I don’t want to sidetrack this thread, but is there a plate out there designed to protect the alternator from water/mud.
In all honesty here with the things i have seen Ford do like use a Schrader valve with the tread pattern of a valve stem for a fuel pressure port I would not be suprized if that is how they really did things lol!!
Hi Chris,
Way back when alternator designs were a bit more generic you could get a 'marine' version I think was designed for gas engines boats. I think that was an in-demand item for Jeeps back in the day.
Keeping dirt out of the intake is the reason snorkels were invented in the first place, even though the name sounds like it was meant for water. The snorkel was made to put the intake at the top of the vehicle so when you're offroading in a group, the intake can breathe clean air above the plume that is being kicked up. Obviously their potential for water resistance took over and so they started being designed to be not only air tight, but also water tight.
Think again.
Just did more research on the topic and although I was wrong about the reason for snorkel invention was, the reason for keeping the intake source out of dirt still stands as tall as the reason for water fording. Even ARBs site states that keeping the intake clean is just a big a reason to get an intake for water. This is why you see so many snorkels in dry desert places that rarely see water, yet you see more vehicles with snorkels than you do in places that have creek crossings on every trail.
These aren’t tractors, they’re trucks. Do you even off road or are you just trolling the thread?
There are many vehicles designed to work continuously in extremely dirty environments. They use pre-filters, not simply raised intake pipes. Many of us with decades of military experience in various craptastic desert environments are familiar with the Donaldson "cyclonic" extractors that mount on top of the actual deep-water fording stacks on various vehicles. The fact that they are elevated at all has nothing to do with finding cleaner air. The pre-filter is what makes it work, not the elevation.
Hi Tyler,
There's no significant difference between the filters on cars and bulldozers, other than the size, and many bulldozers see more dirt in a day than most Rangers will see in months, or even years, of off-road travel. I can conservatively estimate that I have at least 150,000 off-road miles behind me, possibly even twice that, in dozens of different makes, models, and sizes of vehicles, on three continents. None of that matters in the least. I'm extremely skeptical of any claim that an intake extension that merely increases the height, without addition filtration, provides any significant benefit beyond some subjective improvement in appearance. It is style with no substance. If that's what you're into, go for it. Your truck, your cash. I'm 100% certain that a quality pre-filter, even mounted lower than the stock intake, will prevent more dirt from reaching the stock filter than any simple intake extension that you can buy.
I understand and can see the validity in that for racing and commercial applications. Would that be an ideal solution? Likely so. However, these are consumer products aimed at improving reliability at a consumer price point. As such, they do offer SOME protection from water and dirt ingress while maintaining a price point that is digestible by your average weekend warrior. It’s off-putting to see folks arguing the effectiveness and purpose of a snorkel when it’s obvious that there are compromises. But, to imply that it’s a marketing hype with no apparent benefit is simply false and misleading.
