Will my K&N air intake suck up water and hydro lock?

[Pyrotik]

I was getting some new tires put on my car and the guy at fire stone said that I should probably not drive my car through heavy rain with my air intakes because they are not shielded and water can get into them and cause Hydro lock.

I can’t imagine that much water would get under the hood but he had a point in saying that there is no weatherseal along the edge of the hood. Is this a legitimate concern? I bought the BMS ones off the store.

 

[DoctorStiches]

You would need to drive is horizontal rain or standing water. It should be fine. Mine are semi enclosed but I had ran a low CAI in the past on an na eclipse and she survived many wet seasons.

 

[Pyrotik]

You would need to drive is horizontal rain or standing water. It should be fine. Mine are semi enclosed but I had ran a low CAI in the past on an na eclipse and she survived many wet seasons.

That’s kind of what I was thinking. I saw online they sell a sleeve you can put over them to repel water.

 

[Shockington]

That would never happen.

 

[DoctorStiches]

That’s kind of what I was thinking. I saw online they sell a sleeve you can put over them to repel water.

Anything that helps you feel more comfortable with the risks I suppose

 

[ChaneRZ]

Not gonna happen. It’s short ram anyway. My Prelude had CAI and the intake was located by the wheel. Drove on puddles and nothing happened. Unless you want to drive on the lake.

 

[Pyrotik]

Not gonna happen. It’s short ram anyway. My Prelude had CAI and the intake was located by the wheel. Drove on puddles and nothing happened. Unless you want to drive on the lake.

So you think buying the covers for 50 bucks is pointless then?

 

[Kimberly Lazarski]

Honestly, where the front of the airbox is sealed and all airflow constricted through a thin tube that ends in a scoop, the stock airbox is actually far more likely to hydro lock the engine when water is splased on the scoop behind the grill, than a cold air intake that is open and not prone to pooling water. In practice, you never see it happen unless someone does something extraordinarily stupid like try driving through a puddle that should only be attempted with a truck or rally car outfitted with snorkels (or Fiero? No joke, I've seen Fieros with snorkels).

 

[ChaneRZ]

So you think buying the covers for 50 bucks is pointless then?

I do have the Filterwears cover. I installed them so that the filter cleaning interval will be longer.

 

[NS_Stinger]

I put the filterwear covers on the filters of my BMS intakes too. Mainly because I run my car through touchless washes in the winter and was noticing that water was getting on my filters so I did it strictly as a precaution.

 

[stoopid]

The filter media would have to get really soaked for enough water to be pulled through and make it all the way into the sensor or engine to cause issues. Another vote for "not worth being concerned about". To be clear, the mechanic wasn't *wrong* it's just a one in a million kind of issue with average driving and the amount of water we would be talking about.

 

[jthrelf]

Normal driving you'll be fine.

....though I did drive my '07 Civic Si with CAI into a puddle way too deep and stalled it then like a genius kept driving and blew the engine block apart, totalling the car. Literally. Thank God insurance covered it and under comprehensive. And gave me an extra $100 for custom intake....

So just don't drive into anything deep with a CAI near the wheel.

 

[Pyrotik]

I put the filterwear covers on the filters of my BMS intakes too. Mainly because I run my car through touchless washes in the winter and was noticing that water was getting on my filters so I did it strictly as a precaution.

I dont run mine through touchless, i just do the regular car washes, i wonder if those are more prone to get more water or less.

 

[stoopid]

I dont run mine through touchless, i just do the regular car washes, i wonder if those are more prone to get more water or less.

I hadn't thought of this before, but that high pressure water coming from several 'unnatural' angles could certainly be undesirable.

Water coming directly from the front is one of the reasons I shied away from getting the snorkels.

 

[Rev_Night]

As I recall, for those car washes, the car isn't on right? For me, you drive onto a rail track, turn off your car/put it in neutral, and the track will pull your car through.

By the time you are able to turn your car on, you are long out of the water. What could be the problem?

 

[NS_Stinger]

The touchless car washes in my area dont use rails. You drive into what looks exactly like a garage and a sign tells you when to stop and everything moves around the car without touching it while the car remains on.