Snorkels
What are they, what are they for, do I need one?

But first…

I had a customer with concerns about a recent engine failure, so I thought I’d write this little article to hopefully help.

There are quite a few new owners out there where this is their first serious 4WD, and they may be asking themselves: “Have I made a mistake buying a Grenadier?”

The answer is no.

The engine Ineos chose has, in my humble opinion, legendary status.

OK, let’s get on with it…

I’ve tried to keep this as simple as possible because not everyone is mechanically minded.

So what is a snorkel?

A snorkel is just a pipe/duct that lets the engine draw air from above the water line.

So isn’t that the same as the raised air intake the Grenadier already has?

No.

The factory raised air intake does exactly what it says on the tin – it takes air from a higher position. That’s great for dusty tracks.

But it is not a sealed system…

It has two drain holes so water can escape the duct. One has a clever self-sealing rubber grommet (which is excellent). The one further forward does not.

So when the front is submerged, water can still enter the engine’s air intake.

There are a couple of other spots where water can sneak in too, but for now let’s just focus on the intake system.

Now let’s talk wading depth…

The Grenadier is rated to 800 mm.

Should you deliberately go deeper than that? Well, no.

But sometimes it’s unavoidable…

For example:
You’ve got a water crossing ahead. You hop out, walk it, and it looks fine.
You drive in, and suddenly the right front wheel drops into a hole that’s 1100 mm deep.

This is where your snorkel earns its keep… it buys you TIME.

At that moment you’re probably a little stressed.
Knowing your engine is still pulling clean air from well above the water gives you confidence that it won’t hydrolock and die on you. That alone can drop the stress level a notch and let you concentrate on getting out.

What about everything else in the engine bay?

There’s a lot going on – electrical components, fuse boxes, mechanical bits, vent lines, etc.

Some of them really don’t enjoy a swim.

However, most have what I call a “dunking rating” (not a factory term – just my way of saying how long the part can be under water for a short period and still survive).

Back to that 1100 mm hole:
If you get in and out reasonably quickly without sitting there submerged for minutes, you’ll usually stay within the various “dunking ratings”. The water drains away and you’re good to go.

Hope that made sense…

So do you need a snorkel?

99 % of owners will never need one.

Some will never go anywhere near water deep enough to matter.
Some who venture a bit further off the beaten track will benefit.

(And yes, I’ve probably just talked myself out of a bunch of sales… so here’s the real reason to fit one):

They look COOL.

OK, they’re not everyone’s cup of tea, and the style of ours might not float your boat (pun intended).
But there are now a few of us in Australia making them, so you’ve got different designs to choose from.

They also sound great.
I don’t know about the others, but I love the sound ours makes – not too loud, and you hear a lot more of the turbo spooling up.

There you have it – hopefully in simple terms you can understand and now appreciate what’s really going on when you go wading.

And to all the keyboard warriors…

This isn’t the definitive, be-all-and-end-all guide to deep-water crossings.
It’s simply meant to help new owners get their heads around the basics. Not all of us are mechanically minded, and sometimes we just need it explained in plain English.

Safe wheeling!