cool way to keep out the water and protect those steering co

[Benskate1]

1063331

under your air box is a crucial area where if there is nothing sealing off the holes down there wen you go to hit that big mud hole, water and mud shoots into your engine compartment, for all you with the k and n setup, that means that yoll have to recharge your filter all the time, and for us with the airbox, and without, when that water and mud gets into the engine compartment, your cherokees not-so-water proof electrical compartments are at risk. i should know after replacing a distributer, ignition module, coil, and other costly items.

its easy to get mud and water in your engine, some cherokees came with a factory water guard (lucky ones), but quite a few didnt, meaning no protection.

the fix is easy again, you can do all kinds of pretty cool things to fix this. the easy cheap way is to take a peice of tarp or any water proof material, ideally rubber or equivalent, and attach it to the little mounting holes under the radiator and above your lower bumpermolding. theres all kinds of predrilled holes under there, so no need to make more, then bolt it up, next bolt the other side to the slanted part of the frame a few feet down on the other side of your steering components.

now heres the cool fix, instead of tarp go to home depot and buy a piece of sheet metal, not too thick to bend, not too thin though. bolt it up in those same holes and bam, youve got a skid plate. now the trick is to bend it around your tie rods and other components so that there is no contact, it shouldnt be too hard, ive done it. to check for contact have a friend sit in the drivers seat, or just turn the wheel all the way to full lock and go down there and check it, its easier to see with a tire removed, but you dont need to.

any questions? i know there will be, cause alot of people dont get this one. [addsig]

 

[dingus]

1063339

although it does sound enticing, waterproofing your engine bay with a big piece of plactic or metal will only encourage these overheating beasts to stay hot. i understand the water-in-the-intake idea, but this will take away from the quality of getting NICE COOL air into your engine (robbing it of power). i think i'll probably do SOMETHING (silicone and scrap metal or something) to keep water from easily accessing my airbox. i'm not gonna SEAL it, but keeping the BIG access holes protected from WAVES of water will help. if you drip a few drops of water onto your air filter, the engine won't suck them in and hydrolock. the small amounts of water will just evaporate. also, skidplates are usually made of 1/4" thick STEEL. your bendable metal won't offer much as protection...

i didn't write this to shoot you down, benskate, but i was just offering up the arguments opposing your ideas so that people can make an educated decision.

edited by: dingus, Apr 03, 2003 - 02:19 PM[addsig]

 

[Benskate1]

1063396

well, good point, silicone, doesnt work though, and usually all the air doesnt come in from the underside of your vechile, open up your front clip for more airflow, cold dense air doesnt usually mean more power, actually it takes longer to ignite, warm air is the best, studies show. any metal down there is good, plastic is no skidplate, an 1/8 inch piece of metal is alot of protection compared to nothing at all.[addsig]

 

[MudderChuck]

1063575

Ben what your talking about works and often works well. I´ve rarley seen someone make a second or third trip to our mud pit, without trying to redirect the mud and water flow some. Covering half or even two thirds of the underside of the motor, seldom causes overheating problems. And the farther back the bow wave is directed and the drier you keep the top of the motor, the better. A little tiral and error will let you know when the air flow is resricted and causes over heating.
I often used a desert racer type skid plate, then sheet metal under that to seal up the bottom as much as possible. The sheet metal, had a tendancy to bend, without a little help (mud and water is heavy). I´ve also used, tarp type material and large rubber matts (1/4" thick), finally settled on tin.
In the XJ, the alernator is mounted real low, the distributor not much higher. The best place for the intake is up on the firewall near the center line. An extended tube (routed to the rear) works well with a stock box and the drain holes siliconed shut.
I typically ran a coarse air filter matt in front of the radiator, to protect from stones, and slow down the mud and water some. Many made a piece of tarp to cover the whole front end, like a snow guard for a truck radiator.
A little experimentation, will tell you, what works and what doesn´t and often saves a ton of cleanup after a run.[addsig]

 

[Benskate1]

1063577

i eventually want to add a desert guard with a prerunner bumper. im just poor, i need pipe, cause ive got a guy who will bend and weld for me. ill try tin, sounds like it might work.[addsig]

 

[fatgazzer]

1063584

Has anyone added a snorkel to their XJ because I'm sure if I added one to my diesel the biggest problem would be getting water in the cd unit :lol: :lol:
Gaz[addsig]

 

[dingus]

1063613

is this the OEM splash guard you're talking about?[addsig]

 

[Benskate1]

1063617

yeah down there theres no hole, for some retarted reason the person who had my xj before took it off, probobly while changing the oil or something, and now water is my worst enemy. You sure have got one though, theres a gaping hole in mine.[addsig]

 

[jeepmaster]

1063627

mines been hangin down and i was just gonna rip it off, i guess ill keep it now, just need some new screws[addsig]

 

[dingus]

1063645

hey! mine was all cut up and stuff, but did i bother with screws? no! i have ZIP TIES![addsig]