Thread: D4 Snorkel

I have had my 2011 D4 since new and almost at the very fist instance had a Safari snorkel fitted. I did this as I live in the country and do a bit of dirt road driving. So my primary reason is to lift the air intake out of the general dust zone. The guys servicing my vehicle, Whyatt's in Geraldton, have remarked on more than one occasion how clean my air filters have been when they have gone to replace them during servicing. None the less I still replace them. I am a bit anal that way! From memory (it is roughly five years back now) there was a slight increase in air flow noise once the snorkel was fitted. This additional 'noise' is not noticeable when the drivers window is closed. You can also hear a bit of induction noise when you put your foot on the 'loud pedal', again only with the window open and just as Tony V has said " there is little noise".
So there you have it, if you reckon you are going to do a bit of dirt road / off road work and maybe the odd water crossing a snorkel could be handy. Take note of LandyAndy and LRD414's comments as they are also good points for consideration. In the end like most other things it's down to your personal preference and your estimation of your potential vehicle use. In any case get out there and enjoy the great vehicle you now have!

I have one of the cheaper snorkels fitted from a guy based near Samford Brisbane, he claims that he gets them from safari factory. I did compare against a safari and the plastic seems very similar, shape is exactly the same but it has discovery 3 stamped in it.
Anyway with the pre cleaner on the induction noise is extremely noticeable, i got this only for real bulldusty roads, easy to swap over from ram head. The ram is quiet with window up.

Originally Posted by aus86inch

I have one of the cheaper snorkels fitted from a guy based near Samford Brisbane, he claims that he gets them from safari factory. I did compare against a safari and the plastic seems very similar, shape is exactly the same but it has discovery 3 stamped in it.
Anyway with the pre cleaner on the induction noise is extremely noticeable, i got this only for real bulldusty roads, easy to swap over from ram head. The ram is quiet with window up.

I used to love the snorkel induction noise in my D2. Each to their own huh!

Originally Posted by Bytemrk

Take a close look under the bonnet, there are a LOT of joints that could leak water. I have a Safari Its good, its strong it's reliable..... does it make anything under the bonnet any less likely to leak if you get water too high in there .. nope.

I agree, in particular the pipe that runs across the top of the engine fan. I've often wondered how well that would be sealed against water.

I really don't think it is a must have item. I have a Safari one and happy it is on there however in the 5 years I have had it there is only 1 time I am pretty sure it saved me an Engine when I dropped into and unexpected hole in a river crossing and the water came briefly a few inches up the windscreen. However I am also pretty sure that had I not had the snorkel I would have been much more cautious and more carefully checked the crossing before plunging in. Also been happy to have it in the bulldust in the outback, but as others have said chuck a couple of spare air filters in and it is a much cheaper option.

It is noisier but that doesn't bother me, I quite like the induction noise.

An ongoing project of mine is to design a chamber that I will have 3D printed, that will fit over the intake on the guard with a temporary pipe attached that runs up the A pillar. It will only need two screws to attach it to the intake plus some clips onto the A pillar molding. The idea is that it can easily installed when on a trip and removed when not needed.

Originally Posted by cjc_td5

An ongoing project of mine is to design a chamber that I will have 3D printed, that will fit over the intake on the guard with a temporary pipe attached that runs up the A pillar. It will only need two screws to attach it to the intake plus some clips onto the A pillar molding. The idea is that it can easily installed when on a trip and removed when not needed.

That would help with dust, but it will need more under bonnet sealed pipe work if you want it to be waterproof.

Since my post in February, I've managed to get a lot closer to this subject after helping a mate look at water-proofing his OEM raised air intake (RAI) before heading off to the Cape this year.

We wanted to keep the profile of the RAI as it draws air from the rear facing inlet (Much better dust suppression) and has a very low acoustic wind level rather than buy an after-market snorkel.

So we stripped the RAI and air box out of his 3.0l D4 and had a good look inside and out.

I can confirm that the flexible 'hose' that runs through the inner engine bay panel is in fact a porous fabric membrane that will stop dust but won't be fully water tight....."Splash tight" yes but if it was subject to prolonged water immersion it will allow water into the air-box and eventually into the engine.

To make matters worse, the fabric membrane has no real protection from the elements as it is only the plastic inner wheel guard and a small outer metal "tube" that runs through the engine bay panel that protects it from rocks, dust and dirt. There are dozens of ingress points throughout the body, panels and inner guard that will allow water to enter.

Additionally, the rubber gaskets that are at each end of the fabric tube to allow air from the raised air intake housing through the fabric membrane and then into the air filter box will never be water tight as they simply press together.

There is no silicone style sealant or water tight double seals. The rubber gaskets maintain a sort of dust proof integrity simply by the pressure used to bolt the RAI onto the side of the car as well as the 'push-pull' fit of the rubber boot onto the air box.

The moral of the story here for those of you who do or don't have an RAI - and even for our city dwellers who may have to do a water crossing once in a blue moon is .....under no circumstances exceed the recommended wading depth of your D4 or you will drown your engine unless you have a water tight snorkel or modified RAI.

All is not lost however as with some careful engineering, you can make a water proof system by utilising some appropriate sized rubber elbows and a straight run of rubber or silicone tubing that are readily available from plumber suppliers, seal it with a proprietary sealant (My vote is for Sicoflex) and you will have a fully water tight and far better dust proof air intake system and still use the original OEM RAI!