Does everyone that has a aem coldair intake have a bypass valve? Do you have to have one?

 

Not everyone has one. I don't. However, I live in Southern California where knee high flooding isn't common. Also, my car is not a daily driver so I don't need to take it out when it's wet outside.

 

it does not work anyway, one of my sales guys had the by-pass and sucked up a ton of water and hydrolocked his motor, we gat his ins company to pay, but no warranty.. just skip the bypass and do not drive in the rain.
Matt

 

with the bypass valve, you just negate all power gain...

 

I've driven in some pretty serious rain storms and have never had a problem (knocking on wood right now) but I've never had to drive through any puddles of water that are higher than the filter. I think that the only way the intake is going to pull enough water into the motor is if the filter is completely submerged.........I think.

 

I use my as a mostly daily driver (I have another car, just don't like it as much ) and don't have the aem bypass for about a month now (spring=rain0. no problems!

 

The filter has to be completely submerged to injest water. If you're driving thru water that deep in the first place, you've got issues.

 

I dont know much, but for 50 bucks extra I think it is worth it. Better safe than sorry.

 

Friend of mine drove over some water when a while ago there
was a strom here. The motor shut off and I pulled apart his
motor. Bent #1 rod. Rebuilt was close to $3000.

Piece of mind. You never know. Not worth it for the 2 extra hp.

 

Okay, storytime...

I was driving on an unfamiliar road in my Prelude during a storm a few years back. It looked like about an inch of water on the road. I had no idea it got much deeper just ahead. Before I knew it I was up to the windshield in water. I had an Iceman CAI on at the time and it made like a silly-straw. The engine was done instantly. I swam down the road to a fire station to get a little help pushing the car out of the street. By the time I returned with a posse the interior was flooded up to the bottom of the dash.
The insurance company took one look at the whole mess and the Lude was pronounced dead at the scene.
I swore off CAIs forever. I don't know if the bypass would've helped me then (I don't think they even existed then) but if I had a CAI now I would definitely get the valve. Bypass valves are probably much cheaper than replacement Preludes.