maybe convert to a short ram until the rainy season is over lol

 

Go on Summitracing.com, they have a bypass valve that you just put in between the intake and the MAF and it is specific to any AEM intake.

 

True. The CAI should not have the suction power to yank a puddle's worth of water up 4 ft. of tubing. Weird.

 

^^^^

that was my initial thought. same reason i mentioned not learning the first time that submerging the CAI is dumb.

 

haha...same thing happened to me last night....didn't even attempt to try to turn it over any more...this beinf 2nd time...

steps this mornin...pulled out spark plugs, cranked it over to spit out any water...changed oil, put spark plugs back in, finally turned over after i charged the battery, and let it idle for awhile...checked oil again, looked ok...i will probably change the oil again before i start driving it just to make sure...hope this helps

 

I had problems with my CAI getting wet. The problem wasn't that it was actually sucking water into the engine, but it was getting small amounts (mostly just vapor to a few drops) of water on the MAF and that was making my car run crappy and stall. The MAF is very sensitive and it is the first thing that water or even dampness is going to run into on its way through the intake piping. At first, the water droplets will make the MAF alter the air/fuel ratio (since that's what the MAF monitors and regulates) and it will usually eventually just shut the car off. This is actually a good thing because it's much better to get a wet MAF and have the car shut off, than to have that water get passed the MAF and into the engine. I had this problem numerous times, and every time I checked the piping, water had never made it passed the MAF, so this is most likely what happened to your car. It definitely is possible to get water into the engine, but it is usually the MAF shutting the car down first. Since I put my turbo on, my CAI is tucked farther away than it was before, so I don't have as much of a problem in the rain as I used to. I would recommend getting rid of the CAI and going short ram, especially if the problem is happening often. The extra 2 HP you get from the CAI as opposed to the short ram is not worth the hassle. And the bypass valve still won't completely solve the problem (I had one and mine didn't help that much). Or you can just try to avoid driving in the rain, which is tough if your car is your daily driver. Good luck!

 

one word.. take off the CAI! i should know. im from the bay area also... I have two intakes.. and it sucks... an AEM cai and a home made short ram for winter... A cold air wont do good in the bay man.. And yes, my car did shut down also already before because of water intake.... ohhh and another advice that no one said yet.. Get an oil change!

 

The filter portion of the intake has to be submersed for it to suck water into the engine but if you submerse it with the engine running you will most certainly draw water all the way up the intake piping and into the engine. (I thought it was unlikely until it happened to me).

Water does not compress once it's in the combustion chamber and you stand a good chance of bending the rods when this happens especially if you are at rpm when it happens or during subsequent starting attempts while there is still water in the chamber. Do a compression test on each cylinder to determine if you have damage if it doesnt run correctly.

 

oh one more thing.. if you pass a big puddle accidentaly, and if your car is standard, throw or shift it to neutral FAST! coz when the throttle body is closed, it should be alright..

 

I can't understand how everyone is getting hydrolock, I have hade my AME CAI for 3 years been through Hurcanes and such on the east cost with no prob.

 

some of us just don't pay attention heh