Sy-Klone 9001 Snorkel Pre-Cleaner Review

Snorkels… so what are they really for? The main misconception surrounding snorkels when people first see them is that they are some type of exhaust system. In reality, they provide your vehicle with clean air when you’re out playing around in the dirt.

The first iterations were made in Australia, years ago, and their main purpose was to simultaneously remove the maximum volume of water from the incoming air stream while delivering the peak airflow to your vehicle’s engine. They do help during water crossings because they prevent water from going into your airbox and eventually your engine.

Snorkels usually utilize a UV-stable polyethylene body that ensures no color fade since it sits outside of the vehicle getting beat up by the elements. Stainless steel hardware is usually provided for corrosion resistance.

The ARB snorkel and Dobinsons snorkel are both compatible with this pre-cleaner.

Find It Online

• Sy-Klone Series 9001 3.5-inch Reducer: Check Price

History

Sy-Klone International, founded in 1986, is a manufacturing and technology company that creates industry-leading air filtration solutions that protect heavy equipment engines and operators as well as address other specialty industrial and commercial applications.

Their customers range from heavy equipment manufacturers for the U.S. government and international militaries, to distribution that supplies industries and end-users of heavy equipment across the globe in the most intensive, debris-laden industries.

With over 100 patents and registered trademarks worldwide, they continue to innovate and evolve air filtration solutions to address complex customer needs through the power of clean air.

How Does It Work?

I had my regular snorkel head for almost 2-3 years and my filter was still pretty filthy in between cleaning. During maintenance of the air filter (paper or synthetic), it would still be dirty and I wanted to see if there was a better solution. Once a snorkel is installed, most “candy cane” types are facing the same way the vehicle is driving. The issue with this is that dirt and smaller particles can still enter.

Whether it is dust, rain, or even small insects, they can still get into your snorkel and ultimately your airbox/filter. Snorkel Upgrade has figured out a great solution that has been used across major manufacturers like Caterpillar, Cummins, and John Deere Products. The pre-cleaner is rugged and tested in the worst possible environments like landfills, mining operations, etc. This is the pre-cleaner of choice for the military as it is installed on every JLTV (Humvee Replacement).

Operation Basics

The workflow:

1. Air is sucked in from the bottom of the pre-cleaner
2. The air is spun by a rotor inside the dome which pushes the heavier than air particles inside the wall of the dome
3. The heavier than air particles (bugs, debris, etc.) are spun around the inside of the wall until they are pushed out through the ejection slot on the side of the dome
4. Clean air is pushed to your engine

Above is an illustration of the Series 9000 models that fit overland and off-road vehicle application.

As you can see, the different sizes accommodate different types of inlets so they virtually fit on everything.

Benefits

• Extends air filter life, which increases uptime
• Handles all kinds of mixed debris, including mud, snow, rain, leaves, sawdust, chaff, and dust
• Lowers cost per operating hour by reducing parts, labor, and downtime costs
• Lowers air restriction, which increases useable horsepower and improves fuel efficiency
• Easy to install – adaptation kits and parts to fit almost any machine
• Claims against limited warranty are practically nonexistent
• Rugged engineered polymer construction gives you the strength of steel (without the corrosion) at the cost of plastic; the opaque material prevents the operator from being distracted by visible moving parts

Design

Mounting & Equipment Types

• Mounts on all vertical and horizontal air cleaner housings, on all machines, replacing those with rain caps, tube body systems, or internal pre-cleaners

Construction

• Engineered polymer is rugged and gives the strength of metal with the weight of plastic. A patented sealed bearing cavity protects bearings from debris and moisture, preventing corrosion. Grease concentration of 20% instead of the typically used 10-15% concentration allows the Series 9000 to operate in extremely cold weather, down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Precleaner Maintenance

• Self-cleaning and routine maintenance-free, as no debris is trapped within the pre-cleaner.

Recommended Uses

• Off-road conditions, construction, mining, forestry, landfill & waste, farming & agriculture, military, highway, and more.

Debris Types

• Expels all types of mixed debris, including mud, snow, rain, leaves, sawdust, chaff, and dust. The Series 9000 is the only pre-cleaner on the market today that can handle wet debris such as snow and sleet, as well as it handles dry debris.

Screens

• The standard included prescreening is adequate for most situations and prevents clogs by keeping out debris larger than the ejection slot. In extreme winter weather, the removable prescreen can be dropped down the air inlet pipe to avoid blinding snow and ice. The perforated metal heavy-debris screen is recommended for extreme-debris situations such as landfills and forestry. The agricultural screen is perfect for finer debris such as chaff

How Does the Rotor Spin?

So all engines need 3 things: air, fuel, ignition. Air that the engine needs is pulled through the intake, creating enough suction to pull air through the filter. Your engine is basically a vacuum cleaner. The suction created spins the rotor inside the dome. The rotor spins without creating any major additional pull on the engine because of its patented design.

This does not hinder engine performance at all. The force created while the rotors are spinning is called centrifugal force. The rotors are powered by the engine air induction. There is about a 70-80% ISO Coarse Test Dust (pre-cleaning efficiency changes with engine speed and CFM).

So what is “Centrifugal Force”?

The carnival ride that spins you around from a center point is a great way to describe how the air is moved in the pre-cleaner rotors. It spins and pushes you farther out as it spins faster.

A pre-cleaner that uses centrifugal force pushes the debris out of the air like this carnival ride. The faster the air is being taken in the faster the rotors spin and in turn, start to throw the debris out of the slit.

Sy-Klone & JLTV

What is the JLTV? The JLTV is a “Joint Light Tactical Vehicle” Check it out here on Oshkosh’s official website. This is the official face of the Sy-Klone Pre-Cleaner in its current state. These JLTV’s are going to be equipped to the military to withstand the harshest of conditions and they are all using a military-spec version of the Sy-Klone pre-cleaner. There are a couple of different variants for this vehicle but for the sole purpose of this write-up, we will focus on the General Purpose Vehicle.

Featuring unprecedented performance with the TAK-4i, intelligent independent suspension system, the Oshkosh JLTV GP quickly adjusts to achieve diverse transportability needs – by air (CH-47 and CH-53 helicopters; C-130, C-5, C-17, and A400 Cargo fixed-wing aircraft), land and sea. And it’s ready on arrival, giving troops the reliability and performance needed for harsh battlefield environments.

Carry crew and cargo to the mission and back with the go-anywhere, do-anything Oshkosh Defense Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) General Purpose (GP). Featuring 70% faster off-road performance than today’s gold standard, the JLTV GP is designed for never-before-achieved speed, power, and protected mobility outside the wire.

Overview

• 20in wheel travel
• 70% Faster off Road compared to older Hummer
• Helicopter, Fixed Wing & Amphibious Vehicle Transportable
• Blast Protected Seats
• Automatic Fire Suppression
• Proven Crew Protection System
• 4 Person Crew Cab
• 3,500 Lbs Payload

Initial Review

I knew once I put the Sk-Klone on from Snorkel Upgrade that I would get positive results.

It is an extremely easy install. You just need to take off your current head (usually with a 10 or 12mm) then attach the Sy-Klone pre-cleaner to your body. There is a pressure latch/clamp on the pre-cleaner, just loosen it and tighten it back onto the snorkel body.

Above is the ejection slit, larger than air debris gets pushed out of when the rotors are moving.

During the first month, I had the Sy-Klone on the Tacoma I did notice a slightly better response on the throttle. I am OV Tuned and the truck runs on 91, so this was already a big upgrade for the truck. Once I installed it, I noticed a small difference in sound and the throttle. I cannot say numbers have increased since I am just going by sound. My MPG did increase with the Sy-Klone and OV Tune working in unison. I went from 13-14 mpg to 16-17mpg with mixed driving.

I took the Sy-Klone on 4 trips before I decided to check the cleanliness of the K&N filter that is installed in my truck. Above is a fresh K&N Filter that I cleaned before my trips.

Now seen above, this is the filter after 4 trips. As you can see there isn’t much dust/dirt or any type of discoloration on the filter.

Usually, after a couple of trips, there is a streak of debris/dirt on the filter. I’m very impressed with how well the pre-cleaner did. I also noticed there weren’t any bugs/small insects or leaves that are usually getting caught in my filter.

Final Thoughts

I love the new look of the pre-cleaner compared to your conventional snorkel. The size is actually very small, it isn’t as big as some people think it may be.

You also don’t have to worry about rain or snow getting into the snorkel body itself with the pre-cleaners design. I can’t wait to beat the pre-cleaner up more this summer and test out its full potential.