For a 89 http://www.quadratec.com/products/17006_7100_07.htm

 

I looked very hard at the snorkels, not because I plan to make water crossings, but for the water crossings I don't plan. Down in southern Louisiana where I live, I have seen people hydro lock their regular cars on city streets after a normal summer thunderstorm. Ideally you plan around the low spots, but you can't always be sure that a drain hasn't clogged somewhere. You're in it before you even realize you're in trouble.

I went with the cowl intake in part because I think it's a good compromise that should keep me above most of the water. But at some point I'm considering trying to come up with a removable snorkel that would attach to the hole in my cowl to get the intake up higher. That way I could keep it in the back so that I'm not riding around with that thing uglying up my Jeep, but I could put it on if we had a sudden deluge.

 

Thanks for the link

 

I had the spectre cowl intake. It's a great idea. The only things I didn't like about it were the constant intake hissing and whistling noises and the small air filter that I had to constantly clean.

 

the stock air box cowl intake is much quiter since its not right by th a/c vent

 

In your instance that makes sense, in my case I would need 3 feet of water before my cold air started sucking up water which never happens where I live haha. It's just too often that I see people drop cash on a snorkel just so they can look like an Aussie safari rig, and not necessarily put it to good use. If you want the look that's fine, I would rather spend the 500 elsewhere personally lol

 

With out extending the breathers first a snorkel won't do much good when your trans or diffs suck up water on you.

 

My point all along.

 

On my cowl intake I modified it so I could use an K&N Filter with it.

 

I currently have a cold air intake but want to do the cowl snorkel also. My concern is rain/snow. I don't want to use the stock air box or buy a kit. I'd like to home brew it. I've seen some with the filter in the cowl but just can't see how they don't suck water.

 

The passenger side of the cowl is covered

 

What do you have against the stock air box? The space they take up? Not many options for DIY filtration that aren't the same size and or sit in the cowl.

The guys putting the filters IN the cowl are not thinking far ahead or live in the desert. First off, while the passenger side is shielded from direct rain from above that's only useful if you never drive the Jeep. Mud and rain still gets in there, and since it's started snowing I've seen people posting about snow blowing out of their vents... Second you have to remove the cowling to change the air filter

 

This is why I opt for just keeping the stock filter or simply putting in a cold air. Less maintenence, same results

 

The problem with the so-called "cold air" systems is that they are marketed to provide cooler air to the intake which meanse a denser charge which means more O2 which, in theory means more power.

The 1 minor detail that about 90% of the sellers and abut 99% of the buyers fail to realise is that unless that filter is segregated from the engine bay with heat shields and air in channelled in from somewhere OUTSIDE of the engine bay, all you are doing is adding a hot air intake. Which, gives you all of the spending and none of the "benefits".

SO, bottom line, a shiny tube and a fancy cone filter is NOT a cold air intake system.

Secondly, you don't have to submerge your engine in order to hydrolock. I've seen it happen when a buddy in a Ford Ranger hit a puddle that was no more than 8" deep. The water that splashed up got sucked into the intake and did his engine in.

I won't get into the obvious "oh I think it's pointless so I'm going to rag on anyone who asks the question about it" attitude that not all, but many, people seem to have when it comes to snorkels.

I have one, and I plan to install it, along with extending my breathers because I view i as insurance. I'd rather have it and never need to use it than need it and not have it. $200 or even $500 for the Safari Snorkel is considerably less than having to rebuild or replace a hydrolocked engine.

Now, getting to the original question:

Cowl intake is cheaper and less noticable but you do wind up with more intake noise. Also, if you *do* happen to get water over the hood, it's just as succeptible to sucking in water.

Snorkels are not cheap. Unless you go for the Chinese Safari Snorkel knock-off. Aesthetically, I have no issue with them but some people think they look bad. To each their own. If properly installed, You would have to sink your vehicle above the roofline to suck water into the intake. I am going to route my breathers up to the snorkel head to get them right out of the way.

Either way has its pros and cons. Which way you go depends on what it is that your expectations are.

 

Is there any chance of the cowl intake sucking in rain water if it were raining hard? Was thinking about doing this, so I'm just wondering.