NewHilux.net

I installed my Denso snorkel this morning, the seals all seemed properly connected as per the instructions.
I did want to check further to be 100% I've sealed it all correctly. I read a few places if you shove a rag down the snorkel to block the air-flow (holding tight of course to not let the rag get sucked in), the car should stall if it's all sealed correctly.

The car kept running as per usual, and I couldn't hear any sucking noises from anywhere else.

Should the car be stalling, or should I not be worrying?
It's so tight to get in between the guard, and don't want to be going through any creeks and having a slight section sucking water straight in on me.

Any other tips for testing if it's all sealed correctly?

There is a duck bill rubber drain at the bottom of the airbox which may or may not be sealed.

I installed an airtek snorkel the other day and there was no mention of sealing it up in the TJM instructions, however I have seen a thread about it somewhere around on here

The car should struggle if you've got a rag shoved in blocking some air. It will stall if you completely starve it, at least that's how it should be if you have no leaks. If nothing happened, either you haven't blocked off the intake enough or air us getting in somewhere else. The only other thing I would recommend is to seal it up with silicone anyway and check it again. If you then have problems keep going along your intake lines looking for anything suspect.

Cheers

Ultra

I ran a double bead of silicon inside all joints aswell as a bead around the out side i dought any water is getting in mine. Just have to get your fingers messy and cover them with silicon so get on top.

insted of a rag place a plastic bag over the head l. A rag lets some air through. But i wouldnt do it to often or to much just to be safe.

If you do the bag put freash silicon on all joins, if there is a small hole itll get sucked through and block the hole

http://www.newhilux.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10660
http://www.newhilux.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=6258

http://www.newhilux.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=11414&start=20

Flava wrote:HAHA, i left the plastic bag covering the snorkel intake on from when i was washing the lux, totaly forgot about it. started the truck, massive slapping/flapping noise, freaked out and as i was reaching for the key to switch it off, the truck stalled. Guess i can safely say my snorkel is waterproof!

On a side note, it was a noise that sent shivers down my spine and put my stomach in my throat with the thought of my wallet. not something i wanted to hear 1000ks outside of my dealers warranty.

http://www.newhilux.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=18677

I never checked how watertight mine was. When I was up north I went through a decent size river, about 700mm deep, had water over the top of my bullbar and didn't have any issues, so I guess it's fine. Ha
I didn't use silicon or block the airbox drain either.

Grab yourself a can of start ya bastard or aerostart and lightly spray all of the joints one by one (whilst running) you will hear if the intake is sucking air from anywhere other than where it should,

lynny_19 wrote:Grab yourself a can of start ya bastard or aerostart and lightly spray all of the joints one by one (whilst running) you will hear if the intake is sucking air from anywhere other than where it should,

With the way some people silicon things maybe grab 2 cans

Cheers for all the responses.

I couldn't get the car to stall.. heard a leak, so took it to Toyota to double check (don't have any clips left to replace).

They called and convinced it's sealed correctly? Thinking i'm better off just ordering the clips and re-doing it all myself again.

Take the top off the snorkel and the lid off the airbox and run water down the snorkel. If it fills the air cleaner housing and doesn't leak out through the guard it can't be too bad.

Checked mine, only installed the other day and car lowers the rpm but can hear it sucking through what sounds like the airbox lid. I sealed all the other joins so unsure what to do about that? Or don't bother?

mattwhite wrote:Take the top off the snorkel and the lid off the airbox and run water down the snorkel. If it fills the air cleaner housing and doesn't leak out through the guard it can't be too bad.

That scares me...
What if the leak was at the top of the seal though?

Steveyb wrote:Checked mine, only installed the other day and car lowers the rpm but can hear it sucking through what sounds like the airbox lid. I sealed all the other joins so unsure what to do about that? Or don't bother?

Sweet, maybe I'm over-worrying a bit then. Toyota mentioned air was only being sucked through the actual air-box on mine too and not to worry. Still cautious though.

True that JB
The snorkel primarily provides you with fresher/cleaner air.
If you are in deep enough water over your air box more than momentarily then there many other things that will fail even if the airbox and snorkel are 100% air/water tight. In-cabin ECU's and engine bay electrics will need to be nano-coated or resin dipped to prevent catastrophic damage. Then there's the carpet cleaning
Make sure the one way valve at the bottom of the airbox is clean, flexible and working. Any water that might get sucked in there should drain out when engine is turned off (and out of the water crossing).

Sweet, that eases the nerves a bit. I'll just keep an eye on it on the next crossing I do and make sure no waters seeped into the airbox afterwards. Cheers for the tips.

Not running you goose and with the lid off the airbox. True, it doesn't check the seal. I was just thinking of checking the snorkel connections.

So I've been watching this closely as I've found the shop that installed my snorkel has actually damaged my airbox & Toyota has quoted me $1200 for a replacement. Not only that but it is for the full assembly (airbox, valve thingy & airflow sensor) only, they are not available separately!!

The problem I have looks like this:




The clip that holds the valve bit up has been broken & non-heat resistant silicone has been used & now given way. I've sealed it up with a bunch of gaffer tape & cardboard for now.

The difference between a fully open vs closed hole? 1L/100km. Now fuel consumption is one thing but an extra 10% fuel impacts the engine in more than just fuel burnt.

Reading this it is pretty clear that sealing the box is unnecessary. The engine is sucking hard & there is an overpressure in the airbox as standard. Hence the thing where you go off throttle & the valve opens, letting dust or water out. It seams that it is only when the snorkel is blocked that the engine then sucks through whatever gap it can get air through. This is different to having water seep in from the engine bay or inner guard with the snorkel flowing freely. I also perceive that this off throttle pressure release is important & beneficial to air flow.

For the cost I wouldn't screw with the airbox in standard form (now). There appears to be no real advantage to this excessive sealing effort & will be costly when some numbskull breaks it in the process. In fact it appears that the sealing of the valve could well be detrimental.....

Now, where are people getting the replacement valves? I need an alternative to $1200!!

Sheesh, I didn't even touch that valve doing mine, what we're they trying to do?

Is there none on eBay?

That's terrible. Wreckers should have a few. Afaik they're all the same for diesels.

That sucks bidw. As Matt suggests wreckers are an option.
I looked at replacing my box when I found my valve was stuffed but ended up doing a home fix - has be fine since.
I would have a crack at using a 'rapid fix' polymer type glue (super glue and fine silica sand looking stuff) .
Some users on this site use superglue and baking soda.

Once cleaned all that other crap off, glue in place with polymer then seal up around the edges and gaps with a sensor safe RTV silcon adhesive. No - you wont be able to remove the valve without destroying your bond but you will still be able to remove the box as youve done and pull any debris out. Will cost less than a 10th the price of a new box.
P.S. nice toe nail polish

I found an eBay seller in Sydney - don't anyone contact him about the genuine replacement cost!! I'll be emailing the workshop who did the install there & propose a couple of options. That Toyota don't have this as separate parts is bizarre.

Regarding the superglue, the superglue that the apprentice with the nail polish picked up for me says it goes soft at 80 degrees C. Does the silica or baking soda fix that?

I remain surprised at how sensitive the airbox & the engine management system is. There was another guy on here asking about different or custom air boxes & the word from some of the Jedis on here was that it's easy to screw with the air sensor. Now I've got that verified.