How to Install a Snorkel Intake on your Wrangler
If you spend much time playing in deep water with your Wrangler, you may want to install a snorkel-type intake. This DIY walks you through the process.
One of the most easily-recognizable modifications made to the Jeep Wrangler in the off-road world is a snorkel-type air intake system. This system relocates the engine air intake point from the engine bay to the roofline, making it much safer for your Jeep to conquer deep water.
Due to the fact that installing a snorkel on your Jeep Wrangler requires cutting the body and mounting something to it, some owners might shy from this handy modification. Fortunately, forum member “dcharge74” put together a great step-by-step write-up of how to install the Volant snorkel cold air intake package on a JK.
The Beginning
When the OP first introduced his JK Wrangler snorkel DIY, he explained why he decided to go this route:
OK, here it is. I recently decided that, due to the conditions that I’m normally going to be wheeling in (i.e. mud and water), I needed to switch out my Airaid CAI for a snorkel. It’s not that I didn’t like the cold air intake, but I felt that it was too likely to suck in water and hydrolock the engine. I went with the Volant so I could have the best of both worlds, snorkel and a more free flowing intake. I know a lot of people don’t like the look, but I really like it.
He included some pictures of his simple air intake setup in the engine bay, complete with clear signs that some water had been making its way towards the throttle body.
He also shared a picture of the components of the Volant snorkel kit prior to the install.
The Under-Hood Install
The first part of the process is to install the Volant air box that holds the air filter and the tubing that runs from the box to the Wrangler’s throttle body. This is the most straightforward part of the install, as it is little more than bolting things down to factory mounting points.
The Exterior Install
Next comes the hard part, as installing the Volant snorkel to the Wrangler requires you to drill mounting holes in the body as well as cutting a large hole in the hood where the snorkel connects to the under-hood portion of the system.
The OP began by mounting the portion of the snorkel that attaches to the windshield frame.
Next, he walks us through the process of cutting the hole in the hood and mounting the intermediate tubing to the hood. This portion of the DIY should prove to be especially helpful, as the OP offers some shortcuts of how to mount everything on the exterior safely and cleanly.
Finally, the DIY ends with some shots of the OP’s JK Wrangler out playing in the mud, showing the Volant snorkel in action.
Click here to check out the entire how-to write-up, with far more pictures of each step of the process.
