Hey Guys! I have a 03 Honda 350 Rancher and I was thinking about putting a snorkel kit on it or making on myself. Anyways however if I did make a snorkel on the atv. Would the pvc pipe that goes by the Engine get hot enough and burn the pvc pipe??

 

not sure where you plan to route it or how hot it will get but i believe cpvc (hot water pipe) will be more resistant. take a small piece or cheap fitting from the hardware store wireit up in the hot spot and see if it melts.

 

Have you ever done a snorkel kit before? Im not sure on the fittings to use.

 

Scott-

I have built several snorkels for different ATVs, and unless you are buying a specific kit for a specific bike (if anyone makes one for your application), you are looking at a custom fabrication.

PVC is a great material to use. If you can keep it at least an inch away from the engine (and more from the exhaust) then you shouldn't have issues with melting. Using the stuff eeyore suggested is a good idea for pieces that come close to the engine if you're not sure whether they'll withstand the heat.

Look at your factory pieces to see the diameter of the breather tubes, and then make sure none of your pvc tubing pieces are any smaller in diameter...in fact the bigger diameter of PVC you use the better the airflow will be, and keep in mind that you will probably need to rejet your carb in most cases as the increased length of the snorkel tubing and the bends involved will result in decreased airflow to the engine.

once you get it pieced together, you will want to use primer and pvc cement to glue the pieces together and make them water tight....HOWEVER...it makes it difficult to fit the snorkel place or do maintenance later if it is one solid glued piece...I recommend making some fitment sleeves, or for a little extra coin you can buy rubber pipe joiners, that allow you to slide halves of the glued pieces together

Good luck, and take pictures as you progress

 

Ok thanks! I be putting the snorkel together here soon. Got all the piece brought at a local Hardware store. One more question, After I get everything snorkel in should I grease all my electrical wires and stuff?

 

Dielectric grease is a good idea whether you snorkel or not...but don't use other types of grease as they will not protect nor insulate, and will make a hell of a mess

You also need to route all vent hoses for carbs, brakes, axle housings, pcv, etc to the same place (height) as your snorkel...if water gets in and floods the engine through the carb or crankcase vents, the snorkel is still useless, and you don't want water in your brakes or inside your differential/rear drives. I use a series of hoses myself, but I have seen a smaller snorkel tube used to link them all together. If you "T" the hoses into one line, be sure to use metal tees as plastic ones will fatigue and break, especially oif they are close to the engine heat

One other consideration is exhaust...I set up my Honda 300 to do deep water crossings (to where only the handlebars were above water) on a regular basis, so I had a 2" straight piece of auto exhaust tubing welded to the back of my stock muffler, then had a snorkel piece made that would slip onto it and would stay in place by using a bungee cord to hold it to the back of the rack.

If you have an electric fan, it's a good idea to wire a cut-out switch to shut it off before you submerge it, and light bulbs will pop if they're hot and get immersed in water, so make sure they're off before going in.