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Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up

DHW

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Figured I’d do a quick write up of my hood vent install, which is pretty easy and cheap. I know some say water won't hurt, but I'm OCD (as you'll see) and I do what I want, so....

I went with the Valkyrie Off Road vents cause I think they look cool and I didn’t want to cut up my stock vents. That way I can buy a $35 hood pad and go back to stock if I want.

OCD tip #1 !! - Use 3/4" (I think) foam tape around the edges so it isn't metal on metal on the hood.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7500


I used Outerwears Prefilter for the waterproofing. Gotta credit @wibornz for this idea. $20something on Amazon. I got 18X18, but had to order another because I screwed up the first attempt. 18x18 is just enough to cover both vents, but doesn't leave much room for mistake.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7509


First attempt I left the hood pad attached. Remove the front and side pushpins on one side and you can stick your arm in and get the stock vent out that way. This attempt I followed Valkyrie’s instructions and bolted the two pieces together through the pad, then cut the middle out.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7510


Problem here is the brackets crush the pad and the water has nowhere to go. Have to keep these channels in their non-crushed state so the water can escape out the side.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7514


Second attempt I took the hood pad completely off and bolted the brackets directly to the hood. Use one of those pin removal tools, don't rush it, and you can get the pad off without breaking it or the pushpins. Easier if it's warm. I swear the hood pad is made of potato chip.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7512


OCD tip #2 !! - Use whatever the hell this thing is called to make sure all your louvre angles match! :facepalm: The brackets feel kinda flimsy out of the box, but feel sturdy when they are bolted up. But make sure you get the angle on the first try. The metal is strong enough, but I can see parts breaking if you bend them too much.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7511


OCD tip #3!! - I used black duct tape to go around the edges of the cut pad so it looks better. Yes, I'm gonna clean this up. Tape looks like shit now.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7516


Then I used metal foil tape to tape the prefilter to the top of the hood pad, over the vent holes. If you go Valkyrie, make sure to leave enough slack in the prefilter for the bent louvers. Test fit a few times, then just pushpin the pad back on.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7515



Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7513


Finished product. Dyno shows a 17hp gain.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7517


Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518
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JasonInDLH

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Figured I’d do a quick write up of my hood vent install, which is pretty easy and cheap. I know some say water won't hurt, but I'm OCD (as you'll see) and I do what I want so....

I went with the Valkyrie vents cause I think they look cool and I didn’t want to cut up my stock vents. That way I can buy a $35 hood pad and go back to stock.

OCD tip #1 !! - Use 3/4" (I think) foam tape around the edges so it isn't metal on metal on the hood.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


I used Outerwears Prefilter for the waterproofing. Gotta credit @wibornz for this idea. $20something on Amazon. I got 18X18, but had to order another because I screwed up the first attempt. 18x18 is just enough to cover both, but doesn't leave much room for mistake.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


First attempt I left the pad attached. Remove the front and side pushpins on one side and you can stick your arm in and get the vent out that way. This attempt I followed Valkyrie’s instructions and bolted the two pieces together through the pad, then cut the middle out.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


Problem here is the brackets crush the pad and the water has nowhere to go. Have to keep these channels in their non-crushed state so the water can escape out the side.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


Second attempt I took the pad completely off and bolted the brackets directly to the hood. Use one of those pin removal tools, don't rush it, and you can get the pad off without breaking the pushpins. Easier if it's warm.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


OCD tip #2 !! - Use whatever the hell this thing is called to make sure all your angles match! I set mine to 35 degrees, comment below what you'd set yours at!!!1! Don't forget to like and subscribe! :facepalm: The brackets feel kinda flimsy out of the box, but feel sturdy when they are bolted up. But make sure you get the angle on the first try. Metal is strong enough, but I can see parts breaking if you bend them too much.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


OCD tip #3!! - I used black duct tape to go around the edges of the cut pad so it looks better. Yes, I'm gonna clean this up. Tape looks like shit now.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


Then I used metal foil tape to tape the prefilter to the top of the hood pad, over the vent holes. If you go Valkyrie, make sure to leave enough slack in the prefilter for the bent louvers. Test fit a few times then just pushpin the pad back on.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518



Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


Finished product. Dyno shows a 17hp gain.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518


Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up IMG_7518
Great job!

I’ve been trying to figure out how to do something like this as well. Have you tried simulating a hard rain to see if the prefilter does its job?
 
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DHW

DHW

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Great job!

I’ve been trying to figure out how to do something like this as well. Have you tried simulating a hard rain to see if the prefilter does its job?
Yea I poured a cup of water directly into the vent and it drains out the side like when it was stock. You could shape the prefilter into a cup and drink out of it. It doesn't let any water through at all. Pretty cool actually.
 
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Frezski

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Nice job man great idea. My engine bay will never look that clean though, so kudos for you wanting it stay that way! I was brainstorming something similar years ago after I gutted the factory vent. Needless to say, I never got around to it. I was pondering it recently due to the open filter element that is on there now. I had no choice a few weekends ago but to drive through the tail end of the bomb cyclone that passed through the west coast. Drove in heavy rain for hours, I guess the sand sock on the filter did its job. I made the determination that if I drive it during the winter months I will put the hood liner back on and then take it off again in the summer. I would probably do a terrible job hacking it up otherwise.
 
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DHW

DHW

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It was raining pretty hard this morning, but the vents worked fine. Kinda hard to see, but the water beads up and rolls right off the prefilter, similar to how it does with Rain-X.

Jeep Wrangler JL Functional Fully Waterproof Rubicon Hood Vents Write-Up 6361AE1A-82C8-4045-8777-5A37619DDAD2


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Why did you replace the hood vents, is that just an aesthetics thing? I see you have the 2.0, that’s what I’m getting!!
 
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Why did you replace the hood vents, is that just an aesthetics thing? I see you have the 2.0, that’s what I’m getting!!
Yea, aesthetics and ease of returning to stock. You can definitely use the stock vents but you'll have to cut the outer "shell" off if you want any real heat to get out. There are a few threads on here where people have done that. The only options for vents I've seen are stock, Valkyrie, Poison Spyder, and S&B (although those are scoops, not louvres). I thought about buying a second set of stock vents to cut, but figured I'd change up the look. Plus the Valkyrie vents were cheaper than a second stock set.
 
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I have been considering exactly this since I read @wibornz post. Did you check temps at different load / conditions before and after?
 
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I have been considering exactly this since I read @wibornz post. Did you check temps at different load / conditions before and after?
No, I haven't done any temp checks. Probably won't make a major temp difference, but it definitely gets some ambient heat out. You can put your hand over the vent after driving and feel significant heat coming out. I mainly wanted to get some heat away from the batteries hopefully to extend their lifespan a bit.
 

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Why did you replace the hood vents, is that just an aesthetics thing? I see you have the 2.0, that’s what I’m getting!!
Hey Mike,
Several folks that have been fiddling with the vents or hood placement are trying to allow more air to escape the engine compartment. Like many topics discussed on here there is some debate on the need to do this at all. In a nutshell the positions are:
a) engineers prepared for it or
b) the engineers compromised

Personally I think additional airflow is a good thing and committed to it by cutting The underside of the vents. This thread is a pretty good read:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/under-hood-heat.78513/
 

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Hey Mike,
Several folks that have been fiddling with the vents or hood placement are trying to allow more air to escape the engine compartment. Like many topics discussed on here there is some debate on the need to do this at all. In a nutshell the positions are:
a) engineers prepared for it or
b) the engineers compromised
Engineers are designing for CAFE, highway aerodynamics, etc. Engineers design for spec which is set by others to meet the regulatory requirements and the conglomerate of consumer needs are. below 30mph there is basically no aerodynamics worth accounting for, but at higher speeds you do not want air exiting the bonnet midway. You want air to exit at the windshield to help keep the air sticking to the body. Engine vents, etc would hurt the higher speed aerodynamics.

A consumer who puts larger tires and lifts on a vehicle obviously doesn't care about MPG that much. So they may find running an air vent helps with crawling and low speed heat dissipation. I'm surprised Jeep hasn't released an aftermarket snap in air vent for those who want it. It would be a great money maker. This makes me wonder if there are negative engine performance issues from venting mid-hood beyond MPG. I don't know since I have never done any kind of testing in that area. It is quite possible that if you drive your jeep on the highway, a hood vent may be more detrimental to that condition (at speed) than the lack of one is at crawling speed.

It would be a cool thing to make one that is adjustable, even if manual at the vent. Where it can fully closed and is adjusted to be full open (whether tool or lever) when you get to the trail and airdown. Maybe I should design one.. It would not be too hard to make one to function like a blind
 

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"Jeep" ? " High speed aerodynamics" ?
 

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Thanks everyone!!! This is awesome to learn!
 

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This video helps visualize a bit.

yes and no. It shows turbulence, but doesn't show overall flow over the vehicle. Doesn't show a vehicle remotely close to the aerodynamic brick a jeep is. And an important aspect is how is the air used in the engine bay, I don't know but you could be affecting cooling of your engine at speed under load (but again I don't know, just saying its possible). The one thing I know, is the engineers making the decisions at Jeep know a whole lot more than we do on how air flow is used on the wrangler for different driving conditions.
On a front engine vehicle, the rear end aerodynamics are a little simpler to understand with what they affect (drag, downforce, lift on underside), but front end (to windshield) there are a lot of things going on with engine intake, cooling, etc that make it hard to know how the air is used.

And I'm not saying doing hood vents is a bad idea. I'm just saying we (forum members and jeep enthusiasts) do not know the side effects of doing hood ventilation. I myself mostly only wheel my jeep with highway driving to locations. I'm on the fence if I want to turn my rubicon's fake vents into water sealed air vents.
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