Ditch lights AND a snorkel?

[Alpine Warthog]

SO.. I'm facing decision time. I want to run a snorkel. I want ditch lights. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do both. I'd prefer to use the rugged ridge snorkel but cutting the hood isnt completely out of the question...

Ideas?

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[GATORB8]

I remember someone making a light mount that installed similiar to this antenna mount, on the low side of the cowl by the quarter panel.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B7X49M5K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[AcesandEights]

Re-think the lights, or the snorkel. The snorkel is almost never useful, and the ditch lights even less useful.

 

[Flip]

I installed a snorkel for cooler air, it has helped. The air under the hood is red hot and with this style I can always return to stock, for me cutting my hood was out of the question. I wouldn't lose lights over it, I would find a way to make it work, make your own brackets is an option.

Best of luck.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

I installed a snorkel for cooler air, it has helped. The air under the hood is red hot and with this style I can always return to stock, for me cutting my hood was out of the question. I wouldn't lose lights over it, I would find a way to make it work, make your own brackets is an option.

Best of luck.

This is the route I think I'm going to go to for daily driving. I've also seen the cowl mounts by Rockhard 4x4 and while I like how simplistic it is, I'm not sure how strong that's going to be.

As for ditch lights usability, I spent some time in North Carolina and Virginia last fall and some of those switch backs in those mountains after dark were nasty not being able to see. I had thought ditch lights were useless till I needed them.

When it comes to Snorkel usage, I've had more than a couple of times where water has come up over my hood. I've been lucky so far but spending a couple hundred to ensure I don't get water in my $50K truck seems smart. I also spent a lot of time in Convoys on dusty roads and can tell you from experience the air at the top of the vehicle is WAY easier to breathe than air down at the driver's seat level. So having the option to raise my snorkel to roof height when I go wheeling out west will be great. but thats where it gets tricky. Raising the snorkel up will interfere with lights on the cowl....

 

[zonearc]

Snorkels scream "mall crawler".
They don't do much. I've heard it all ... "better air for the engine". No.
"Deep water". Ok, so are you disconnecting all engine plugs before trips to add dielectric grease? Did you raise diff breathers to the roof line? Can't seal the trans gearbox. Etc. Adding a snorkel doesn't make you suddenly be able to drive in 6' deep water.
Get the ditch lights and skip the neon sign that says "my most extreme 4wheeling experience was the speed bump at Applebees".

 

[Spartywarrior]

SO.. I'm facing decision time. I want to run a snorkel. I want ditch lights. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to do both. I'd prefer to use the rugged ridge snorkel but cutting the hood isnt completely out of the question...

Ideas?

Go to Amazon and find the ones that attach to the windshield hinge. I run an AEV snorkel and they work perfectly.

 

[jav_eee]

These are kind of price but look like they might work with that low-mount cowl snorkel

https://a.co/d/eru3Xlj

 

[zonearc]

Also, I can't speak for all snorkels but some restrict air considerably. We ran through a few of the hood mount ones on a JT 3.0 and it started through codes after a month. We traced it down to being starved for air.

 

[Vinman]

Snorkels scream "mall crawler".
They don't do much. I've heard it all ... "better air for the engine". No.
"Deep water". Ok, so are you disconnecting all engine plugs before trips to add dielectric grease? Did you raise diff breathers to the roof line? Can't seal the trans gearbox. Etc. Adding a snorkel doesn't make you suddenly be able to drive in 6' deep water.
Get the ditch lights and skip the neon sign that says "my most extreme 4wheeling experience was the speed bump at Applebees".

I love reading comments like above how unless you waterproof every electrical connector a snorkel is useless.
I have had snorkels on every Jeep I’ve owned, had water over the hood numerous times, never touched an electrical connector and have never had an issue with any connector.
And, I would much, much prefer to deal with an electrical connecter then straighten out a bent connecting rod from water intrusion.

After my 1st or 2nd wheeling trip in my current JL while doing routine maintenance I found the engine air filter nearly soaked with water. Snorkel went on shortly afterwards.

As far as cleaner air with a snorkel, in my experience the filter gets dirtier much faster if the snorkel inlet is facing forward.

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Hmmm, Anyone ever use the Oracle Mirror lights?
This might handle my ditch light problem
https://www.oraclelights.com/produc...ide-mirrors-for-jeep-wrangler-jl-gladiator-jt

 

[zonearc]

I love reading comments like above how unless you waterproof every electrical connector a snorkel is useless.
I have had snorkels on every Jeep I’ve owned, had water over the hood numerous times, never touched an electrical connector and have never had an issue with any connector.
And, I would much, much prefer to deal with an electrical connecter then straighten out a bent connecting rod from water intrusion.

After my 1st or 2nd wheeling trip in my current JL while doing routine maintenance I found the engine air filter nearly soaked with water. Snorkel went on shortly afterwards.

As far as cleaner air with a snorkel, in my experience the filter gets dirtier much faster if the snorkel inlet is facing forward.

Yet, nothing you did proves that you needed the snorkel or didn't risk damage to other components.
A water sock over the filter or a water-resistant filter could have handled that fine. However, submerging your axles, transmission, engine in water gets water in to the differentials, transmission, and risks electrical issues. Cool, you skirted by issues, that doesn't mean its SMART.
Here's an analogy ... if you want to avoid heart failure and you smoke, drink, eat junkfood every day and don't do any cardio ... cutting out junkfood, may reduce your risk by 10%, but you're still probably going to have an issue someday. That's how risk works. So, if you want to *do it right*, go all the way.
The problem is that the inexperienced Jeepers out there don't know any better. The huge marketing engine for aftermarket upgrades tell them that they need a snorkel, a hi-lift jack, a +5hp air filter, that they can increase their MPG with the SuperPowerTunerPlug+ExtremeEdition, etc. The reality, for those of us who have been doing this for decades, is that we KNOW that bolting on something rarely does what its advertised to do and usually the "fix" is much more time intensive and costly to do *right*.
If he gets a snorkel and starts doing deep water crossings, there's a HUGE likelihood for an expensive failure and one that the manufacturer's warranty won't pay for once they discover the water. Should you still do it? Hell yeah, but take the extra 4-6 hours to do it RIGHT.
Or, if its never going to see water and this is for aesthetics, know that those of us actual crawlers ... don't look at a snorkel and go "holy crap, that guy is a bad ass" ... we look at the snorkel and 33" tires on symbeadlocks and chuckle.

 

[AcesandEights]

Some of us with 33" tires chuckle when we see 37" tires, knowing none of the trails that rig has been on require more than 33" tires and some driver skill. The driver is trying to make up for lack of skill with more ground clearance under the rocker, since he/she has no idea what's actually under the rig anyway (the front diff is offset, really, to what side), but would notice the paint scratches under the door sill.

We also realize that people drive faster than the ditch lights illuminate, meaning driver speed and reaction time don't allow you to "use" ditch lights. They are for show. They illuminate the animal as you hit it.

Snorkels, like most other things we buy for our rigs, are almost never useful; however, we tend to buy for the 0.1% of the times we'll "need" it.

 

[Vinman]

Yet, nothing you did proves that you needed the snorkel or didn't risk damage to other components.
A water sock over the filter or a water-resistant filter could have handled that fine. However, submerging your axles, transmission, engine in water gets water in to the differentials, transmission, and risks electrical issues. Cool, you skirted by issues, that doesn't mean its SMART.
Here's an analogy ... if you want to avoid heart failure and you smoke, drink, eat junkfood every day and don't do any cardio ... cutting out junkfood, may reduce your risk by 10%, but you're still probably going to have an issue someday. That's how risk works. So, if you want to *do it right*, go all the way.
The problem is that the inexperienced Jeepers out there don't know any better. The huge marketing engine for aftermarket upgrades tell them that they need a snorkel, a hi-lift jack, a +5hp air filter, that they can increase their MPG with the SuperPowerTunerPlug+ExtremeEdition, etc. The reality, for those of us who have been doing this for decades, is that we KNOW that bolting on something rarely does what its advertised to do and usually the "fix" is much more time intensive and costly to do *right*.
If he gets a snorkel and starts doing deep water crossings, there's a HUGE likelihood for an expensive failure and one that the manufacturer's warranty won't pay for once they discover the water. Should you still do it? Hell yeah, but take the extra 4-6 hours to do it RIGHT.
Or, if its never going to see water and this is for aesthetics, know that those of us actual crawlers ... don't look at a snorkel and go "holy crap, that guy is a bad ass" ... we look at the snorkel and 33" tires on symbeadlocks and chuckle.

I’ve been wheeling for over 3 decades. I’m well aware of where both diff breathers are, where the t-case and transmission breathers are and what the limitations are. Do I intentionally go looking for deep water or mud? Hell no, I avoid both like the plague but the truth of the matter is sometimes either can’t be avoided without turning around and we don’t like to do that.
After any trip that sees a deep water crossing I check all fluid levels as soon as I get the Jeep back in the garage. And quite honestly, I think I had a bit of water once in the front axle but was caught within a day.
Also after most trips I spent a couple of hours pulling the tires and thoroughly cleaning everything from front to back. Two days after a dirty trip you’d be hard pressed to find any evidence of mud under my Jeep.
I routinely hose down the entire engine compartment and still have never, ever had a problem with any electrical connection or component and any vehicle I have owned, these things are way more waterproof then people give them credit for.
Now, back to the original question of a snorkel and ditch lights, what about bumper mounted lights angled outwards?

 

[Alpine Warthog]

Snorkels scream "mall crawler".
They don't do much. I've heard it all ... "better air for the engine". No.
"Deep water". Ok, so are you disconnecting all engine plugs before trips to add dielectric grease? Did you raise diff breathers to the roof line? Can't seal the trans gearbox. Etc. Adding a snorkel doesn't make you suddenly be able to drive in 6' deep water.
Get the ditch lights and skip the neon sign that says "my most extreme 4wheeling experience was the speed bump at Applebees".

Anyone that thinks a snorkel is for playing yellow submarine at the local pool is an idiot. After a lot of years of running convoys and doing prevent maintenance on HMMWVs and Duece and a half trucks, you can clearly see the difference in dirt intake. Just one run and then checking them, the hmmmvs were twice as dirty after the run than the big trucks who's air intakes are 2 feet (at least) higher than the Hmmwv intakes that are at hood level. SO poo poo snorkels all you want, I've seen them work. I've also run enough back roads during spring run off season and find roads that are flooded. Am I purposely looking to be stupid? NO. but has my XJ on 35s locked front and rear geared to 4.56 ever ingested water? Yep. Was I lucky? VERY.

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