Snorkels and petrol engines ?

Please don't flame me on this one

My understanding for many years was that diesel engines can run fine submerged, as long as the electrics are fully waterproofed and you have a snorkel for an air supply.

I occasionally see petrol engined vehicled with snorkels, is this vanity or could you actually use one submerged if the above applied?

Thanks in advance

Snorkels can be to provide a cleaner air supply in dusty environments also. The raised intake is there to provide a air supply above its normal position, ingress of water will hydro lock the engine on a petrol or Diesel engine. What normally stops a petrol engine in water is a lack of ignition spark, invariably through water getting into the distributor. A Diesel engine doesn't need a spark to ignite the fuel it relies on compression only.
Positive pressure inside the distributor supplied by a small air pump in normally enough to keep it running whilst wading.

strange_days said:

Please don't flame me on this one

My understanding for many years was that diesel engines can run fine submerged, as long as the electrics are fully waterproofed and you have a snorkel for an air supply.

I occasionally see petrol engined vehicled with snorkels, is this vanity or could you actually use one submerged if the above applied?

Thanks in advance

Click to expand...

they make water proof kits for petrol engines,always have and always will, at least since WW II

As said above, but depending on how new the vehicle is, you might be well advised to move any ecu or other vehicle computer/control unit to a more waterproof position, 'cos many are on the floor or close to it, which somewhat limits depth ..

I have snorkels on the series and have waterproofed the dizzy and coil and it does good in water,i've regularly had it deep enough to be over the bonnet but wouldn't like to be stationary in water that deep,i'll leave that for the diesels

Yeah like Jon says, us v8 boys have to appreciate that there IS a limit, whereas with diesels it's a case of needing a snorkel yourself if you're really brave!

Mine runs a sealed dizzy which is also water tight vented and compressed air fed, decent leads with good boots, a greasy coil with a cable tied boot and new plugs every few months to keep things above board, and it generally does very well.

Have had it sat above the headlights and wasn't misfiring, but it was pouring in inside and the water level was approaching my ecu so I needed to get out of the hole, luckily v8 powa succeeded!

Long way round of saying if it wasn't for my snorkel my engine would have been scrap a long time ago, i also appreciate it as a cold air feed as mentioned above, petrol engines LOVE cold air

these megajolt ecu setups are more waterproof than standard too AFAIK. competition trucks use them in their rover v8 applications.

Very true!

Distributorless ignition is pretty much as good as diesel as far as i know!

You can always tell the cars that have megasquirt fitted and to an extent mega jolt because they just sound so well tuned!

Megasquirt is something I am hankering after, it's on my long term shopping list so to speak, will be great for economy aswell I reckon...

cheers for info guys

I'm thinking I may well look into this properly soon