales man joking? and did you tell him/her to go jump? Some of them have hides as thick as they think our minds must be, to come out with crap like that.

Trevor.

Went and bought a Pajero instead and made sure he new what I had done. Probably the same as saying go jump.

Beg to differ. Recent article posted on this site proves the "Free Flow" filters "freely" allow the dust straight into your engine.... ;-(

Jimbo, for the 'average' 4WD (Toorak Tractor), you are absolutely right. There are so many 4Bs around with snorkels that have never seen dirt or sand, let alone water.
But I'd have thought most people with the interest in travel and 4WDing to venture onto this forum are more than likely to go off road. That often means water.

If your air intake is 800mm off the graound, it doesn't take 800mm of water to get water in it. More like 300mm.

As for bull bars (have one) apart from somewhere to hang the UHF and winch (if you have one) a big part is looks, but it's not a 4B without one).

Driving lights? We do lots of travel. Just got back from 14,000KM trip. Don't have driving lights. Night is not for driving. It is for camp fires, red wine, telling stories, star gazing, etc.

Agree Norm,

When I lived in Townsville and did a lot of night travel (the GQ had dangerously poor headlights) I fitted a bar and lights. Gave me good vision and protection from the night wanderers.

Now that I've moved back to civilisation (Melbourne) I don't do a lot of night travel, so lights (the standard ones on the Terracan are fine) and a bar are uneccesary. I've spent the dough on stuff that gives me better ability off road, to wit, suspension and tyres.

Horses for course Mate.

Cheers,

Jim.

PS. It still humours me to see Patrols and Cruisers getting around Melbourne with all the 4wd essentials; bar, lights, snorkel AND road tyres. Whose pud are they pulling? Their own, obviously.

I rekon we were swimming at Cockatoo Creek when you guys went through...
I rekon he would have flooded his car at Nolans (Bridge Creek)...
I rekon you guys had a Suburban that didnt like Cockatoo entrance...
I rekon you guys must have bought bulk beach awnings before you left...

Or i might be wrong....

If this happened on the 4th July then::
I reckon you are right about the first 2 comments but the 3rd & 4th don't seem to fit.
We were a group of 7 vehicles from the Sydney Nissan Patrol Club that included 3 GU patrols, 1 GQ, 2 Pathfinders & 1 red Pajero

Oh ok.. The suburban wasnt with you i just remembered...
And the beach awnings comment was because the Pathys both seemed to have those beach awnings multi coloured thingos as water blinds....

I seem to recall you blokes swimming at Cockatoo creek & the blinds you talk about where from the same place that these people bought tents from. Was a pile of offcuts apparently

Maybe you missed his first sentence; 'Apologies to those that actually need, and really use, these accessories, but..... '

I agree with Jimbo.

I think the point Jimbo was trying to make was that most 4WDs don't go off the bitumen - THESE 4WDs don't need these options.

Hi nonon do you have a pic of the sock thing, I reckon my snorkels sockless and would like to fit one, my email is behind my rig pic thenx

Bonz, any forby accessories place that does snorkels will have them. I take mine out regularly and clean it in petrol, and I used to oil it as well, but I can't be stuffed oiling it any more.

It does a dandy job of "pre-filtering" all the big stuff, down to sand size stuff, so the main air filter stays clean a lot longer.

You can also get a snorkel "beanie" which sits over the head of the snorkel but I don't think it would last long in the bush.

Cheers,

Thanx Michelle.
Sorry, it didn't enter my mind to check Topic Search, but I did take note of "related keywords" (below post) which are 'cooking' and 'water'...quite irrelevant I thought.

None-the-less, we got a good response of varying opinions, greatly assisting us in making the 'big decision', and has no doubt helped many other readers.

"If I could post a pic here, I would"

You can :))))))

I don't know if this has been already covered as I have skimmed over most of the thread, but with an open front snorkel, at speed, air would be forced into the intake, rather than just sucked in from the engine bay. Mate of a mate with a Landie said his performance at speed improved after fitting a snorkel. As I understand the cleaner, cooler and more air you get the better.

Cheers

Mark

Seems to be what's happening Mark :-)

Definitely runs better

heres the pic (I hope)