A Waterproof 200Tdi Air Intake

[Retroanaconda]

Ok, so those of you who run 200Tdi Defenders off road, I would like to ask how you have waterproofed your intake system.

As it stands I have a Safari snorkel on the outside, which is one-piece so waterproof. On the inside I have the standard Land Rover gubbins linking me to the airbox, which I have sealed up. So my snorkel is sealed and my airbox onwards is sealed, but the strange piece just inside the wing isn't. This piece is shaped in a special way because it has to clear the footwell and the heater. It also has a drain (which I want to either remove or alter to be able to be sealed when required, like my airbox drain is) and for some reason comes in two parts, the wing piece and a right-angle that the 3" intake hose goes onto. Quite why they decided to make it in two parts and introduce another potential leak point I will never really understand, but there we go.

So, what has everyone else done to replace this bit? Obviously whatever solution is proposed needs to be roughly of the same shape in order to clear the footwell/heater, and single-piece so as to be waterproof. That's the question, now for my idea:

My idea is to have made up some kind of shaped hosetail, which will attatch permanently (ie. sealed) to the inside face of my snorkel. The shape of it will allow fitting still as it can be hooked over and down through the hole in the wing. This hosetail will maintain a cross-sectional-area of just over 7 square inches (the same as a 3" tube) throughout it's shape, terminating in a 3" spigot for my standard intake hose to go onto. The lowest extreme of this piece will be drilled and tapped 1/2" BSP so I can insert or remove a plug as necessary for wading. I think this plan keeps everything standard as much as possible while also maintaining a waterproof system.

What does everyone think?

[Ex Member]

Can't you just seal the drain?

I have a Southdown, which avoids these problems....

[Retroanaconda]

I could seal the drain, but I want a removable drain there for normal driving (if it rains etc) due to the ram design of the Safari. And it's not just the drain, the fact that the piece is in two parts, and that it relies on the seal to the wing each side, also makes it very susceptibleto leaks.

As for a Southdown, I think they go through the top of the wing...which is fine if you want that but I liked the look of, and preferred the mounting method for, the Safari so went for that

[Ex Member]

Safari snorkels have a water separator built into the design of the ram, so there is no need for water drains after it. Plus, you have the drain inthe air box, which is perfectly fine by itself.