Keep your inner fenders installed

https://youtube.com/shorts/Uth8FV1mSyI?si=Ue11KkFJfJlGgr3L

this guy has some good videos on YouTube. This looks like a 2nd Gen Tacoma?

 

why

 

From the video it looks like muddy water can more easily enter the air intake. With the inner fender liner it shields the intake and forces the air to come up through the louvers.

 

crap gets in whether there’s liner or not because intake is in wheel instead of grill like other vehicles

which doesn’t happen with cowl intake mod, snorkel, etc

4x4s like 70 series LC come stock with snorkel for this reason

 

Yes, but much more susceptible without the liner, not impossible but better to keep it. That’s my point, that is all

 

Snorkel has entered the conversation......

 

Idk if this is relevant but I just added some beefier splash guards from ark splash guards. They’re cool, two holes didn’t line up but it’s thick rubber so just drove a punch through.

 

I mean, partial coverage
OE splash guard still works but may have a bit less coverage and multipiece instead of one
it's also possible to print and trace the template online make your own at home from mat
I did but should probably remake it, retrace what I made
as I mistakenly tore one by a hole pulling on it to remove instead of prying out plastic clip first
that does look more durable than mat though

well to be honest, stock liner probably doesn't work with big tires
nevermind what it mounts to with a steel bumper that basically does away with any factory bumper mounting points

that being said, I think there is one aftermarket one on the market
it may be orderable customizable
have heard mixed things about it. High price, long wait time, not a direct fit still requiring work, heating and shaping after you get it

maybe that's a part worth putting. Even though there is zero impact running snorkel or cowl intake
for the sake of some cleanliness keeping dirt from piling up in nooks and crannies

 

I dig it. I’m in the school of thought of less is more. But to each their own

 

There was a stint in time where gx470 owners were chopping their front bumpers for high clearance and yanking the OEM liners. Must’ve been like once every 1-2 weeks there’d be a new post by some goober who hydrolocked their engine.

edit: just so we’re are clear, this is all referring to the inner fender liners above the tires, not the “splash guards” that keep crud out the engine bay.

 

Splash guards also keep cold water off hot exhaust manifolds.

 

I've been thinking about doing a cowl-intake mod but am hesitant to mess around with the major design choice by Toyota engineers to put it down at the wheel well.

A properly-done cowl intake seems like a win for somewhat cleaner air (less road dust) and considerably-increased fording depth.

But I'm wondering if there are hidden gotchas I'm missing, like a small but present risk of flooding in an extreme burst of rain and/or if the cowl drains are partly or fully clogged.

Also I wonder if the airflow is disturbed more there, it's sort of a natural low-pressure zone being down under the lip of the hood, with air racing over hood & up the windshield. Such that the engine may lose a little efficiency by having to suck very turbulent lower-density air right there.

Or calibration issues w/ the MAF due to a different length & pathway for modified pre-MAF section of intake.

 

Cowl intake. Problem solved.

 

@GilbertOz check out this post in a related thread . . . not sure if you have considered taking air from the engine bay but that's what this guy did

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/side-affects-of-a-fender-trim.803441/page-2#post-28801220

 

I wouldn't do that because the air in there is considerably hotter, a good amount of it has already passed through the radiator, not to mention the large amounts of direct radiant heat coming off the engine & exhaust headers.

There's a good-looking cowl-induction mod kit currently for sale on TW, I just haven't decided to do it yet because of the aforementioned concerns I have about worst-case scenario cowl flooding, etc., as described above.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/for-sale-cowl-intake-snorkel-kits-and-hvac-screens.811746/

 

No, you can't make me!

 

The good old mighty engineers from brand 20 years behind who put a block of wood motor, 2.57 tcase, 3.73 gears, small brakes, fake LSD in later years, ruined the manual trans, fuel filter delete, decided to intake air from an off roading tire, etc

you have a valid point about the cowl intake that may be worth making a thread to ask. Or ask in cowl intake mod thread. I don’t recall seeing this be an issue. But have only read a little about it never ran it.

A member here just started 3D printing kits.

I imagine the cowl intake mod may have a drain hole, and factory plenum above deflecting rain elsewhere.

many cars have a false firewall. Tacoma included. That also has drain holes and doesn’t flood in rain.

May never know though. Run a snorkel with precleaner.

AFE or someone makes an intake that sucks air from the grill I believe. It’s big, obtrusive, costs more than a snorkel, and doesn’t provide 4x4 anti-water anti-dust capability. Lot of money to install what for most cars is stock and cheap.

 

Agree with @GilbertOz and @TacoTuesday1 . The snorkel sounds good, but I haven't personally looked into this beyond misc threads.

I'm curious about this grill box intake setup, can it survive a wave of grit offroad or is it a street setup? I guess you're saying it doesn't, which of course it doesn't because it's lower, however I'm not fording water so simply being lower doesn't motivate me much.

 

Been running a cowl intake for years. My yota is also a dedicated trail rig. It's seen everything from mud holes, dusty fire roads, deep water, rocks, heavy down pours on the trail and I've never had issues.

 

@Strictlytoyz with the cowl mod, what keeps waves silt or mud from fouling the cowl? Is there like an upper cap / grill piece that blocks debris? No. I'm not researching. Does grit build up atop the wiper trim and restrict airflow/ problems?

Also @GilbertOz I believe the cowl area is a high pressure area based on one youtube vid I watched