Snorkel joint sealant??

[Craig Lord]

Good day everyone,

I had a snorkel fitted today. The installation looks good, clean and neat BUT... it leaks like a sieve at every join because there was no sealant applied.

I've been looking through the forums to find out which one is best but seems like there are 50 different options.

A lot of people say that Sikaflex 11c is good .. others say sikaflex 221 then others say sikaflex 227. Then there is wynn's gasket maker RTV black and so the list goes on. All of these apparently have a high temperature tolerance and are sensor sensitive.

Can anyone tell me definitively which sealent is best to use before I make a mistake? Would like to sort it out soon because right now the snokel is just an ornament haha

Thanks guys!

[TijmenvdS]

If you are planning to remove it one day don't use sikaflex, I would suggest just normal silicone. I don't think it matters that much, just make sure it sticks well to the type of plastic.

[Craig Lord]

I was going to use standard silicone but I've read that they can damage engine sensors with the chemicals they give off over time and they are highly corrosive to metals and paint. I think I'm leaning towards Wynns RTV gasket maker (unless anyone can advise otherwise), it seems like it is sensor sensitive and non corrosive. Also it's not a permanent bond which I think is better... or it might just be best to rather wait and take the patrol to someone who has done this many times before..

[davidvdm]

Agree that if you ever want to remove it, stay away from sikaflex or any sealant for that matter. When I designed and built my snorkel, I worked on clamping those pipe joints, but as usual, things just don't work out where the pipes go through the body and have to meet the box. It was a bit of work, but I built taper fiberglass joints that nicely accept a standard silicone pipe coupler. So everything just pushes together, but with the vacuum created in the system, it actually pulls itself together which causes a better seal.

I know my Hillbilly way, would probably never meet with the approval of guys with fancy cars, but it worked for me. After drowning my rig, my biggest fear was that the snorkel would not seal properly, so do the test and block off the head, and see if you can kill the engine. Then you know you have a proper seal.

Here is my seal test I did...

[Craig Lord]

Hi guys

I just thought I would post a follow up of my progress. I took the snorkel apart and used Sikaflex 227 to seal the join behind the wheel arch guard near the aerial.
The next join along is the rubber tube which joins the straight pipe in the wheel arch guard to the elbow that comes into the engine bay. This is held in place by the 2 large hose claps and is already a tight fit so I did not bother to apply sealant to this join.

The following 3 joins in the engine bay leading to the airbox and filter...

For the first join I used an odorless, non-acidic polyurathane sealant which is non corrosive to paints and metal and is sensor safe. Makes a tight seal and is an elastic bond so it allows for movement in the joint and does not go brittle. (See below)..

For the the next join which is numbered "1" in the picture below I cut an old bicycle tube about 5cm long and stretched this over the end of the pipe which was difficult as its a tight fit. I then closed the join and secured it with the hose clamp. (I didnt want to use a sealant here because it will become a mission every time you want to change the air filter. This join can be taken apart with no stress and used again and again... I hope...

Lastly for the join numbered "2" I used a sensor safe gasket maker from Wynns. Able to withstand the high engine bay temperatures, it's also sealing onto the metal pipe from the air box which I'm sure most get quite warm on long drives.

I have done nothing from the airbox to the engine as the seal there seemed good.

First test this morning ing and it did exactly what I want. I took the ram head off the top of the snorkel and closed the top with a thick piece of cardboard and voila the engine died almost immediately.

Obviously its early days and hopefully it lasts quite a while but if not I will be sure to report back.

Have a good Friday
Cheers

Ps I did seal the small drain hole in the water sump. Still dont know how i feel about doing that but I figured that if I ever drove the 4.8 into deep water and made it out I would rather deal with wet electrics than totaled engine...

[Tinus lotz]