Cowl Snorkel

Alright, got some pics.
So, first off, what you'll need:
3" diameter metal vent hose from Home Depot ($8 )
3 - 3" diameter metal hose clamps from Home Depot ($1 each)
1 roll of Black Gorilla Duct Tape ($5; optional)
stock Cherokee air hose (free and optional)
1 K&N Filter - Part #RU3130 ($35)
1 3" to 2.5" hose reducer ($2-$3)
Grinder/Cut off wheel
3" Hole Saw and drill
Zip ties
Electrical Tape
1. Take off the cowl cover, just take the wipers off, undo the screws and disconnect the washer fluid hoses and pull it off.
2. Take the cut off wheel and cut out the passenger side of the cowl. I left the tab where the screw goes so the cowl cover still mounts properly.

3. Gring the edges down and put some electrical tape on them to soften them up.
4. Go under the hood and take the hole saw and cut a 3" hole in the passenger side fire wall.
5. Take the vent hose and attach one end to the Throttle body with the reducer and two metal hose clamps. Run the other end to the hole in the fire wall.
6. You can either just run the vent hose through the fire wall and connect it to the filter in the cowl. Or what I did was take the stock air hose and put the elbow end through the hole in the fire wall and then attach the vent hose to it with a hose clamp. Either way works.

7. Attach the filter to either the vent hose or stock hose, whichever you used in the cowl. If you use the stock hose, you'll have to do something similar to what I did, which is zip tie the filter to the tab to keep the filter from getting in the way of the wiper arm when it's turned on. If you use the vent hose directly, you can probably just put it where you need it.

8. I then wrapped the entire vent hose with black gorilla duct tape to give it some extra rigidity and protection. Came out pretty decent I think.

9. Then, just put the cowl cover back on you're good to go. You'll never even notice it's there!

The only problem with that design is you always have to go slow enough through the water so water doesn't rush over the hood and straight to you filter.

DansGreyMj said:

The only problem with that design is you always have to go slow enough through the water so water doesn't rush over the hood and straight to you filter.

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Thats the only thing that's stopped me from doing this so far.

Good writeup though :cheers:

go slow enough through the water so water doesn't rush over the hood and straight to you filter.
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For most people that not a problem. The filter can easily be shielded from a LITTLE water.
This set up will not get ripped off by rocks, trees or the irate ex wife to.
Besides many people don't like the looks of PVC sticking out of there other wise clean XJ.

The reason I did it through the cowl was b/c I didn't want the PVC sticking out. Didn't like the look. And the cowl is blocked off on the passenger side where the filter is, so you don't have to worry about heavy rains, etc. Also, I'm considering just blocking off the driver side of the cowl as well so it is completely sealed and let the filter draw air from inside the Jeep. That way you are really not getting any water in there!

yeah i think i am going to do this this upcoming weekend - great writeup

It looks good but I'd like to see long-term utility of this. Snow blocking the driver's cowl, water over the hood, cabin noise, are all problems I see from this approach. I like it a lot though.

ehall said:

It looks good but I'd like to see long-term utility of this. Snow blocking the driver's cowl, water over the hood, cabin noise, are all problems I see from this approach. I like it a lot though.

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I wouldn't worry about the snow too much, but good point. How is the noise?

If you have the windows up and no radio on and really listen, you can just barely hear it sucking air from the cabin. On the road, don't notice it.
And I'm not worrying about any snow in West Palm Beach! But if anybody is worried about that, just block off the drivers side part of the cowl and you're completely sealed! Easy as that.

even with my K and N intake while working on the engine the intake is really not that loud - i have a tb spacer, header, bored tb, exhaust so a fair amount of air is moving through there- granted my xj is not in DD service but I guess you could add some dampening material on the inside of even spray some undercoating in there to somewhat seal it... obviously with the 6x9 filter the OP is using it will add more sound as the throttle opens up... i guess some jeep speed dudes run an intake inside the cab! keeps out dust, etc -

honestly my k and n intake gets muddy and wet even when i drive in the rain... it seems more protected and actually will draw colder air even with the heatshield - my underhood temps are just hot... and thats becasue it is a 4.0 in a small engine bay! i might even get some thin platic and put it under the cowl where my filter will end up and so water that goes over the hood or directly down, like rain will go through the cowl and then hit the plastic shield - might even use some thin gauge sheet metal i have laying around...

jeepster_259 said:

If you have the windows up and no radio on and really listen, you can just barely hear it sucking air from the cabin. On the road, don't notice it.
And I'm not worrying about any snow in West Palm Beach! But if anybody is worried about that, just block off the drivers side part of the cowl and you're completely sealed! Easy as that.

Click to expand...

x2 - thanks for the info

you could even wrap that vent line with some heat shield to really keep it from drawing up too much hot air since ir runs right over the engine

Just out of curiosity, is there junk in the way of doing this on the drivers side instead? Can't picture it...

Wiper motor is under driver side cowl

ehall said:

Wiper motor is under driver side cowl

Click to expand...

Makes sense. Thanks for saving me the suspense of waiting until I got home to look :cheers:

not to change the subject. but how did you mount your lights like that. could you get some more pics?

I just went in and drilled a hole in each of the "flat spots" on the sides of the cowl. The one of the passenger side was bitch to get on as it was before I had cut open the cowl on that side! I'd definitely recommend cutting the passenger side cowl a bit to do it. Save yourself the headache.

Besides that, I just put a little rubber grommet around the drilled hole and stuck the mounting bolt of the light through the hole and put on the nut. Ran the wires through the cowl and into the engine bay.

Here's some more pics:

Digg it!
1) I might suggest using an exhaust wrap or something else designed for a high temp. environment. Gorilla tape is real strong and sticky, but does not like the heat. It has a ton of adhesive and gets REALLY messy.
2) Did you paint/seal the cut edges before tape?
3) Any hassles for the location of the lights? I've seen people pulled over for an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror. I'm sure those lights could give the right cop a reason to mess with you.
Don't believe me?
42-4-201(4), C.R.S. (Colorado Revised Statutes)
(4) No vehicle shall be operated upon any highway unless the driver's vision through any required glass equipment is normal and unobstructed.
Pretty vague.

yeah, I don't drive with the top lights on, just the ones on the bumper. No problems as of yet, knock on wood.
As far as wrapping the hose, I think you're right and I was planning on probably putting some heat wrapping material on it. Any suggestions on product to use?

I wasn't talking about driving with them on, just driving with them mounted in that location. I'd say they obstruct your vision more than an air freshener. Might not even be an issue in FL, but it can be here in CO (depending on the officer).