Diesel Rubicon Sucks in Snow

[Grayhound]

Can we see pics of the seals on the hood and grill? Also what does the hoods and grill look like latched? Also can you get a shot off the grill between the slats? Are they three large out small slats? How does the grill seat to your headlights? My 21 jlurd does not do this in Michigan snow.

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[Electrified]

What an odd problem/issue. How on earth does snow and ice get into the engine compartment? Even if some does get in there, it seems like the heat of the engine would help melt it off. I know I am no help to the problem at hand but it just seems bizarre that someone has this issue.

 

[NickJar]

I have driven through some serious snow storms this year. Not an issue at all. The only issue I faced was being stuck on the highway in -35 weather not moving. The engine was having a hard time keeping temperatures up. It never became an issue though.

 

[Tug556]

Here are some pictures of took just now. My garage isn't super bright, so I may need ti get some more pictures tomorrow in the daylight.

 

[dragoneggs]

The ‘stains’ in this pic might point to the ingress.

 

[J.Ferreira]

Are your hood vents or whatever they're called sealed?
Aren't they just for looks? If the plastic seal is missing then maybe the snow is getting in through those?

 

[bacon392]

My guess is that there isn’t enough tension on the hood locks on OP’s jeep. The snow accumulates primarily on the sides. I’m guessing this occurs in heavy crosswinds

1. maybe get those replaced or 2. get aftermarket locks so you can tighten them down?

 

[Aonar]

The ‘stains’ in this pic might point to the ingress.

I have similar staining w/o the issue you are having. I will try to get a pic after work. I plug my block heater in nightly in winter, so I do check it consistently.

 

[JW-UK]

Just my observations from the earlier photos. The snow appears to be entering at both front corners of the hood, above the headlights, then is being carried and deposited further back in the engine bay.
The seal on the top edge of the grill stops above the lights and doesn’t run round the corner to the fender.

Hope you get the problem sorted.

 

[Tr4ckD4ys]

I agree with other commentators to start by properly sealing down the hood, specifically, with aftermarket hood latches and maybe a smart way to improve there factory rubber seals.
This is a super curious issue though. What is throwing me completely off is the temperature aspect. It’s not just a little snow entering, there is a lot of snow all around the sides. In my engine bay, it gets super hot when at operating temp (ie 210F coolant and oil temp). Even if snow were to accumulate somehow below the hood, with the temperatures in there, it would melt within seconds.

 

[Byrds8]

My wife stated the same thing. One would think it would be so hot it would melt. But it greatly depends on how fast it is coming in vs the available heat. Since its on the outskirts of the bay, there is less heat vs the center so theoretically it could come in faster than it could melt.

 

[Renegade]

My first thought is that the radiator seals might be missing, allowing air (and snow) to flow around the radiator (This would impact cooling as well).

 

[Headbarcode]

Apparently, this is a bit common in the cold north. Skip to about 11 minutes into this video of Lite Brite getting their braptor ready for a trip to the arctic circle.

 

[Mastergmac]

Any chance of a thermostat issue causing the motor to run cold and not getting to temp or is that the nature of the diesel beast?

 

[zouch]

sounds like this might be a situation where a grille cover would help.

I have driven through some serious snow storms this year. Not an issue at all. The only issue I faced was being stuck on the highway in -35 weather not moving. The engine was having a hard time keeping temperatures up. It never became an issue though.

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