This probably sounds crazy to you guys but I am so ignorant in the field of automotives lol. But I hate the air box on my Cherokee because I wanna go bash some mud and puddles but I'm scared I'll suck in too much water. How can I "waterproof" it? How can I move it? I searched and googled but didn't find much.

Thanks

PS. I am going to make a snorkel eveuntally. This is just like a 6 month fix.

 

you should be fine unless you have water up to your hood...haha

ive never had any problems with sucking water in and i think ive went through streams up to almost the top of the tire...

the only thing i would be worried about is if you get water in the distributor...

 

Yeah, that happened to me once, but now I put marine grease in/around it but I haven't tested it yet.

What else can I do to "waterproof" my distributor then?

 

you could take silicon and run a bead around the distributor cap...

 

I went through a hole once that had water coming up over the hood of my xj and some dripping through the firewall on my sons feet and it never skipped a beat. I never thought I'd make it but it just walked right out. The hole wasn't all that deep but I'm only on a 2" lift and 30x9.50s I'm sure the tires were under and I was pushing a wall of water.

 

doesnt help since the cap still has a breather on it that needs to be raised.

MADXJ's site had a good writeup on making a cowl intake, pretty good mod. i have that and raised breathers and have been up to the hood in water plenty of times without bad things happening.

 

My point was that the stock intake will handle some water. It just collects in the bottom of the box. Thats what it's for. That is if you don't drown it for an extended crossings

 

Sounds kinda silly, but spray inside the cap w/ WD-40 & wipe it out, spray the outside with it, and put a balloon/condom/whatever over it all and zip tie the bottom.

 

it can, but as soon as water gets into your risking your motor.

 

it can, but as soon as water gets into your risking your motor.


This is true!!!!
I didn't plan on getting in that deep!!!! Just taking my kids for a little 4wheelin fun. Didn't know how deep it was till I dropped in and than it was to late. Thought I was in trouble but just kept on the gas till I came out the other side. The next time I checked the air filter I saw some mud in the air box but the filter was fine. Had to hose out under the hood though. No problem with the distrib.

 

Everybody gets lucky sometimes, however when your luck runs out and you have hydro locked your engine you will hate yourself for it. I did . I had been through some fairly deep water in short stints but when I was in for longer than a couple of seconds my intake turned into a wet vac.

The reality is that the air inlet is not much higher than your bumper. I was lucky and had no permanent engine damage. This is yet another testament to how well the 4.0L is built.

There are two factors that you will have to pay close attention to. The first of course is your intake. After my little "miscalculation" I bought myself a safari snorkel. If installed properly (and the rest of your air box is sealed) this should afford you some good fording. Of course I have seen many PVC concoctions that probably work just as good for much less.

The second of course is spark. What good is air without spark? As of now I have not seen a true marine grade (with built in seal) distributor cap for the 242ci distributor. My solution was originally to RTV/silicone the hell out of it. Then came the day I wanted to inspect the distributor and had to break it to get it off. Now I take a distributor cap and trace out a gasket using 1/8 inch rubber gasket making material and RTV the gasket just to the cap. Now take the breather cap off and fill it solidly with RTV (the vent is meant for escaping moisture which in theory you shouldn't have). Then for a little added insurance I use dialectic grease on all the plug wire connections and the mating surface between the cap and distributor.

This may seem like a lot but trust me its worth every minute of preparation.

Also periodically check you breather tubes on your differentials. I lost a hose clamp one time and spent a day tearing apart my axle to get the contaminated gear oil cleaned out.

Hope this helps.

 

i have had my 92xj laredo submerged several times. i currently have the rig set up as follows: i built a snorkel out of 3" pvc & i waterproof the air box with duct tape when i go out, i ran a hose from the front axle breather to the snorkel & a hose from the distributor to the snorkel. i pulled the carpet & sprayed rhino liner in its place, also installed drain plugs in the floor. before i put in the snorkel & hoses i had the jeep in water to the windshield 2 times. with no ill effects ( i was moving too). the biggest problem i have right now is the gas filler, it takes on water.

 

Good idea!

 

Dont over look your fuel tank. All of the hoses and everything need to be in good shape or you will mix water with your fuel.