I just installed my AEM CAI and my car is super dumped and i have a opening in the front for the intake. I live in vancouver so it rains here all the time. Does it matter if this gets wet and if it gets wet, does the engine have enough power to suck the water into the engine?

Thanks

 

Yes, if the filter gets submerged you can possible fu(k everything up. Water "can" get into the engine...

 

I am not too worried about it being submerged, but more worrying about driving and water hitting the filter till its wet. Will the engine suck the water up? I guess you pretty much answered my question but a little more clarification. should i cover the front. i have the mesh **** on there right now.

 

Get a bypass valve... Once the bottom filter gets wet the bypass works a back up filter.... I have a Brand New AEM bypass that I never install on mine...

 

, doesn't it defeat the purpose of having a bypass valve if your not going to install it?
I have mine on and it saved my ass one when I went through some water.

 

by pass is a useless piece of plastic crap. AEM sell it cuz they make 30-40 dollars per bypass you buy. AEM even tell you that you will lose some hp and torque. You might as well be using the CAI as a Short Ram because you're losing HP anyways. Getting the filter wet will not give you hydrolock......you have to totally submerge it, creating a vacuum that will put water up. If the water is that deep you're screwed anyways because your damn exhaust would be submerged. Most people will be paranoid and get the bypass anyways because it is a 30k car, but might as well be using it as a SRI then. I have yet to see a single TL with hydrolocked engine.

Also guys, lets not start a flame war over this. If you have a bypass and you like it, that's great. I just personally feel that it's useless.

 

hzm82..So! Keep your thoughts to yourself! hahaha. Just Kidding!!
Yeah, a bypass is not used very often nor does it do much but it does give me an ease of mind so whatever, it was free for me so why not. I still do feel it helped me that one day, maybe it did, maybe it didn't, who knows.

 

so am i right to say that the ONLY way my engine can get hydrolocked is if the filter is COMPLETELY submerged? because i'm having the same problem where after it rains, water gets thru all the little holes and most of the filter is wet... i figured if i keep my RPMs low, then it wont really suck anything up but i dunno 4 sure

 

Its not the water that hurts the engine. It it the pressure change when your whole filter is completely submerged. If your filter is completely wet, the water will only cause a little perfomance drop, it will not hurt anything.

Anyone remember on the older cars how they use to inject water into the cylinders for extra cooling? It wasnt the greatest, but it didnt damage anything as long as it was just a small bit of water.

 

hzm82,

You obviously haven't talked to too many mechanics. I was talking with Jens, a well-respected mechanic up at Park Ave Acura and he's seen several hydrolocked engines come in.

The filter does not have to be completed submerged to hydrolock the engine. If any significant amount of water gets into the engine, you'd be fvcked. Think about how a piston works, it compresses the air /fuel inside the cylinder. Does H20 compress? I don't think so. So you end up with bent valves, etc.

Will the bypass valve save your a$$ from knee-deep water??? Probably not, but for $35 it's not worth the fear. That's my $0.02.