I know that the CAI's have a possibility of sucking up water into the engine if you go through deep (6'') puddles. I think I even remember reading that it happened to a couple guys on here. My question is what is the actual chance of this happening? I'm considering swapping my CAI for an icebox because it is so darn rainy and flooded here, however I like the way the CAI looks and sounds so much better decisions decisions.

 

I posted a thread on the same exact topic, basically they said i was worrying way too much about hydrolocking. I got the idea that the front end of the car needs to be fully submerged for any damage to occur. Depending on where you live could have an impact, personally i would never have CAI except an Icebox if i lived in the southern states. Get an Icebox for the peace of mind i guess

 

Yeah well I go back and forth between southern louisiana and mississippi and even after light rains it floods by my house in LA. Guess I should get the icebox then. Thanks!

 

Ihave an AEM CAI and I don't see how it can get wet short of running thru deep puddles, Plus I couldn't give up the sound.

 

I went with the icebox primarily for the peace of mind and for the easy access to the filter for cleaning. To hydrolock you would have to go through some really deep puddles of water and sometimes those can be hard to judge, especially at night. My recomendation is to get the icebox and enoy the extra few hp it will give you as well.

 

y not just get the bypass valve? its only around 45 bux

 

What does the bypass valve do? I've never heard of it before.

 

In case nobody has seen the undercarriage of our cars, the CAI sits above a plastic guard. In order for the CAI to suck up a significant amount of water to hydrolock the engine, the bumper would have to be submerged in water, high enough for the water to get in and above the plastic guard. Then there's a few inches of clearance from the plastic lining to CAI filter.

 

The bypass valve is a foam insert that you put in along the CAI pipe. It's designed so that if any significant amount of water is travelling through the pipe, it'll be drained out through the valve.

But it hurts the airflow within the pipe, sacrificing performance, and negating any amount of increase the CAI may actually provide. But it still sounds loud.

 

Thanks so much PureAdrenaline So I guess I shouldn't be too worried about it until spring and hurricane season starts

 

PA is correct. ive owned cai's for many years now. and the mout of water deapth you would have to drive thru is deap. and youd be dumb for driving thru it in the first place. mine has seen pooring rain for 12 straight hours on a trip to florida and it never got wet. ive hit deap puddles and never had issues. i drive thru deap snow also with no issues. yes some have had the bad luck for it to happen, but its rare.
i wouldnt worry about it. and if you are driving in a area with flash flooding ect... just pay attention and use your head before you drive into the puddle

 

I wouldn't drive through a deep puddle in the first place even if I didn't have a CAI. That's just not smart.

 

Well I don't drive into deep puddles...but the whole city is a deep puddle when it rains and it can flood extremely fast and you can be in a deep puddle before you even know it. My house is also surrounded by 2 bayous that overflow so its a constant puddle when it rains. Thats the only reason i was concerned guys

 

Gotcha. Well, it's your call, then. If you want to be on the safe side, you should get the by-pass valve.

 

Hi! I'm a newbie to the message board! I just moved to Atlanta, GA from Omaha, NE and can answer your question about the AEM by-pass valve as I owned a speed shop in Omaha (moved here to go to med school). Obviously you know that the cold-air intake sticks the filter in the fender well and can expose it to the chance of sucking up water and locking the motor up if you unfortunatly suck up water. I have done this myself and it was pretty bad (rods were so drestroyed that my pistons were pretty much sitting on the crank--although this was a worse case scenario).

Now, driving through a misty, damp rain hardly will effect your intake as it is (hopefully) covered up by your fender liner. At worst case, you will have a couple of drops get sucked up and your car will "putter" a bit and clear up as the water evaporates. If you hit a big puddle or patch of water then you have issues.

Now the bypass valve:
If you open one up (take off the foam filter) you will notice a rubber flap inside the plastic housing. That closes up when it senses that you are sucking up water and uses the foam filter around the valve as the intake filter. The way it closes up is that the bypass valve "senses" a pressure change inside the intake when water is being sucked up. Call it pressure or density change, its in essence what trips the valve into closing.

Now as far as power loss, it will be there as the intake tract isn't as smooth...but it's not really that significant---and the peace of mind.

Oh...a lot of you have seen the video of AEM's NSX on the dyno sucking up water from a fish tank...did you also know that that particular NSX was owned by John Concialdi (sp?) the owner and founder of AEM....it was his personal car!!!

I have an 03 CLS with an off brand cold-air intake with a K&N filter on the end of it with an AEM bypass. I have no qualms about not having used an AEM brand name for the most part an intake is an intake. The bypass valve has been awsome as I have driven through all of the hurricanes that Atlanta has had with no issues whatsoever.

Oh, I also have a bypass valve on my 01 BMW 330Ci with no issues...and no worries about the motor!

Hope this helps!

 

nicely stated...points to ya

 

indeed... very very nice explaination man. rep+ to you too.

 

give me some reps too!!! haha

 

thanks a lot guys! I appreciate it!

By the way, an example of the pressure change that occurs when sucking up water:

Ever used a shop-vac and sucked up water? That's pretty much it!

 

Everyone I've talked to has said to not get a bypass valve. Either get a SRI or Icebox if you're that worried about it. The chances of hydrolock aren't that high. I've had my AEM V2 for 1 1/2 years, now. I've driven through all kinds of raining conditions without ever once experiencing any sputtering or anything of that nature.
For most people, chances of hydrolock are pretty slim. If you use common sense you can all but eliminate the possibility.

As far as chronic flooding goes, that's a little different. It may be wise to go with the icebox in this case.