High-quality wood doors can be refinished without needing replacement after a few years of exposure to the elements. The process involves removing the door frame, deep cleaning it with wax and polish remover, and attaching plywood to the door. Custom staining or painting can give the doors a total makeover without breaking the bank.
Repurposing old doors as entry points, dining tables, or room dividers is a great way to add character to your house while saving money and reducing waste. This do-it-yourself project only takes a few hours and requires removing hinge pins, lifting the door off, and setting it flat on sawhorses. If the door is big and you’re working on a horizontal surface, remove the door from hinges, test the paint or varnish for lead, remove hardware and glass, carefully pry off moulding using a chisel and hammer, and use a utility knife to lightly sand the entire surface of the door.
Starting on the doors with stripper or citristrip is a good starting point. Once the old finish is removed, give the doors a good sanding and take measurements. Doors should generally be around 1/8″ to 3/16″ smaller than the frame.
To make reference marks on the door, use your old door as a template to install the new one. Before removing the old door, close it and make marks on the door before removing it. This will help you create a unique and functional entry point in your home.
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How do you paint old fake wood doors?
This article provides a step-by-step guide on painting a faux wood door. The author uses Valspar Stain-blocking Primer to prime the door, then chooses the base color for the door and paints it. They then choose their stain and tape off sections of the door before starting the staining process. The door is then allowed to dry and seal before sealing. The author’s house renovation project involved finding a fiberglass door that fit their entryway perfectly and transforming it to look like an expensive wood door for half the cost. The door is then primed, painted, and primed, with two coats of paint and one coat of stain. The author acknowledges that some white may show through due to the staining process.
What grit sandpaper for wood door?
Sand your door before priming and painting to create a smooth surface for a great paint finish. Start with 100-150 grit sandpaper and finish with 180-220 grit sandpaper. The higher the “grit” number, the smoother the finish. Move the sandpaper in the same direction as the wood grain to avoid scratches. After sanding, wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove dust and residue, as primer and paint won’t stick to dust. Allow the surface to dry before applying primer.
What is the best weather stripping for old doors?
Foam and felt are inexpensive and easy to install weatherstripping materials, but they are less durable and require frequent replacements. Metal is harder but more durable, while vinyl is flexible and suitable for various applications. Silicone is the ideal weatherstripping material due to its durability, softness, and tightness. Silva recommends tubular silicone weatherstripping for the sides and top of the door and a twin-fin silicone sweep for the bottom. Before installing, gather tools, remove old weatherproofing, and prepare the door frame.
How do you update an old entry door?
The front door of your home sets the tone for your interior space and can create visual interest and intrigue. By choosing the right color and style, it can make a strong first impression on visitors. To refresh your front door, consider these top tips from design experts. An inky black front door is a chic way to enhance your home’s exterior and can improve its resale value. It’s timeless, classic, and looks great with most siding colors. Additionally, adding plants, layer doormats, switching out your wreaths, and creating a place to rest can enhance the area around it.
How to refinish a wood door without removing it?
Refinishing a door without taking it off the hinges can be a daunting task, especially if the door is large and the process is done alone. However, it is possible to refinish a door without taking it off the hinges. In this case, the door wasn’t in terrible shape, so all recessed details only needed a light sanding and cleaning instead of a full finish removal. The main flat surface of the door was completely sanded down to bare wood, and the plan was to replicate the previous stain color. After sanding, the door was treated for blotch and then stained using Watco Dark Walnut Danish Oil. The door was then top-coated with a marine varnish: Epifanes Matte.
To refinish a door without taking it off the hinges, follow these steps:
- Remove anything from the door that you don’t want to get scratched, dusty, or coated with finish.
- Remove the old finish.
- Prevent blotch.
- Apply the stain.
- Apply the topcoat.
- Re-install the hardware.
In summary, refinishing a door without taking it off the hinges is a simple and efficient process that can save time and effort.
How to make a wooden door waterproof?
Sealing and caulking wooden doors and windows is a crucial step in weatherproofing them, as water can seep through gaps and cracks, causing damage and potential rot. High-quality sealants and caulking compounds can prevent water infiltration. Protective coatings and varnishes are essential for protecting wood from moisture and UV rays, which can cause discoloration and deterioration over time. These products should be specifically designed for exterior use and provide long-lasting protection.
Thorough preparation of the surface is essential for maximum adhesion and effectiveness. Regular maintenance and reapplication of these protective solutions are necessary to maintain their weather-resistance properties and protect the wooden fixtures against the outdoor elements.
Do you have to sand old doors before painting?
To paint an interior door, remove all hardware and choose paint with a durable gloss or semi-gloss sheen. Clean the door with a degreasing cleaner before painting, fill holes with sandable filler or spackle, and use 120-grit sandpaper for a smoother surface. Remove dust before priming or painting and put down drop cloths.
This method can be used for panel doors that remain on their hinges, as it doesn’t require waiting for one side to dry before painting the other. Cover hinges with painter’s tape to keep them free of paint.
When painting a panel door, use a paint brush rather than a roller. Apply paint to the inside of top panels, smooth out the paint, and coat recessed areas first. If the door has a vertical center stile, paint it next and blend in brush marks when painting the horizontal rails. Paint the rails or horizontal framing members, starting with the top rail and working your way to the bottom. Paint the remaining vertical stiles, starting on the left, and feather brush marks while they are still wet. Brush or roll the edges, but be careful not to get any runs on the door’s face.
Ensure the door can remain open long enough to fully dry, as closed doors may stick to the door frame.
What is the best oil for wood doors?
Traditional wood oils, such as Danish Oil, Tung Oil, and Linseed Oil, are commonly used for interior use but require multiple coats and can take days to dry, especially Linseed Oil. This can take up to a week to finish a door. Dedicated door oils, made from a blend of oils, waxes, and resins, are more durable, require only two thin coats, require less maintenance, and dry in 6 to 12 hours, depending on the brand. These oils can be oiled and ready for use in under 24 hours. Door oils come in various sheen levels and color variations, from clear to colored, designed to retain the natural look of the door.
How do you revamp old internal doors?
To modernize old doors, consider adding molding or trim to them with wood glue and nails, then repainting them for a more expensive look. Alternatively, transform plain interior doors into panel doors by attaching plywood to the door with a nailer, then staining or painting it for a custom look.
If you find old doors boring, consider using stencils to add small accents or an entire pattern. First, find a stencil in a desired pattern and tape it to the door. Then, use a paintbrush or sponge to dab paint over the stencil, then remove it. This simple and budget-friendly solution can add a unique touch to your home. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of elegance or a more functional look, these simple and affordable options can transform your home’s appearance.
📹 ALL THE GEAR ON OUR 79 SERIES LAND CRUISER! MITS ALLOY – RED ARC – IRONMAN 4×4 -ROH (catch and cook)
Petrol and diesel are also incompressible, just like water. The air that occupies most of the cylinder volume, however, is compressible. Replace some of that air with water and you end up with a much higher cylinder pressure on the compression stroke, which bends rods like you said. The fuel doesn’t compress, its atomised into droplets and just doesn’t take up much space to begin with. It’s also a controlled amount, unlike water entering the intake
Heres the rub, last two decades up until 2021 I have utilised a Safari snorkel, in the last couple of years with the purchase of a now well modified Hilux I have elected to not use a Snorkel. The snorkel equipped vehicles have ALWAYS dirtied up the Unifilters much much more than the non snorkel vehicle. I must admit I drive most of the outback roads and tracks of Australia and am so happy now I have not spent $ on a snorkel. I simply do not drive in the dust of other vehicles or thru water more than 700-800mm deep and guess what it is cool to go around or camp up and wait until water levels drop by 24 hours. OH and by the way those snorkels are noisy bastards.
a couple of points from over here in blighty, a rear facing snorkel top is a good idea if travelling through our greenlanes as I have lost two snorkel heads over the years after they got caught on tree branches. I do leave it facing backwards as our lanes are short with lots of road trips between them. If not laning for a while it goes back to facing forwards. After breaking into the air system, I always check the air tightness of the pipework and snorkel by using a haynes manual to seal off the top of the snorkel pipe ( after removing the top ) if the engine stalls then I feel happy it should do its job.
I have often thought about getting a snorkel but considering the cost and the fact that we don’t do convoy travelling, it has never been and issue for us. Considering the length of time we have been driving without a snorkel without any issues, I doubt we will end up putting one on now. I have always liked Uni-Filters where you can clean the filter and reuse it on the road. They seem to keep out more dust than ordinary paper style throw away filters.
I’ve always used plastic snorkels on my 4wds and tried the filter sock too. Never had any issues to speak of. I have heard of vehicles being written off when the stainless steel snorkels have had a big impact on trees or rolled on their sides. As the stainless steel is quite strong, it doesn’t absorb the impact or crush like plastic ones. This impact is then transferred to the A pillar causing serious damage. Great informative article!
Hello, my name is Gareth, live in South Africa, grew up in the Eastern Cape and Transkie, was a teenager in the 70 ties!My uncle, who had a trading station in the Willowvale district, developed the “snorkel” as everyone has come to know it, because of endless vehicle trouble involving dust kicked up on gravel roads. He,uncle Ernie Smith, fitted these extensions on the vehicles! It was a winner, worked exceptionally well! A delegation from Toyota, Japan, made a trip to my uncles trading station! All the vehicles used, were Toyota! They were very impressed, promising follow a follow up, which NEVER happened! Never received a dime! All the best buddy 👍
I had an air filter fail on my kids side X side. I was surprised by the end result. Basically a cylinder polished to a mirror finish to the extent it couldn’t hold any oil film. The piston rings where about half the thickness of new ones but I think the lack of any cross hatch on cylinders was the killer. Wish I had noticed the filter had split on the bottom side.
On my 70 series I swapped the standard Toyota raised air intake (with all its leaks) for a relatively cheap TJM snorkel which is fully sealed and does not require any cutting of the bodywork. Rather than use the TJM supplied ram air intake (which I guess does not really have much of a ram effect) I stayed with the original Toyota cyclonic head. It was a bit fiddly to fit because of the slight mismatch in pipe diam but a piece of 100mm pvc pipe cut lengthwise serves as a filler. End result works like original equipment without the leaks.
Made my own snorkel because the engine is Toyota and the body is Daihatsu, making airbox too. Good article I would have stressed the need for extra waterproofing beyond a snorkel Difs, electric, you did mention them though. I hadn’t thought of the bung hole, I’ll be adding that. I used PVC pipe and a heatgun it looks factory and is one piece to the fender wall it was like a functional art project I’m excited to explore further in confidence. I’m in Alaska
One thing you didn’t mention about rear facing snorkels: Here in Washington State, many of our trails are EXTREMELY tight. Lots of tight squeezes through the trees. I have chronically snapped my air ram off by clipping a tree. Eventually I said screw it, going rear facing with no air ram, and am just using a 90 degree black PVC sewer tubing. It’s waaaaay stronger than the thin walled plastic ARB air ram. I have also noticed zero power losses. The air ram looks cool, but in my experience it was a large thing hanging outside the vehicle’s width to be snapped off.
Excellent article one thing you didn’t mention is the length of the snorkel effecting drivability. Obviously it’s not a racecar but the factory airbox is engineered to work with the car. Adding a 2m drain pipe to your car’s intake is going to effect this. Obviously something like a safari snorkel has some engineering behind it and the ram air will help combat this at higher speeds but going to your local exhaust shop and getting a 5inch or worse 2 stainless steel snorkels is going to have an effect on throttle response.
An interesting discussion indeed. What is your opinion and or knowledge about Donaldson Air Filtration Systems on 4WD’s? I’m considering fitting one of these, fitted with a snorkel and a pre-cleaner, on my 1990 F150 4WD 351W 5.8 Lt. V8. I use this vehicle mainly on gravel roads/off road and on farms.
talking about ram air: the gain of power is linear to the preasure. the aerodynamics is square. so, you might gain some power, but you would need much more to come over the lak of air resistance. and whats more important than the hight of the air intake is the hight of the alternator and the door. the snorkel is basically for cleaner air on dusty roads. and don’t forget about the evap of axles and gearbox. they need a lift
Great vid Ron, just wanted to pull you up on the “Ram effect”. It doesn’t exist unless you are going REALLY fast ( like ZX 14 fast) and even then it is minimal. It’s on the wrong side of the butterfly for starters ( it would try to close the throttle under pressure) and it still has the air cleaners to deal with. “Ram Air” induction is sales speak. Thanks for the great articles.
I have a Safari snorkel on my LR Def 90, with an axle breather kit fitted. The breathers go into a manifold under the bonnet which I’ve snaked up to the head of the snorkel. The breather tube from the manifold I’ve stuck up one of the rain drain holes. I realise I haven’t used the hole for what it’s designed for but it should be okay, right?
I’m only new to 4wding (6 years) but this is honestly the best advice given to new people entering the 4WD playground. It’s not all about show or water crossing! I did my research before getting my snorkel and only put it on as an insurance policy nothing more. So big thanks Ronny for putting this out there and helping the new 4WD people in making the right decision.🥃
Having said all that – I find it easier to stop the vehicle, clean the filter in the air box and drive on . At the end of the day, the 1m or so height difference does not matter much. Dust is everywhere. Snorkel or no snorkel. Driving behind another vehicle on a really dusty road, dust will get into your airbox. After all this years, I’ve come to realise – installing a snorkel does improve the looks of my 4×4 more than anything else…
Ronny, take a look into the “Sy-klone” pre-cleaner. It’s an American product designed for heavy equipment in really dusty/dirty environments such as waste management facilities. It spits out the particles heavier than air and pulls air from underneath, preventing water intrusion as well as bugs, etc. Nice article. Thanks
There’s a product on the market called 303 protectant. It will soak into that plastic, and at least reduced its ability to become hardened overtime, and resist shattering. It is great for anything rubber on your vehicle. I have seen tests done on serpentine belts where they’re soaked did it and left to sit for about 10 to 12 hours before installing on the vehicle and have survived like 300,000 miles before replacement. I’ve even seen some tests we’re spraying the tread on a tire has extended the tire Life by 300%. It keeps the rubber on the tires from becoming dried and grinding away faster. And my guess is, given the mechanism oh, it will also Aid in overall traction as the tire ages. I’ve seen tires that have become so hard that traction is almost negligible anymore. It becomes really a parrot on like a Dodge Viper that still has its original rubber on it but the tires have never been treated with something that will keep them pliable. That becomes a supremely dangerous vehicle to attempt to drive.
If you’re going to snorkel up your air intake for water, don’t forget that your rear-end, transmissions, and engine block also have breather tubes that will suck in water as soon as they go under water. So extend your breather tube on those as well. I ran mine up into the body pillars to almost head high when I’m seated in the driver’s seat on my Isuzu.
The only time I have my snorkel head on backwards is when it snows. Here in the uk we don’t get much snow. But once I was driving in snow for about an hour at 60mph and noticed the car getting really laggy and no power. I stopped at the side of the road and my snorkel head had completely filled with snow😂 I had to clean it then I turned. Around and continued on😂 Might be worth a mention although I know it only snows in a couple parts of Australia 🤔
I measured the pipe diameter on my 1999 TJ and built my own snorkel (sealed unit) out of schedule 40 PVC pipe. Once fitted, I used black “Plasti-Coat” paint to make it look acceptable. As it now an older model that I use to go out into the bayous (swamps) to fish, camp, hunt, etc.) the overall appearance doesn’t have to be spot on. In total, I spent around $100 USD.
Good article but wrong about the forward gooseneck drawing it water. The whole point of the gooseneck is to lift the intake above the wall of water going up the windscreen. Snorkel that is laying against the body like most custom stainless snorkels can draw more water. Im not talking about a splash of water im talking about a wave that can go up the bonnet and over the windscreen, where the gooseneck is beneficial
When water crossing remember, their are other parts that can fail due to water. The fusebox is one, water gets in this, your electrical system will fail and one part of the electrical system is the PCM if it does not get power, car dies. Speaking of the PCM, these days its in the engine bay and while the connector going to it is IP rated, it can still get water ingress and then your PCM is screwed.
Not to argue with anyone else’s experience but after installing 3 Safari brand snorkels on our vehicles over the years, I decided to try an Ebay variety for kicks and grins. It has been on our 99 UZJ100 petrol rig for 7 years and has had no issues so far. The template was a bit off, but having installed them before I had a good idea of what needed to be done – it only took 45 min. It turned out and fit very clean. We have ripped the cap off several times bush wacking, but the snorkel as a whole has shown no signs of fatigue. The only thing I don’t like as well is that it doesn’t have as glossy of a finish, it’s not quite a chulky finish but more of a flat. It’s not a big deal for a rig that is used as a dedicated overlanding and high country vehicle. Thanks for the good content! Cheers!
I honestly didn’t think about the dust aspect, but it makes a lot of sense. I’ve been putting off the snorkel kit since I need to do a lot of electronic and cab seals before my rig will be ready for proper water crossing. Though dust is a huge problem for turbo diesels n whenever me n the boys get together we always run convoys. So after this article the snorkel kit is getting moved from the want list to the need list.
I think understanding how filters work is very beneficial in making any snorkel choices. a filter will not lose efficiency (the amount of particles it traps) as it gets full. In fact, it actually gets more efficient as the gaps within the filter element are effectively smaller as particles lodge together reducing the opening size hence the reduce flow rate. if your intake system is properly sealed to the filter, it should not allow dust to get past the filter even if its full. Cyclonic filters found in golf tees and Donaldson pre filters are the best way about it. Sticking a flimsy sock in front of your ram head will reduce the flow rate as all filters do, even more so when it gets clogged whilst providing minimal filtering. do you need full flow rate i.e. pedal to the metal and full HP when cruising down a dusty road? Cyclonic filters use inertia/centrifuge to fling particles outwards without having a second filter media to reduce the flow rate.Yes, you will induce some restriction due to the air path but minimal compared to cyclonic action. This is why vacuum cleaners have been using cylonic action as the first filtration stage for decades. The same system can be found on a dust extraction on wood working setups and even mobile setups such as the festool cyclones. In my opinion, sealing up the duck bill in the airbox is the correct way to do it. if you have a 4.5L engine spinning at 2000 rpm, at 14psi boost you can do the math on the amount of air is flowing through that. the small of rain that makes it in as your driving through torrential rain will evaporate before it makes it into your cylinders.
My Uncle in the Transkei, South Africa, invented that snorkel! All roads were gravel and he made an exhaust flute, and what a difference! A delegation of Toyota bigwigs came out to this far flung Trading Station, to see for themselves (early 70ties) promised the World, and delivered nothing,,,,nice! 👍
I often wonder if there isn’t a way better location to put the air inlet, like on the middle of the rear end area of the vehicle, possibly under an additional lip maybe?? As the dust and air passing all around the vehicle kind of pass over it with gaps after lipped areas, which is the entire point of the lip at the top of low batwing windshields on Harley’s, which allows you to look over the windshield, without the bugs and wind in your face because all of that curves up the little lip, and passes over your head by about 5 inches, even though your eye level is above the windshield… Wouldn’t that kind of a setup be the most ideal for fresh air, as it’s still outside air coming in, but not the crappy air??? I don’t know though, but it makes me wonder, and I never hear anyone mention the ideal location for fresh air to do with vehicles, other than to force air in for performance, and not for breathing…
Very good summary. Need to take up the issue of hydraulic lock, however. The problem isn’t that water is less compressible than fuel (there is a small amount of fuel compared to air in the compression cycle anyway- around 15:1). The issue is that water is (far, far) less compressible than air and that is what causes the major problem (though having water in the cycle anyway is, of course, an issue). Otherwise, great episode. Cheers.
some vehicle have there airflow from front above radiator but in my brothers case airflow is picked up from under one the front wheels. He got a snorkel. Other brother his Ranger has airflow from front but is still changing filters earlier than one with snorkel. Also they are on a farm with dirt roads. They have recently had floods the snorkel came in handy there.. I saw a story from an Australian engineer saying snorkels are a waste money. I said what about dirt roads. He didnt think they made any difference
Unsolicited 2cents: Rear facing is much less likely to get hung up and ripped off pushing through scrub or tight/overgrown single track, mine is only on ‘firm’ so i can swivel it by hand. If your driving on rutted single track with ‘any’ standing water, that water will squeeze between your tyre and the side of the rut and go right into a forward facing intake especially as you turn the wheel, also, deep holes can come out of nowhere on some tracks, more than enough to drown a stock intake.
Good vid Ronny. I used a piece of 20mm air conditioner filter media for larger commercial type air conditioners in my 200 series (no snorkel), I just cut it to neatly fit over the air filter, this helped to filter a lot of leaves, bugs, etc, before hitting the main filter. I have seen vids of Cape trips using the snorkel socks, they need to be kept clean as they seem to quickly increase fuel consumption clean or not, was the takeaway, I would like to here your thoughts on that, has anyone done any fuel efficiency tests regarding snorkel sock use? Cheers
I think there´s a lot of moist/dust-issues with raised air intakes most people aren´t aware of. “4X4 Australia” tested a LC 300 with OEM raised air intake in heavy rain, and the air filter was soaked! “LR time” discovered a significant increase in fuel consumption by faceing the intake forward vs bachward in high speeds. Seikel offers snorkel to some VW models, and they pin point that the intake have to be faceing backwards to keep the warranty. MB G-class doesn´t offer any, MB Unimog have one w/cyclone filter If you look at Dakar cars, non of them have forward faceing air intakes. These teams use a lot of money in research, if it was beneficial in any way to have it forward faecing,- don´t you think they would?
I had a plastic snorkel, went to stainless and swear 100% I lost 5kw Everyone told me due to atmospheric pressure it’s not possible, but there were certain hills I could cruise up in 4th and lost the ability to do so. I proved it furthermore by putting 3″ conduit bend on my snorkel and went for a drive, had an immediate difference on power. Uninstalled the stainless snorkel put the plastic back on and my Navi purred like a kitten and I can now climb and accelerate all the tiny hills around Brisbane beyond 4th gear I agree, it’s aesthetics and sound that makes a stainless good. But I believe you do actually lose power. I also had it dyno’d before and after and the stainless install. And the tuner confirmed there was less power. I also spoke to a turbo rebuilder and he told me there’s 2 factors in air induction one is air volume and the other is air speed. You need both to be adequate for your turbine. Most people will argue that the turbine only takes what it wants due to the exhaust speed, He explained in great detail that it’s not about atmospheric pressure but the air speed fed to your turbo. Think of it like you drinking water through a straw, with a very short straw this process is actually quite easy, but with a snorkel you’ve added about 1.5m of “straw” to your turbo, now imagine you trying to suck up water through a 1.5m long straw, it’s still easy but it definitely require more effort. Same with the turbo, it now has to work harder, so to overcome that, you must feed the air in, thus air speed.
Ronny great article, but in some circumstances you are absolutely wrong about armax. I have a supercharged 100 series alwhich really suffered from air restriction, it couldn’t make the power because the combination of snorkel and airbox wouldn’t let it draw quickly enough. I upgraded from a standard safari to an Armax and the engine ran significantly better. For some it will make no difference but for some it will.
Thanks Ronny – I’ve found a good used Safari brand for my N70 diesel Hilux for $100 with all parts needed just for peace of mind and have installed one on my previous ‘02 Hilux thanks to Youtube article guides – the ‘fully sick mate’ steel rear facing ones that are so popular look awful as if someone stuck a piece of steel tubing from the local rubbish tip.
A question I’m curious about is how do they do in icy weather? I live in southern Illinois and we get all kinds of weather. A running joke in the area say that if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes. While we don’t have a lot of dirt roads anymore, the dust clicked up by harvesters in the fall can be pretty bad and in the spring we can get some pretty bad flooding on major roads… And I think a snorkel on my 05 Tahoe would look pretty good.
I had a tjm and a genuine Nissan one on a couple of cars ranger bt50 f250 always got full of dirt and bugs and crap in the filter front facing nilly drowned a patrol in the rain with a front facing Nissan snorkel. Then went to a stainless 4″ rear facing. No bugs hardly any dust better for filter service intervals. Thanks for the article. Also the plastic in the heat with a sock pre filter over the ram head doesn’t like a lot more boost they suck the plastics in especially if a bit of dust / mud clogging the pre filter.
My Ram 2500 has an AEV snorkel. There are 2 connection points that are held together with hose clamps. One is under the fender and the other in the engine compartment near the airbox. It’s probably pretty water tight that way. However, i decided to have insurance by installing 4″ diameter rubber plumbing couplings over the joints. As for the airbox, all drain holes have been sealed. I learned early on when i blew up a perfectly good 4.0L engine on a ’97 TJ. I also have had 2 friends blow their enginess on a water crossing I had no problem traversing. If you are expecting water, a snorkel is cheap insurance.
Good stuff Ronnie. I agree 100% with the pinned comment about the origin of rear facing. I would add 1 more thing and that is a rear facing will be somewhat the opposite to the ram effect of forward facing. It will create a vortex (low pressure) and will want to suck air out of the air box. It will reduce the suction from the engine. It may not be much but it will reduce the air taken in so reducing the benefit of a snorkel.
I run a normal plastic snorkel on my wrangler with the snorkel facing sideways (towards the driver, left hand drive). Running 38″ mud tires that stick far out of the fenders throws mud directly into the snorkel head and will make it into the engine filter. A few cups worth of wet mud on the air filter is not good. For 99% of people a snorkel is a waste of money in the USA because 99% of people with off road vehicles don’t go down more than a dirt road. For the 1% of people who actually wheel a snorkel is cheap insurance. A friend of mine blew his engine sucking in water and I have witnessed no less than 10 people blow their engines crossing water too deep. Never mind that the snorkel will keep the engine alive but the same vehicle will likely have future diff/trans/electrical failures due to being submerged deep.
To keep dust out of your intake. I purchased and installed an ARB snorkel on my Rubicon. What I didn’t realize is from the factory there was a small breathing hole on the bottle. I was forging the Gila river when I killed my engine. Aside from my ARB lockers, I do not use their products anymore. Not even their air compressor.
I have run snorkel not all way back but at angle a lot less dust in filter than forward facing in convoy. No sock on . The ram effect you say comes in at 80 k . What are the numbers on the ram effect compared to no snorkel or angle faced ? Some facts numbers would help your statement. If you put the snorkel 180 back you create a negative air pressure and dust will fill your filter for sure. How about some real world tests on no snorkel in convoy snorkel forward no sock snorkel angled back then compare all 3 filters for dust . Do the test be very interesting outcome. Do the no snorkel test with no mods on the car bull bar etc std Toyota Hilux for example. Then fit snorkel forward no sock then angled back no sock in convoy on dusty track.
at 1000m and 30 c what is the pressure difference in a 15cm x 10cm (150cm^2) forward facing air scoop make tabulate from 30 to 120 km/h To calculate the pressure difference in a forward-facing air scoop, we can use the Bernoulli’s principle which states that an increase in the speed of a fluid (in this case, air) occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in the fluid’s potential energy. Assuming that the air is an ideal gas, we can use the following formula to calculate the pressure difference: ΔP = ½ * ρ * V^2 * (C_d * A) where: ΔP = Pressure difference ρ = Density of air at 1000m and 30°C (approx. 0.9584 kg/m^3) V = Velocity of air C_d = Coefficient of drag (assumed to be 0.7 for a forward-facing air scoop) A = Area of the air scoop (150 cm^2 converted to m^2 is 0.015 m^2) To tabulate the pressure difference from 30 to 120 km/h, we need to calculate the velocity of air for each speed and then use the formula above to calculate the corresponding pressure difference. Here is a table of the results: Speed (km/h)\tVelocity (m/s)\tPressure Difference (Pa) 30\t8.33\t18.6 40\t11.1\t33.1 50\t13.9\t51.9 60\t16.7\t74.8 70\t19.4\t102.0 80\t22.2\t133.4 90\t25.0\t169.0 100\t27.8\t208.9 110\t30.6\t253.0 120\t33.3\t301.4 Note that the velocity is converted from km/h to m/s, and the pressure difference is given in Pascals (Pa).
I bought my Defender with a snorkel from the deceased owner and it has a “U” from factory with a drain pre air cleaner (which is the large old school cylindrical type) so that you could remove the rubber drain with no ill effects compared to thr later Td5 with the panel filter. Haven’t had an issue yet even in the 2011 floods which I’m glad I didn’t take the old XG 😅
Great Content Ronny. I’m Curious and Want to get your expert advise. Here In PNG, West New Britain. There is a river crossing wara Pandi. It gets roof high on a trooper with 33 inch tires. Practice here is we remove the air filter before driving through. And the vehicle successfully crosses. Currently only Land Crusiers can cross. However, I wanna know how I can bulletproof a 2023 Hilux to cross that river also. Making it the first One Ever. What’s your opinion on the air filtet removal practice and what are the best mods to cross that river if I were to modify my Hilux to cross. Thank You
Legit I have a sock on my ramhead all the time, not sure how much restriction I’m getting by doing this but washing this once every 2-3 month and just giving it a wipe down with a wet wipe every time after weekend out, the amount of collection of dust that hits the oiled filter is insane. To think that all goes down into the paper filter is crazy. Don’t drive without it off now, and when i do my usual air filter change in service its been so much more cleaner.
I have to admit I run my snorkle running backwards in the winter. I had it forward one winter and it was that sticky snow. When I got to my destination there was enough snow on the grill to make a snowball. Also I took the grill off and tied a mesh screen to the inside of it and reinstalled the grill. I was waiting for my wife in a parking lot years before I even had my FJ. There was a guy walking to his car that was next to a Tacoma with a snorkel. The prick out his cigarette butt in the snorkle when he walked passed it. I remembered that when I purchased my snorkel.
Excellent points, but, I do not agree that snorkels are mainly there for dust, they are mainly to raise the intake higher for water ingress. While dust is another reason for their use, in my experience, dust is going to get into that intake also, although not as much. I would recommend using a dust cover such as the one offered by AOB or UniFilter where they are oil soaked. If snorkels were mainly there for dust, they would be fitted in the factory, an air filter is for dust, a snorkel gets the air intake higher for water. How does water ruin your engine, petrol and diesel are not really any more compressible than water and actually diesel requires compression to ignite where petrol uses a spark. However, there is one BIG difference, water is not injected in a mist and it DOES NOT COMBUST; therefore it gets on top of your pistons as a liquid via the air particle filter and then when the piston comes to the top it cannot compress the water. The connecting rods bend because of the momentum of the engine because chiefly, one piston comes to an instant stop and the rest of the engine does not. In a dusty environment, you should take out the air filter every day and blow out the dust from the inside out, using an air line. In regard to stainless snorkels, they are mainly for looks but, they also allow for a bigger diameter if you need to increase airflow, whereas the plastic ones are usually a set size. They are mainly rearward facing because they generally do not have a debris mesh on them.
Contrary to the modern Jeep community, any mod to an off road vehicle should never be about aesthetics. Save that money for quality parts where it counts, the drivetrain and suspension. I see and fell Victim to when I first started all the do-dads, knickknacks and bull hockey “mods” that “everyone needs”. A year in and I could tell that I either never used that stuff or it had broken. I wasted so much money and time on useless things like limb risers, tail light guards and stickers and sway bar disconnects and such. Stainless snorkels and snorkel accessories is a waste if something cheaper gets the job done reliably. Plastic doesn’t rust either and you CAN fix plastic on the trail but you can’t fix a stainless tube properly in the bush.
The question of airflow is – imho – very, very complicated: Facing fowward looks like more air getting in. But air pressure is not a easy thing. Airpressure can stall, depending on pressure and volume and design. Facing backwards will cause a low pressure zone right behind the opening. This is pretty much not what you want! Aero is a very complex topic and very expensive to calculate/ or test on a windtunnel. Also very much depending on speed! I am sure no company on planet was ever tested that. Because you will never get the R&D return of invest. For comparison: Check the article of Gale Banks Diff Cover. Could be interesting though to measure MAD before the filter for both ways. That at least is easy by an sensor.
Could steel snorkel intakes face rearward because it is cheaper than trying to make the “traditional” front-facing ram air look in one continuous piece of metal? One aspect that probably doesn’t apply to 4WDers is heat resistance; a steel snorkel will not melt when exposed to abnormally high heat (bushfire), while plastic snorkels will and have done so in the past (NSW bushfires, 19/20 season).
while i’m sure there are some cheap ebay snorkels that do fail. don’t assume more expensive equals better, research what’s available for your 4wd in regards to design and materials for example a well known australian snorkel brand sold a snorkel for a wrangler that went in behind the wheel arch had a hose in the wheel opening behind the tyre 40cm lower than the stock air intake and a bunch of piping connecting the airbox. so it had unecessary bends, connections below stock intake, hose extremely vulnerable to damage, increased engine bay clutter. on the other hand you could buy a $200 uv stabilised cross link polyethylene snorkel of a good design with minimal bends, no engine bay clutter, no low and vulnerable hoses and only one connection at the airbox. they are proven to work better without issue for over a decade so far.
Something also worth considering is where the factory air pickup is. More and more cars collect air over the radiator Cowell which isn’t ideal if you go through a medium water crossing it will just flow water from over front of car as it pushes water into air box. Im a big fan of snorkel. Especially sealed. Has saved my bacon… well kind of. Still wrote the car off from water ingress. But it drove me and the family home safely!
Great article. I’ve got a plastic snorkel on my Ssangyong Musso. I installed it right after I bought it as a used import from Korea. I live off-road and drive mainly off-road in Mongolia. We live in the mountains (off-road, off-trail) and have to cross 3 rivers just to get to a paved road. I’d say I drive 90% off-road by driving time. In fact, I’d guess all the serious off-road vehicles in Mongolia have snorkels, particularly Land Cruisers. River crossings are the main reason but dust can be an issue too. It’s pretty important for me to have one and I’m happy with it.
Idk about all that in the beginning. I’ve ran a snorkel and a pipe from my front bumper fog light and the results were about the same. After about 5k miles I saw about the same amount of dirt. Obviously with the snorkel you get the option for driving through a river but for my application the bumper intake works great
Ive brought a new sr hilux. After a a couple of weeks with quite a few gravel roads (standard ute) i opend the airbox and was shocked to find red dust on the lid engine side. Online it said it leaks pass the seals..so i took it to my toyota dealer and his answer was that it is normal its coming through the filter not the seals,he said the toyota buliton paper says toyota accept this amount of dust, so i asked if i can change too a after market filter or add a prefilter pad. He said toyota have done performance durability test with this filter and thats what they choose to fit.also said changing from the std filter will void warranty… next week its booked in so he can do a full report so its kept on my file incase of any damage he is also going to take of the turbo impala and show me that there is no damage from the dust …. ?? Not sure what to do ..
All the snorkel does is raise your inner intake so you don’t get a water in the engine. If it was more efficient if it helped the cover perform any better if it managed to help you get half a thimble full of fuel efficiency per 500 gallons that manufacturer would have installed it it wouldn’t be an option.
Geeewiz Ronny, nice vid yeah but you missed a CRUCIAL reason, perhaps even two of them, to mount a snorkel – at least, for all those vehicles which do not come off the floor with a raised intake! For cars which come withOUT a snorkel the intake air comes from somewhere underbonnet – and if that is from the inside of the fender then that is the same, it comes from ‘underbonnet’ – and this is heated air, WARM air (and yes, also dusty air)! The Toyota Landcruisers with the 4.2L diesel 1HZ engine is a good example of this: air is sucked in via a pipe-looking thing (which in fact is a very restrictive cyclonic pre-airfilter filter for coarse dust) leading to the inside of the RH fender… BUT, this fender is vented to the rear of the engine bay, where it sucks rather HOT air coming through the radiator first, and next is heated by the engine and exhaust etc, this air is VERY HOT! When one mounts a snorkel (Safari a good example!) then COLD air is ingested by the engine, or at least the coolest air possible, it is ambient temperature! But, this snorkel also does away with that very-restrictive pre-airfilter cyclonic filter, and only this bit makes for a way more responsive engine …. but an engine running on the coolest air possible (ambient temp) makes for a more EFFICIENT engine, more power with a lower fuel consumption! And one WILL notice this, less fuel per kilometer – plus, an engine ingesting the coolest air possible is a HAPPY engine! Oh, NO, the lack of that cyclonic pre-airfilter thing (on 1HZ engines) one does not miss at all unless you habitually go endurance racing in convoy in the Sahara, trust me on this bit!
In Florida I used to never worry about flood water because I was always lucky. Just yesterday my Colorado bogged up and I was stuck for an hour just waiting for it to crank back up THEN running like shit I went to AutoZone and cleaned out everything where the water would get into changed spark plugs Ignition coils oil and air filter changed oil cleaned out the entire intake system just to make it back home in the same flooded streets. Snorkel is in my near future🎉
Save your money and skip the snorkel. I zip tied a $1 diver’s snorkel to my roof rack. Works just as well and gets way more attention. On a list of must have accessories, I would put a snorkel just below headlamp eyelashes. See the headlamp eyelashes really help with the dust; they work just like real eyelashes…
Lots of misinformation here. Much as John Cadogan said – a RAI is pretty much pointless. A snorkel is needed if you wish to wade deeper than the manufacturer’s specification (assuming your vehicle won’t float away anyway) and in which case you need to waterproof everything including your alternator (or don’t bother with a snorkel at all). And it’s funny that Ronny you say the RAI keeps the intake away from dust ingress and then immediately confirm it doesn’t help one bit as you put an extra pre-filter sock on the intake anyway proving that dust still gets in. I’ve done lots of research on RAIs and dust climbs as high as 4+ metres when following someone making an RAI a waste of time and money. Aside from Toyota’s stupid air intake in the wheel arch issue, I’d suggest most vehicle’s air intake is well and truly clear of any dust from your own making and if it’s getting dust from following, a RAI will also suck in dust. Also – cooler air up there, yeah not really. Oh and a RAI makes the air travel much further to get to the engine increasing the aerodynamic drag due to fluid dynamics. Shortest intake is best – not a long pipe. The thing about dirt roads is; if you travel on your own you don’t need a snorkel (RAI) and if you travel in a convoy (or meet other vehicles) you don’t need a snorkel (RAI) as the dust cloud is well over the height of your Vehicle and RAI anyway. Lastly – to be fair; looks aren’t overly important at all. If they were no one would ever buy a Troopy – those things are Butt Ugly.
Not much point installing one for water crossings unless you’ve also got diff breathers etc. As for the argument saying the air is cleaner 18 inches above the factory air box…. really ? If you’re following that closely to other vehicles on dusty roads then you’re an idiot. And is the air any cooler all the way up there…um, no. Oh, by the way, how much water is entering your engine when it’s pissing down with rain ? Lets face it, most people install them because “everyone else” has got one & they look cool. And thats just the way ARB likes it.
LOL. Snorkels are just to look cool… if you believe there is any significant difference between the amount of dust or heat at 4 feet off of the ground vs. 6 feet off of the ground, you should rethink a bunch of things. (including physics) Regarding the concerns raised about Toyota’s factory “snorkel” being “only” a “raised air intake”… I can assure you that if you are fording water that reaches your front windshield in height, you are already in trouble… no snorkel will help you. Also, congratulations on likely being swept away and becoming the proud owner of what used to be a functional vehicle, but is now a steaming pile of rotten seating and carpet and electrical faults. 👍
If you are traveling down the road at any speed with a forward facing snorkel, it will catch anything that is in the air and funnel it down to the filter and potentially the engine. Dirt, bugs, small rocks, leaves, grass, etcetera. With a rearward facing snorkel, all of that stuff and its momentum is far more likely to speed past the snorkel and enable it to get cleaner air for the engine and make your filter last longer.
It’s truly amazing how many people don’t know about the fording depth at speed vs slowly. It’s why they’re always shocked that my bone-stock Silverado can wade through a meter of water, in and out for 2 miles without any issue, without a snorkel. It’s also why my former car, a Toyota Matrix, could happily drive in a foot of water despite the intake being low, because the intake was at the rear of the engine and at speed I could use the wake to suck air from the gap below the car, but if I stopped, I’d hydrolock.
Remember, an air filter is operating at its most efficient when approx 50% “blocked”. And don’t worry too much about restricting intake air flow on a diesel. Any perception or being able to feel “restriction” is not scientific or factual. It’s perception. And the “Ram” effect of a snorkel has been debunked by engineers and physics experts a few times. I’m surprised this is still even mentioned?
Been 4wding for over 30 yrs. I agree the big stainless ones are for posing. The traditional head options vortex or ram type deal with heavy rain, showy s/s snorkel s don’t,at least the ones I’ve seen. As for the top being broken off,depends how they are set up. Btw you don’t see any military,or rally raid vehicles with an open ended type snorkel like the s/s ones. Just saying 😂. My two cents. Happy 4wheeling
Regarding dust… You’re right that forward and rear facing will be equally as effective with dust at low speeds, but wrong at higher speeds. A rear facing inlet will not be subject to high speed air forcing the dust in. A rear facing inlet will allow the pre-filter to do its job without being subject to high speed air. Just imagine standing in a dust storm. You turn your back to the wind to stop the dusty air from being rammed into your lungs. Facing away gives you a chance to use a pre-filter (shirt, scarf) to actually collect dust as you breathe. Face the wind and the dust will be forced right through your shirt or whatever. If I were driving in dust at any kind of cruising speed, I would want the inlet facing backwards. But, it’s all for not if there is no pre-filter installed.
Unless you are planning on driving through deep water regularly, snorkels only have two functions: Showing everyone on the morning school run how manly you are and transferring your hard earned cash into the pockets of aftermarket suppliers. Apart from the obvious cost, additional wind noise, cutting holes in your bodywork and just generally looking like shit, the two main reasons I did not fit a snorkel are as follows. 1. If you are driving in convoy behind someone the difference between the stock intake at 1m above the ground and the snorkel at 1,6m is going to make such a small difference to be of zero significance. Simply don’t be a knobhead and tailgate your mate, drop back out of his dust where you can actually see what is going on. 2. The stock intake is at the furthest front end of your vehicle, you know that place where the air is cleanest. Now you move your intake back 1,5 meters, behind your front wheels. So when you are spinning and kicking up dust you dump that dust straight into the snorkel.
i remembered making the Safari Air intakes out of Fibreglass in the 90’s they were solid, two Fibreglass Halves joined together add a kilo of Gelcoat with styrene wax with gunk to thickin and waterproof the inside intake pipe, pour in the mix rotate til you coated the entire insides of the intake pour out before mix begins to harden . very messy but turned out Solid .
Bigger snorkels are better for breathing, if the engine left standard then the standard 3″ size is OK. But for my patrol and most other cars, any thing modified needs bigger intakes and mostly all older 4wds don’t have any high flow options because a Naturally aspirated engine has fuck all air flow demands compared to a turbo-ed equivalent. good Air flow in and out is the most important thing for low egts, efficiency and a reliable diesel engine.
No one ever mentions the big drawback of rear facing snorkels, they will cause negative pressure in the inlet system, and it gets worse the faster you go, essentially a boost thief making the turbo work harder, compressing a vaccum instead of positive air pressure. Theres a reason EVERY factory intake faces forward. Wont make a difference at slow speeds off road but on the highway…
What a crock … it doesn’t matter if your air intake is 10 metres in the air or dragging on the ground – because of the AIR FILTER between the hole where the air & dust enters the air intake and the inlet manifold. Apart from driving through water up to the top of the windscreen there are only 2 reasons to justify a snorkel: 1. a maintenance thing (how often you clean the air filter 2. To look hardcore.
It’s ironic you mention cheap (or affordable for many) and expensive (which generally means overpriced for many) I bought one for less than $100 from eBay about eight years ago; installed it myself and have had absolutely no issues or problems with it whatsoever, other than the aforementioned ingress of bugs and leaves etc. I looked at the Safari and a couple of others at the time which cost hundreds more and the differences were indiscernible other than branding. And if they are better, the differences were not reflected in the prices.
@Ronny Dahl Hello Mate, wanted to ask you, where I live it floods quite often and a lot of the government vehicles not only do they have a snorkel but they also have a removable tail pipe extension that clamps over the end of the tail pipe and brings it up the side of the bed and bends out at a 90 degree angle. Normally it’s about a 1 to 1.5 m extension. Do they do stuff like that where you live? I know you can normally get by without a tail pipe extension for a short water crossing so I’m not sure exactly why they do this unless they’re worried about if the vehicle stalls out and they don’t want water to get back up in there.
The discussion is really about water and dust intake into the engine. It’s pretty simple to avoid in the first place. 1:Take your foot off the gas when there is on coming traffic.. allow dust to settle in front of you 2: don’t drive behind a vehicle kicking up dust It’s not that difficult. 3: your car is Not a submarine so don’t drive it like it is
That’s cute. You think a couple feet of height will help you not get dust in your air box? Please. That’s just silly. The ram air affect is negligible because of the length of the pipe. If you are stock height, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a water crossing. When lifted, you should not be anywhere near the air box with the water level for a couple reasons. A) you have a lot of things that will let water in then ruin your motor. It will take thousands of dollars to maybe seal them up and peel them for a water crossing and that might work, but it might not. B) you lifted the truck so I’m guessing the tires are big. They are literally flotation devices. The truck will float away long before you get to the stock air box. If you are honest with yourself and have accepted that you are a pretty boy with a mall crawler, get a snorkel. The rest of us will not waste our money because it does nothing for our trucks capability.