running a CAI doesnt break a car. driving your low s2k with a CAI in a rain storm and hitting a deep ass puddle breaks s2k's. i dont mean to be completely rude but that is irresponsible and poor judgement.

i laugh everytime peoiple say CAI is bad. its not.......

that being said, if anyone ever does this again, DO NOT TRY AND START IT RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENS. THAT IS THE KISS OF DEATH!

 

Not that big of an issue in my (as well as others here) experience and we get a LOT of rain here. The matter of potential risk is a subjective judgment call that each person needs to make.

That will make a difference.

How was it set up? I wash my car every other week and this has never been a problem.

 

I generally agree with you. However, it can be said with confidence that there is something about out cars and where the CAI is that makes it far more susceptible to water getting into the intake than other cars. This is evidenced that there seems to be many more people who have done this in our car than others such as the Integra GS-R. I had three GS-R's that could go through puddles without much of an issue, yet in my S2k, I can't even wash it without water getting into the intake.

 

then i suppose its personal preference how you drive your whip. i have owned mine for near 6 years, and not yet driven it thru a puddle that i saw in front of me at speed or slow. and i live in south florida and had to drive the s2k when hurricane wilma ran thru and dumped water everywhere.

when i see a road flooded ahead i turn around or stop. carefully of course. if a neighborhood is flooded, i dont drive thru it. and i dont even have a CAI.


but i wish you luck, as a hydrolocked motor can be very serious.


oh, i learned the lesson i am saying with a scare bout 8 years ago. i had a h22 civic with a cai and was driving in a rainstorm. i saw a puddle, said F it and drove thru it. boom car stopped. i had to push it home, i was near my house. got home, removed the plugs, cranked it, water shot out, then got it to start. after that, never drove thru a puddle again with any car i cared about.

now my 2000 tahoe was a different story. LOL. i would aim for puddles!

 

Mistakes happen, first time something like this for me...wont happen again.

 

Hydrolock can also happen in the driveway.

I had a customer a few years ago. Had a light snow over night, he was driving the car earlier and parked it. At the time the weather was clear.

As the snow began to fall, it accumulated on the hood and melted. The melting snow tricked down the seam between the fender and hood, through the hole in the fender, and filled his AEM V2 overnight.

He went to start the car in the am and instantly blew a hole in the side of the block. Broke the rod in 3 pieces.

 

^dayum.

That sounds like karma!! Is the AEM designed in a way that allows water to pool like that easily? I have the fujita CAI and I seem to think the way the filter is attached would prevent water from gathering from dripping through the hood.

 

This was the issue 100%

Also there is a sticky on how to stop water acculating when parked in the rain by plugging a hole.

If you do this, you shouldn't have any issues.

 

jus out of curiousity...why wouldnt ppl with cai use a bypass filter? i think aem used to sell one for its cai's and it goes on the midpoint of the piping so that if it sucks in water it would be released thru the bypass...

 

Not dogging the OP, but it's worth noting that he said the fender liner was not in when this happened.

I've got the Injen, with the hydroguard cover, and all my fender linings are in place.....not had an issue with water and the intake.

Not saying it can't happen, but with the fender lining out......it's much more likely to. I'd like to know how many issues with these low filter mount intakes are due to not having folowed the install directions.

Guess all I'm saying is that if you cut away only what is needed, and keep the fender lining in.....it's pretty well protected.