Fording in a JK
 

Real quick question about fording gear for a JK. In Military vehicals we extend the exhaust to the same level as the snorkel to keep water from entering the system. I see a number of people speaking about snorkels but nothing about exhaust extention why is this?

Thanks
John:thinking:

The big thing to worry about when fording is the breather to your differentials. If the breather hose goes underwater you can get water in your diff oil and that is bad news. The breather is to regulate pressure when the temperature in the diff changes.

Best thing is to enter water going just a couple miles and hour and let the temperature adjust- takes just a few seconds. There are links on how to mod the breather hose so that it is raised - will try and search for those when I get a chance.

Here in the Ozarks rivers and fording are a fact of life if you want to wheel. I do plan to put a snorkel on, not so much to prevent hydro lock but it also acts as a cold air intake. When you go wheelin the temperature under the hood goes up pretty quick. By drawing the air at the roof line you pull in cooler air, and also lest dust as that tends to be denser towards the ground as well.

Even if the water is not that deep your tires can throw a lot of it in the engine compartment and you can hydro lock. So slow is always good even in shallow water.

My old CJ used to have the tail pipe under a lot, and it just gurgled. And if I stalled in the water, it would start right up.

I hate water. Try to avoid it unless impossible.

In reality, people by snorkles so they can look cool. Snorkles actually reduce your air intake and resulting motor efficiency.

Water can get in to your engine compartment and it won't do anything to it. You need water to get sucked in to your air filter (air intake) to do motor damage. Or you need to soak your computer which is actually higher up than your air intake. There is a trail here in CA called Fordyce. The water crossing went over my hood - no hydro lock and no computer failure. Don't let people who don't actually wheel scare you off. I hate mud because it is a pain to clean up afterwards and it can cake to your exhaust and cause overheating problems later on.

Water isn't bad if you have sealed axles (most front axles have "dust seals") which won't hold water out if submerged. The breathers are up pretty high under the body and many of them have one-way valves on top.

If you get water in your axles, just replace the fluid. That's why I always run Lube Locker gaskets. They are re-usable and I can change the fluid whenever I want. It's not a big deal.

The slow is better advice stands however.

It may be boring to you... But some like the challenge and fording doesn't equal redneck. Maybe you should go back and read this sticky: https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...er-the-New-Kid....

Yep there is more than just rocks out there to cross LOL!! I like a all around rig.

I have not been in water that deep; did mud up over the left side of my hood and the only problem I had is overheating from all the mud caked in the radiator. Was not intentional. Not a mud fan either.

Mea Culpa - I have not looked for the breathers in my JK; it was in issue in my Willys back when when I started out.

Jeeper,

Since 2/28 you have called members of this forum - uneducated, racist, homophobic, redneck, and you have tried to do Way of Life's job by telling people the rules (incorrectly I might add as noted by WOL). :what?:

If you don't like the forum leave, they welcome name calling on other forums - If you do like it please Chill out :beer: and have fun :cheers:

Well...that's a helpful response.:naw: I guess YOUR :bleh: not a fan of water and mud.

Maybe some people do, and maybe others buy snorkles because it is cheap insurance against hydrolocking when in the wet stuff, and against having to clean your airbox every five minutes in dusty desert conditions (I see both the wet stuff and the desert here in Nevada so a snorkel is definitely on my to do list.) As for the comment about reducing air intake, I'm not saying you are wrong but I would also love to see some real world numbers as to how much of a reduction occurs, and by how much efficiency is impacted. Plus, there has to be some offsetting benefit to actually drawing in cold air instead of the ridiculously hot air that resides in the engine compartment (I never did understand the use of the term CAI because clearly an intake in the engine compartment is not drawing in cold air, much less different air than the stock intake sucks in.)

I would like to see real world numbers for that as well. I'm sure it's very minimal and like everything else there's pros and cons to doing mods.