I have completed a couple performance mods on my 2013 2.4L ILX Dynamic (Manual), inclusive of which is an Injen Cold Air Intake (CAI). WhooHoo VROOM - With this mod I got an additional 25 more ponies....




Hahaha, yeah right... Maybe 3-5 HP if I'm lucky (and not necessarily over peak)!!!

But I did get a nice sound hitting the Vtec range out of the intake by removing the resonator, and that is always a nice plus!

I did however encounter some problems, lets call it a water hazard that definitely dampened my game.... I was on my way to work around 530am and encountered city water main that had burst and flooded the roadway with over 1.5 feet covering the road. I only noticed it last minute and slowed down and tried to roll through (as not to hit the throttle and suck up too much water), but the damage was done - I didn't throw a rod but must have bent a couple as the compression rates were way down.

So yeah.... I guess "I am that guy" who hydro-locked their engine!



Yup, that is road water in the cheap Acura Intake manifold. Not your typical clean and clear variety this stuff was brownish - Yuk!

Took the ILX into the nearest Acura dealership who did the work. It took approximately 4 weeks for them and the insurance company to sort it out, find a used 2.4L SI engine, and slam the thing in. The whole repairs cost $6,701.46 CAD to fix - Dammmnnnn!!!

This 2.4L baby is apparently from a Honda Civic SI, written off with only 10,000 km (or so they told me). Too bad they didn't include the transmission with the LSD.

So was it all worth it.... You choose! In this case I had a police file number which got passed on to the insurance company who covered the claim. In reality I did mod the car, however I was not the one who flooded the roadway (perhaps the insurance company went after the city to foot the bill). Cost me $200 and I ended up driving a 2017 RDX Premium to use (thanks to the dealership) along with an engine with 40,000 less km on the odometer....

And that's about all folks....

 

Shit man, that sucks. But it's not the end of the world. If I were you, I'd try finding that LSD transmission... It will totally change how your car performs when pushed in the corners.

 

For a low pickup location, I suggest using an air bypass up high

 

Unfortunately this engine came from the island. In either case it may be cheaper to find a better quality LSD and have it installed compared with the cost of a used transmission and installing it. I previously owned a 2008 Honda Civic SI with a LSD, it was nice and I would like to have one. But I think it will cost to much for this mod.

 

Hmmm, an air bypass might be worth picking up and is an easy install. I live in a city with lots of rain however in this case the road was totally flooded with easily well over a foot and a half of water, I have had CIA kits in the previous two vehicles as well and never had any issues. I suppose it only takes once, and who knows if lighting strikes again?!?

 

Sweeet! no, not the flooded part....but the Si part!
do you notice any extra benefit from having the Si engine over the ILX? i know small minor differences between the two

 

Essentially it is the same engine block (K24) and parts, there are a couple different connectors that are different. Some didn't work to which they just used my stock relays etc. The engine is a great engine and Honda would not change much between the two. The main differences between the two vehicles are outside the engine like suspension, sway bars, LSD in favor of the Honda; and leather, and comfort, styling for the Acura.

However the 1.5L turbo engine coming in the new Civic Type R (and hopefully a ILX Type S) with 300 ponies will be nice, the smaller displacement will help with fuel economy. Too bad Honda couldn't mod that 1.5L Turbo to run at 1000 HP and rev at 17K RPM like their formula 1 versions - Of course not street legal.

 

So you are telling us you hydrolocked your engine with an aftermarket intake (not 50 start carb legal) and insurance still replaced it?

What am I missing? That seems nuts to me. All insurance has to say is "car would be fine if you didnt put that intake in" and call it a day.

 

Didnt mean for my post to sound negative if it did. Happy youre on the road again. Im surprised it only cost 7G. Thats awesome. Sucks too but awesome it wasnt worse.

 

Ever since I had a CAI, when I noticed what appeared like potentially deep water ahead, I would actually turn the engine off, pass through, coast for 5 seconds, then start the car up again and keep going. I've only had to do it like 3-4 times in many many years, but still... always gave me peace of mind.

 

Jon,
No worries I have been busy and have not been able to sign into Acurazine for a couple days. Fortunately I reside in Canada and here it is not illegal to do certain modifications to your vehicle, CAI is one that is ok to do. I did expect to have to fight with the insurance company on this however it never was questioned. I believe because I had provided a police file number the incident was documented. It is entirely possible the insurance company tried to get the city to foot the bill or pay part of it. In either case my argument would have been that normal and heavy rain would not have caused the hydrolock it was because the roadway (at its highest point) was so flooded it went over the entire side of the road and over the centre median.

In either case I don't think I will have the same problem, two days ago I had to reroute the CAI to fit in my next mod. I finally got around to installing the RBC intake manifold (took a lot longer than initially expected - Partially the reason it has taken me some time to reply), which placed the throttle body in an entirely different location. Now my CAI is more of a short ram intake (not so cold air). I will post pictures later in "My 2013 Build".

 

That is a way better, and a safer route. You don't want to have to go through what I did especially if you have to foot the bill.

With this incident I had driven it many times with lots of rain and some pooling of water in that same intersection but only a couple inches. Partially why I didn't notice the water level until it was too late, I would have drove around it and coasted through in the shallower area. I have also had CAI in my previous two vehicles with approximately 8-9 years of driving with it and never came across anything as deep as this. Generally the physics of what has to occur is that the air filter has to be essentially entirely submersed (or almost) as air flows easier than water which is heavier and more dense - path of least resistance.

I have just rerouted my CAI to more of a short ram intake, not because of this incident but because of a modification which moved the vehicle throttle body to a different location requiring me to find a temporary solution. I am not sure yet if I am going to leave it as is or find a way to make the CAI work?

 

i footed the bill when my friend mis-shifted in my car.
if you know what to grab and who to install, it's totally not bad at all. found an engine for $650 and had a mechanic install engine for $650. about ~$1350-1400 when all said and done and the car drives the same as before.

 

Firstly that sucks, sorry you had to deal with that.... Secondly... $650 for a used engine, that's insane, good scoop on that one.

 

yup, that intake, when submerged, just acts like a giant straw. Stupid uncompressable water, in the compression chambers!!

what I do know is the AEM sells this little foamy thing that you install on your intake, which is supposed to save your engine in the case the filter gets submerged. I have no idea how effective they are, and how they work if the filter isn't submerged (wouldnt it just normally draw air through it, then? I dunno), but I've heard they work well. I know your intake isn't made by AEM, but it looks like something that can be adapted to most intakes, so long as the diameter of the pipe is the same.

Check this out:
https://www.aemintakes.com/air_bypass_valve.htm

 

I am pretty sure I could make the AEM part work with some adapters if need be, however my problem now is finding a way to reroute the CAI (should I chose to go that route again). The performance difference between a short ram intake and a CAI isn't that much, I believe there has been some testing proving the difference is marginal...?..

 

it's what happens when you let other people drive your car. learned my lesson.

and yeah, if you ever need something from a junk yard...use Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market to source it.
enter in car details and location and website will spit out pricing and location of junk yard.

 

Wait, so insurance covered the replacement engine and you chose a used Civic motor?

I would have asked for a Brand New Zero Mile motor form Acura.

I hydro locked my Integra GSR back in 2001 using a AEM CAI on a flooded road. Pretty much same exact scenario as you.

Insurance covered it. I took my car to my local Acura dealer and they installed a Brand New Factory Integra GSR Crate motor. Zero miles.Think the bill was somewhere around $8,000. And this was back in 2001

 

And this is why I simply dont go CAI. Neither SRI or CAI are going to give any real gains that are noticeable so why opt for the one that could possibly fuck your engine?

I mean CAI does get +2 scene points and +5hp over the SRIs but for me Id rather be able to mob through lakes if I want. IM ON A BOAT!

 

I did not have the option to pick up a new engine, and if I did I certainly would have preferred it. The Civic SI engine is the same K24 engine and is an exact fit besides a couple wires. In my case the only issue was this one had 10,000 km use on it and some aluminum oxidation. All in all, to be honest I am glad I did not have to fork out the bill myself.

 

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