I am interested in getting a K&N Cold Air Intake. However, I have heard a lot of people voice their concerns about hydrolocking with a cold air intake.

I am curious if anyone has actually had that happen with a CAI. It seems like you would almost have to have the filter completely submerged to establish enough vacuum to pull water up a pipe with that sized diameter.

Let me know if it has happened to you in your tC (or other car with a CAI).

Thanks

 

It would be very rare to do this. The CAI in the wheel well sits pretty high. If it covers that, you have water going into the interior. Never heard of anyone actually experiencing that. We have ours for 8 months now...never a worry.

 

96 dodge avenger with iceman intake caught in a storm on a side street with a clogged street drain and boom new motor.
long story but pulled it off under warranty (car had 3000 miles).
See this thread for a solution

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=71207

 

It is VERY rare to hydrolock an engine with a CAI. Not to say that it can't be done, but its rare. K&N Filters are claimed to shed 90 percent of water anyhow, so you would have to submerge the entire filter in water to pull enough in to kill the engine. Use your head and you shouldnt have a problem.

CHarles

 

its only a problem for ricers who think water up to the headlights is a safe bet to drive through. I mean literally on the tc it would need to be over the sideskirts water coming in the doors before you did it.

 

my friend just hydro-locked his tibouron. he had to buy a new car.

 

as others are saying... it is extremely hard to hydrolock it... and if your that worried about it, buy a AEM bypass valve.

 

Its very rare people use their head behind the wheel....

 

Yes you can, it does not take much water to get in the cylinders to lock it up. You only need enough water in the chamber slightly larger than the volume at top dead center. We have a TC that ran through some street water which was enough to get sucked into the intake. The end story, a brand new short block as the bottom end was tweaked. The head was sent in and checked out OK. Good thing is the car is back on the road.

It is rare and you don’t need to submerge the intake for this to happen. Just be aware of the intake when you’re around or going through water.

 

go here http://www.aempower.com/product_intake.asp?subCatID=3

if you want to help prevent hydrolocking on a CAI

 

About 2oz of water is all it takes. And you don't need to fully submerge the filter, at all. A nice splash on the filter, and up it goes. Happens 90% of the time to guys that are lowered so much that they need to cut/remove the fender liners. Hit a puddle an inch deep, the tire throws the water on the filter, up it goes, rod goes boom.

we've already established that the speed improvement of the CAI is negligible... why take the risk at all?

 

ya mr brian and his "let me go swimming in my tC through the flood waters of arizona"

glad you got the car back

 

I've poured 8 ounces of water directly into a carburetor of a 6 cylinder Ford almost as fast as I could pour at 2000 rpm to clean out carbon. It didn't hydrolock, it just spit out a lot of carbon from the exhaust.

Somebody isn't telling the whole story when they choke these engines with water.

 

I had my work van out in a heavy rain storm(no cai). I landed a nice puddle going 55mph and 10 sec's later it locked up on me...lol. I had to get it toed back to the garage. They said water got in the intake manifold and locked up the engine.
I have had other cars with CAI and no problems with that.
I just think we should stay away from the big puddles.

 

Yup, that's how we used to remove carbon buildup years ago.

 

I don't think its that big of a risk... and you don't need that AEM bypass valve either unless you are that worried. But my friend with his stock 626 went over a huge puddle and hydrolocked that piece.

 

yeah, I haven’t had it happen in my tc but I did get caught in a 1+ foot deep puddle in my friends Lexus.. all it took was a little dip and **cough cough sputter phgpppgt!**and we hadto push the car up a hill and into a lot where we ended up spraying Carb/clutch cleaner in to the cylinders and after about a can or 2 we were good to go... all we got out of that was a shorted out alternator... and the Irony of it all is that when we got into this mess we we're were on our way to pick up MY CAI....

 

His SN is bryoninscion and he is a sales rep for a dealer here in AZ....we get heavy downpours and flooding during the monsoon season. In fact the night he did that 2 people died from drowning. He literally took his car through flood water and YES he did have the whole engine rebuilt because of it. It obviously takes more then 8 ounces of water- which isnt that much- and yes is quite a low risk but it happens...it did in fact.

 

I have no trouble believing that. I have a lot of trouble believing a simple drive in the rain would cause hydrolocking. If you drive through standing water and your intake is below water, then yes, for sure, you're bound to have trouble. But I can't imagine having any issues with just water getting on the surface of your air cleaner.

 

I wouldn't worry about sucking in water with a CAI, just use an air bypass valve, and you should be fine. My bro has an AEM cold air with an ABV on it and has no problems driving in wet weather for the 3 years he has had it. His car is a pretty low (coilovers) 95 civic coupe. He has intentionally tried hydrolocking the motor ( driving into big puddle) but has had no success (thank god). SCC did a review on the ABV here : http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...ted/index.html
Hope someone finds this useful.