If you plan on driving your ATV through deep water or mud, getting a snorkel on your machine is something you might want to consider. A snorkel will help keep water out of your engine, so you can get through some pretty nasty areas on the trail without damaging your ATV.
If you get yourself into some deep mud or water for too long, your engine could stall. Your air intake could take on water causing major problems and costly repairs. I’ve done this before, as you can see in the picture, and that quad didn’t have a snorkel on it.
Luckily I was able to shut the engine off before major damage was done, but still it ruined the day of riding for us. I need to be towed out of the muddy water, then we had to open the air box and wait for everything to dry out before we were able to get the quad running again. If that ATV had a snorkel, there would have been no problems.
Snorkeling your ATV is when you install a system onto your engine that will allow air to get where it needs to even in deeper water or mud. You will most likely see risers or stacks sticking up from the quad to capture or release air safely above the water line.
After you install a snorkel on your machine, the only part you need to worry about keeping above water is the opening of those stacks.
Snorkeling your ATV is most useful for getting though deep water or mud. It will keep water out of the most important parts of your engine that are only supposed to subject to air. Feeding clean air safely to your engine to keep you riding through wet environments.
The main components you will need to snorkel are the air box, your clutch belt intake, and clutch belt exhaust. The clutch belt intake and exhaust will both need their own snorkel. If you try to connect them, the intake will be getting the heat from the exhaust and will overheat and wear out your clutch belt.
You may want to snorkel your exhaust ports as well. If you’re giving the engine enough gas going through the water, that pressure should prevent any water from entering the exhaust.
But if by chance water does enter through your exhaust it could cause major problems. This will most likely happen if plan to sit idling in the water.
It’s also a good idea to water proof your electrical connections. I’ve heard of people snorkeling their electrical box, but that seems like overkill. The point is to just prevent water from getting to the electrical parts of the engine.
Other areas to snorkel might include thing like your crackcase breather tube or differential vents and carb vents. If you’ll be hitting the occasional mud pit or stream crossing, the air box, clutch belt, and electrical stuff need to be taken care of as well as the carb breather if your engine has a carburetor.
There are some pretty good kits available on the market for most machines. The snorkel kits will vary from quad to quad because they are all set up a bit differently. A snorkel kit will be more expensive than making your own, but will come with everything you need and make for an easier quicker install.
Plus the kits might even come with some kind of warranty.
You can use this link to find a Good ATV Snorkel Kit on Amazon. Just be sure to get the right one for your machine. They kits will vary a bit and the parts are custom made for each different engine.
I don’t need to go over installation here because the snorkel kits come with instructions that are really easy to follow along with. You will need some basic hand tools to get the snorkel kit installed and you’ll be all set.
Making your ATV snorkel can be fun and won’t cost you too much money either. I’ll admit, a lot times it won’t look as nice as the professional snorkel kits you can buy, but if you do it right it will work all the same.
The cheapest thing to use is just some good old pvc pipe. You can find pvc pipe at any home repair store like Home Depot or Lowes. It’s best to know the path you’re going to take first and plan out how many bends, how much pipe, and how many 90 degree connectors you will need.
First, locate your air box and see what you’re going to need to snorkel it. A lot of quads already come with a factory snorkel, they just don’t go very far. In this case you can hook some pvc right to that factory snorkel and just extend it up as high you’d like.
I’ve seen some people use pool hose to navigate around the engine easier than you could with pvc pipe. It looks a little raggedy with the duck tape and all in this picture, but i’m sure if you secure it right and use some better connectors you can get a decent looking snorkel system going.
If you have a carburetor on your engine, it’s pretty easy to just extend the carb breather tube that’s already existing on the quad. You can find little tube connectors at most auto parts stores like Napa or Autozone. The just get some tubing and extend the carb tube up to a safe area on the machine.
Do the same thing for the front and rear differential breather. These lines are usually already ran pretty high up onto the quad up near the handle bars.
But if you want them to be even further up out of the water it won’t hurt to extend them.
Snorkel kits or snorkeling your ATV may be illegal in some states. I think for the most part it’s allowed on private property either way. But some states don’t allow snorkeled machines on public land.
Check your local laws before riding any modified machines on public land.
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A snorkel kit can give you safe access to terrain that is currently unwise to tackle. But is the benefit worth it? And how do you install a snorkel kit on your ATV?
An ATV snorkel kit protects your engine from the dangers of water and mud by keeping the water away from the engine and feeding air in, so your ATV can keep working regardless of where you take it.
The most basic aspect of a snorkel system is to shield the engine and run the snorkel from the engine's air intake system up high to a new location away from any water or mud you may drive in.
This is the most crucial part of your machine to be protected, but because there are many other components that need to stay dry or to get air, snorkel kits often cover other vehicle parts as well. This will vary from kit to kit.
Installing a snorkel kit may sound like a no-brainer. Why wouldn't you want one? But there are some downsides to consider before you make a purchase.
You can more safely tackle mud and watery areas. Many places you need to avoid now because they'll be too deep for your machine will be available to you.
Off-road will keep you dry and safe in water and mud
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You could get a false sense of security and still damage your machine. Snorkels can't provide 100% protection against water damage, they just greatly reduce it. So, you wouldn't want to act like your ATV is a submarine.
It is illegal to ride on public land with a snorkel kit in certain states.
You should be able to ride on private land anywhere, but before you add a snorkel, you'll need to determine if it will impact where you can ride.
You will need to add the snorkel system to your routine maintenance list to make sure it doesn't get cracks, start leaking, or develop some other surprise issue.
You'll have to cut holes in your body work to run the snorkel through.
If you don't install the snorkel system exactly right, you could seriously damage your ATV. Make sure you are 100% confident you can do the install or that you hire a pro to do it for you.
Snorkel kits need to be designed for your exact ATV model.
There are kits that come only with air intake snorkels and the parts you'll need to install those.
You can also find kits that include some combination of snorkels for transmission vents, belt drive areas, drive train differentials, exhaust, and more.
Snorkel kits also come in ram or cyclone/vortex styles.
The ram style forces air into the car as you ride. Any dirt and debris in that air is forced to the back of the snorkel where it escapes through holes or a dump valve. The cyclone style is made with a bowl-shaped head. The air swirls inside and dirt and debris collect in the sides of the bowl where they are farther away from the air filter.
Cyclone styles are better for your air filter but not as good for your power and fuel economy. So you'll have to decide whether the air filter, your power, or your fuel economy get top priority.
If you intend to drive your ATV in deep water or mud, you should seriously consider snorkeling your ATV. Make sure you install it correctly and that it is legal to ride a snorkeled ATV where you want to ride.
You should also make sure that snorkeling your particular machine will benefit you. The ATV should have a rated wading depth, telling you the machine has been proven to be relatively safe against water at that depth.
If your machine has no rated wading depth, your machine may have no built-in protection against water and a snorkel can't provide as much protection as you need.
Make sure to buy a kit that is designed for your specific ATV.
Partially assembled kits are easier to install. You might want to look for one of those.
If you do plenty of riding outside of the mud where tipping and rollovers might be more likely, you may need to purchase a snorkel kit with a crash plate to offer the benefit of protecting your vehicle should the snorkel be ripped off in an accident.
Invest in at least a moderately-priced snorkel kit from a trusted brand. This is too important to rely on cheap, unreliable parts.
The kit should include all the parts you need and detailed instructions. Be sure before you begin.
You'll probably need to remove both of the side panels on your machine.
This may require the removal of other parts, depending on your machine.
Spray the engine and the air intake area with degreaser.
Pressure wash the engine, clutch covers, and intake area.
Dry the area completely with compressed air.
You may need to remove and clean other components depending on your machine and the kit.
You will need to drill holes for the snorkel. The exact location will depend on the snorkel and your machine.
There will be couplers you need to install.
These steps will probably need to be repeated for more parts, depending on your kit.
Give your snorkels extra support by zip-tying them.
Replace the parts of your machine that you removed.
You will need to give your ATV a test ride and make sure it isn't running lean because you've increased the air flow. If so, you can install a reducer on the appropriate snorkel or reset to compensate for increased airflow.
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How to install a snorkel with your own hands on an ATV?
The snorkel allows ATV riders to ride through shallow streams, puddles, marshes without any problems. This device is available for purchase. But it is quite possible to make and install a snorkel on an ATV with your own hands. If you plan to overcome water obstacles, the ATV must be properly prepared.
You can make different types of snorkels for an ATV with your own hands. Popular models of four-wheelers are sold in our MotoGO online store https://motogo.com.ua/kvadrocikly/. You can also order accessories and equipment from us.
Before you make and install your own ATV snorkels, you need to understand what such a component is intended for. This is a device that prevents water from entering important parts of the vehicle. It does not allow avoiding unpleasant consequences when overcoming water obstacles.
Water can get on the variator, motor. To avoid this, a snorkel is installed. This is a tube that acts as an air intake. It is not difficult to install a snorkel on an ATV with your own hands. Even a beginner can handle this task.
It should be understood that when overcoming a deep ford, when the water is at the level of the headlights, it is required to muffle the outputs of the gearbox.
Failure to install a snorkel will result in costly engine repairs in the near future.
Do-it-yourself ATV snorkels are made from different materials. It is important to consider how the tubes will be placed on the structure. This needs to be carefully considered at the planning stage. There are some tips on how to make a snorkel for an ATV. To do this, you need the following:
All components are sold in plumbing stores .
To install the snorkel with your own hands on an ATV, you need to perform several sequential steps:
The carburetor air duct and the snorkel of the CVT cooling system are further removed. In the hood, 2 holes are made for a pipe with a diameter of 50 mm. Next, a drainage system is assembled from sewer fittings.
In order not to assemble the structure yourself, you can contact the service center of our MotoGO store. You can order the necessary components, motor vehicles, equipment from us. Delivery is carried out within Ukraine promptly.
04/12/2018
consequences, then you need to prepare the equipment, in a special way protecting engine from moisture. Without special training, crossing the next shallow river, a water hammer may occur, followed by an oil change and costly repairs. In order not to be exposed to such danger, experienced ATVs install a snorkel.
the working functioning of the ATV engine when overcoming water obstacles and driving on dusty roads.
And also the snorkel will help to significantly cool air and ensure that it enters the filter or variator. Due to such Cooling increases the power of the ATV and significantly saves fuel. In addition to all the useful properties, the snorkel will give your ATV more aesthetic look.
It is clear that the installation of a snorkel is an important and necessary procedure for hard use of the ATV. But before making a decision to the installation, you must take into account that the removal of the air sampling pipes threatens to lose factory warranty for new equipment. Since tampering with the device breathing system of an ATV is considered a violation of the factory parameters of the ATV.
But if the ATV is not new or you are not afraid of loss warranty and you still decide to install a snorkel, follow a number of our recommendations:
- make sure that there is a complete sealing, otherwise at the first deep puddle, moisture will penetrate into system and wet the air filter, causing dust to be sucked in and subsequent breakdown with piston repair;
- choose the right diameter snorkel tube .
For 300-500 cc ATVs, we recommend using a 50 mm tube, and for more powerful 600-800 cc ATVs - at least 63 mm. With the wrong when choosing a tube, the valves may burn out;
- do not forget to install the air receiver. This is a container with a small supply of air, which may be needed when you sharply press on gas so that your ATV does not stall at high speeds;
- almost 100% of all-terrain vehicles have CVTs and their must also be provided with a cool air flow. This is necessary in order to so that when overcoming a deep-water obstacle, the ATV does not get up "Tightly" due to water getting on the variator belt;
- note that the snorkel must be installed without the radiator extension up does not make sense, because in a deep ford, the radiator cells can become clogged dirt. This will lead to inevitable overheating of the units and constant complex washing equipment.
The snorkel is an essential accessory for your ATV.
