OEM Air intake vulnerable location.

[Aage]

I bought and installed a Rugged Ridge Snorkel on my 2020 JL Rubicon. It surpriced me a little how low and vulnerable the original air intake is for water ingress.

If I had known before intstalling the snorkel I would have been much more careful crossing rivers.

It is straight in front, not so high and you dont need a deep river to get water straight into your engine.

If you dont have Snorkel then be careful crossing rivers, especially upstream.

In the past I have had few Nissan Patrols , Landcruisers. The air intake is inside the inner fender. So if you cross river a little deeper then the air intake , you have a air pocket that will protect you for few seconds if your lucky. I expected something similar on the Rubicon. Not wide open upstream intake ;-).

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[Mikester86]

I’m pretty sure what you have surrounded in red isn’t the air intake.

 

[Aage]

I’m pretty sure what you have surrounded in red isn’t the air intake.

Ok You might be right but I need some explanation. Does it then have more then this intake for the Air ?. I´m seriously asking , might have misunderstood how it works.

I removed according to instructions the Cold air intake , and that is the one on the picture. Is there another intake then ?

This plastic shroud is the cold air intake and it ends up in front inside the red circle and you have to disconnect if from the airbox to install the Snorkel.

 

[MichaelAnthony]

It does source air from the front for cleaner colder air for the intake. Yes it is placed lower in a better part of the airstream, however there isn't a direct way into the airbox as you can see from inside the airbox. Also the water would have to fill up over the other part of the intake which is right under the hood on the passenger side which is another source for air. So if the bottom fresh air intake has water inside it cannot create a suction taking more water inside it will then just source the air from the top of the airbox. I am at work and not next to my Jeep to explain or to take a picture for you.

 

[Aage]

It does source air from the front for cleaner colder air for the intake. Yes it is placed lower in a better part of the airstream, however there isn't a direct way into the airbox as you can see from inside the airbox. Also the water would have to fill up over the other part of the intake which is right under the hood on the passenger side which is another source for air. So if the bottom fresh air intake has water inside it cannot create a suction taking more water inside it will then just source the air from the top of the airbox. I am at work and not next to my Jeep to explain or to take a picture for you.

Thanks a lot for taking time to try to explain how it works to me . I will look into it and try to understand how it works. If your right then its not the big problem I thought it would be.

 

[Reinen]

I’m pretty sure what you have surrounded in red isn’t the air intake.

It sort-of is. It's an assisting vent to direct fresh air to where the air intake is. It's not directly connected to the air intake though. If water flows through it while fording gravity will take the water down, away from the air intake.

 

[Mikester86]

It sort-of is. It's an assisting vent to direct fresh air to where the air intake is. It's not directly connected to the air intake though. If water flows through it while fording gravity will take the water down, away from the air intake.

Thank you for the education. I didn’t know there was another pathway for air to get to the air intake. Makes sense though.

 

[Reinen]

Thank you for the education. I didn’t know there was another pathway for air to get to the air intake. Makes sense though.

It's a little unusual. I figured this out after a "what the heck is that?" moment.

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