Snorkel upgrade DIY

[Bushwacker]

Hi
Just wondering has anyone fitted a snorkel to there 4x4 what's involved is it hard or a simple process?

Did you notice any benefits performance wise ? Fuel consumption improve ?

Much appreciated
Mick

 

[Jaye]

Forget the performance side of things or economy, its very minimal. Often the cheap fleabay snorkels have smaller diameter connecting pipes and crap bends in the mould etc as well as crap instructions or templates, so best sticking with an Airtech from TJM or Safari from ARB. The Ironman snorkel isn't too bad either. Most of the time its a simple process, though I haven't done an older hilux, but imagine it's not very difficult due to them being fairly basic. Most of the time you just need the correct size hole saw and a step drill-bit. Bit of paint on the exposed metal and your on ya way.

 

[Tink]

Yes. Simple enough. You will need a large holesaw and using it on the vehicle’s guard can be a bit daunting. Measure many times before cutting Keep the saw parallel to the guard and use a steady hand. Best to fit over a weekend. Use low fume sealant as some sealant upsets the MAF sensor. Available from Super Cheap. Cut and drill plus seal up the new intake to the airbox on day one. Also prime any edges of holes cut in the vehicle. Allow overnight for the sealant to cure. Rooky mistake is to try to do it all in one day and when you try to fit the snorkel to the airbox, the sealant moves and you don’t end up with an airtight seal. Fit the snorkel on the second day.
No difference to performance or fuel use. That is a bit of a myth. You fit a snorkel for water crossings and to raise the intake out of the dust.
Good luck
Tink

 

[Batts88]

Every vehicle is different some are easy to fit some more involved and complex. On my Turbo diesel GQ I fitted an Airtec I use half a litre less diesel per 100km now and it seems to get the revs up just a touch quicker. If you really want to know if it helps fuel econ keep some fuel records for a while before and after to compare.

 

[jacnden]

My car wasn't very old when I cut this hole and it was a little nerve wracking, especially when the snorkel wasn't for my car and the template didn't fit
It made a slight differance in performance on a car with very little power

 

[Marck]

I went through this not long ago. The though of drilling panels was stressful. After advice I got from here I decided to give it a shot. Grabbed a big hole saw hack saw blade and a dermal and had a shot at started late one arvo just unpacking the snorkel from its box and by accident about 4 hours later it was all done. Mine is safari and the instructions and template where perfect and easy to understand. I honestly think I could now do it in under 3 hours.

Make sure you have all the bits listed in the instructions and dummy assemble the bits before you start so you can see how it all fits together so when your in a tight spot you understand how it fits together.

Good luck.

 

[hiluxdriver]

Maybe use a pin point to mark hole centres before drilling holes to stop the drill bit wandering

 

[Batts88]

The best part about doing it yourself is if you want to take the time over a couple of days which I did is you can undercoat and put a few coats of paint on the bare metal so you don't have to worry about rust later on.

 

[Albynsw]

Save yourself some money and cut the hole with a good pair of tinsnips it you want also........ the hole saw is probably no use to you after the job but a pair of snips is likely to be used again on something

 

[Noel Preston]

I bought a second hand Airtec snorkel from a bloke who had rolled his BT50, there was no template. I contacted TJM and they were kind enough to email me a template which took many sheets of A4 to assemble correctly. Having done that I found the scale to be incorrect and had I followed it the hole I needed to cut would have been about 30mm out. I was able to correct the template by increasing the scale via the printer.

 

[tlp7577]

I put one on my Nissan Xtrail and the easiest way I found was to take the guard off the car and line up everything that way. As there is no snorkel kit designed for Xtrail's- i used a Navara D22 one. The template i threw in the bin as it wasn't for my model. Also have a good mate that can give you a hand! Another per eyes dont hurt.. Once the guard was off we knew exactly where to holesaw or grind off an area on the body. YOU do not want to hit any joints in the body as it will make the 4x4 mechanically un-sound. And use a high performance flexi hose to connect to the air box or pod system etc.

 

[Gasket]

I bought a second hand Airtec snorkel from a bloke who had rolled his BT50, there was no template. I contacted TJM and they were kind enough to email me a template which took many sheets of A4 to assemble correctly. Having done that I found the scale to be incorrect and had I followed it the hole I needed to cut would have been about 30mm out. I was able to correct the template by increasing the scale via the printer.

Gday Noel,

Would you happen to still have this template via email?

 

[Noel Preston]

Gday Noel,

Would you happen to still have this template via email?

No sorry, that was about 5 years ago. I went to the local TJM store in Cleveland and they were no help so I went to the TJM Megastore in Coopers Plains and they were very helpful and emailed me the template. It would be worth a try.

 

[Rusty Panels]

I did notice a slight performance improvement in my old 2002 3.0 TD Hilux when I fitted one, but I reckon the cleaner air they collect by the intake being higher and subsequent longer air filter life is probably the biggest bonus. It's also good knowing that if you drop it into the drink that you have a bit of time left before you drown.

 

[John U]

Template, sharpie, centre punch, stepped drill bit, hole saw, sikaflex, file, rust proof paint, cordless drill, and plug in drill for the hole saw if you have it. I reckon I spent about $100 on extra tools. Better then paying $300 for the install (price quoted on line).

Disconnect the battery to stop the airbag going off when drilling into the A pillar (not sure if this an actual risk but the Safari instructions said it was).

Start your holes with a smaller drill bit for pilot holes and gradually get bigger. Centre punch and pilot holes should keep your hole in the right location.

I did it without taking the front wheel off. I reckon this made the job quite a bit harder. If you take the wheel off make sure your workspace is safe and you're not in danger of the vehicle dropping on you.

The Safari instructions are excellent. Just follow them.

I munted a few of the plastic screws during the job. They can be replaced.

No noticeable performance improvement but the noise of air getting sucked into the snorkel is cool.

 

[Triton14]

Hi
Just wondering has anyone fitted a snorkel to there 4x4 what's involved is it hard or a simple process?

Did you notice any benefits performance wise ? Fuel consumption improve ?

Much appreciated
Mick

I need to do this myself soon so looking at brands atm.
Will be installing myself.

If you search this forum via search tab you will get lots of opinions on what each person thinks is the best & why.

This will give you an idea of whats involved but obviously will depend on model of vehicle-

How to install a TJM snorkel

A snorkel can stop the outback wreaking havoc on your engine.

www.whichcar.com.au

.

Here is another-

Snorkel to suit Mitsubishi Triton MN 2009-2015

4WD's fitted with Ironman 4x4 Snorkels benefit from increased airflow to the engine and a raised air intake to minimise the chances of water ingress.

www.ironman4x4.com

Just click on the PDF instructions

 

[dno67]

The use of masking tape on the panel prior to marking it out helps, also helps limit the risk of slipping with the punch and drill.

 

[MrMiller]

I fitted a safari snorkel to my Prado 120 a few months back. Was definitely not a difficult job but most certainly quite fiddly.
The instructions and template from safari were spot on. The most difficult part of the whole job was threading the top nut on the inside of the guard! Blue tack helped out on that one. For the drilling, was definitely a bit daunting but won’t be any issue at all if you centre punch, pilot hole and step drill to size. As for the large hole... I just traced the ring, drilled a series of 8mm holes around the inside circumference of the ring and dremeled it from hole to hole. Worked great. Used the die grinder to round it out and filed it smooth.

 

[Albynsw]

Save yourself some money and cut the hole with a good pair of tinsnips it you want also........ the hole saw is probably no use to you after the job but a pair of snips is likely to be used again on something

Just a follow up, I helped my son fit a snorkel yesterday and again used snips to cut the main hole. Quick and simple to do if you use the right technique

 

[MrMiller]

She’ll do! Nice work!