CAI, water lock, bypass valve, rain snow & other questions. (yes I searched)
01-01-2002, 02:15 PM
#1
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CAI, water lock, bypass valve, rain snow & other questions. (yes I searched)
I searched and skimmed throgh the 700+ posts that contained CAI, my apoligies if these questions hae already been answered. I want to get a CAI, but am afraid of getting water in the engine. Has anyone here 'water locked' an engine, or heard of someone who has due to a CAI? (on any kind of car) I am more worried about water problems due to heavy rain or splash from large puddles then from submerging the filter, from my search it seems that submerging the filter is almost impossible.
The bypass valve looks like it would only activate if the filter was compleatly submerged. If that is the case then the car would already be in water past the rocker panels and water lock would be only one of your problems
. Is this correct?
Can an engine get water locked without the filter being compleatly submerged, ie water spraying on it or rain getting into the fender well? Is it possible to get water on the filter from the spray driving through a puddle or from driving in very heavy rain?
How do cars with a cowl induction hood prevent water lock?
How does air get into the fender well?, I have fog lights and I want to keep them. Where else does air flow into the fender well?, is it helpful to make any holes to allow more air into the fender well?
I have seen some people convert their CAI into a pop charger in the winter, is this necessary? Is snow more likely to get in the fender well/filter than rain or is it because of the large puddles that are more common in the winter?
The bypass valve looks like it would only activate if the filter was compleatly submerged. If that is the case then the car would already be in water past the rocker panels and water lock would be only one of your problems
. Is this correct?Can an engine get water locked without the filter being compleatly submerged, ie water spraying on it or rain getting into the fender well? Is it possible to get water on the filter from the spray driving through a puddle or from driving in very heavy rain?
How do cars with a cowl induction hood prevent water lock?
How does air get into the fender well?, I have fog lights and I want to keep them. Where else does air flow into the fender well?, is it helpful to make any holes to allow more air into the fender well?
I have seen some people convert their CAI into a pop charger in the winter, is this necessary? Is snow more likely to get in the fender well/filter than rain or is it because of the large puddles that are more common in the winter?
01-01-2002, 03:09 PM
#4
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Originally posted by SprintMax
no Sane person has had a problem with the CAI with rain, snow or sleet.. the only person who had a problem was Russ.. who drove through several feet of water
bent a rod 
no Sane person has had a problem with the CAI with rain, snow or sleet.. the only person who had a problem was Russ.. who drove through several feet of water
bent a rod
01-01-2002, 04:35 PM
#5
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Originally posted by RussMaxManiac
Correction, I drove through curb height water with my 98 Maxima which was lowered with H&Rs. I had no choice, due to the whole neighborhood was flooded, all streets and I was trying to get home. That was South Texas BAD rains of 98 which national guard, etc was dispatched to our area due to severe floods. Belts were screaming while doing this, I wasn't even going fast, real slow. And the engine died. I had the stock intake scoop and it sucked up the water. To what the dealer thinks, is the water was hitting the front of the radiator/condesor and working its way up it getting into the scoop causing the engine to hydrolock. Insurance covered it. If I had a cone intake, car would have been fine. I actually had a cai, took it off because it had some work done to it at the dealer, got it back, didn't have time to put it on., and this happened. lol!
Correction, I drove through curb height water with my 98 Maxima which was lowered with H&Rs. I had no choice, due to the whole neighborhood was flooded, all streets and I was trying to get home. That was South Texas BAD rains of 98 which national guard, etc was dispatched to our area due to severe floods. Belts were screaming while doing this, I wasn't even going fast, real slow. And the engine died. I had the stock intake scoop and it sucked up the water. To what the dealer thinks, is the water was hitting the front of the radiator/condesor and working its way up it getting into the scoop causing the engine to hydrolock. Insurance covered it. If I had a cone intake, car would have been fine. I actually had a cai, took it off because it had some work done to it at the dealer, got it back, didn't have time to put it on., and this happened. lol!
Unless I hear something very negative I am convinced and will probably get a CAI in the spring. I am still curious about some of my other questions though.
01-01-2002, 04:38 PM
#6
sorry russ.. i know it wasn't your fault.. but i couldn't help but to poke fun
Originally posted by RussMaxManiac
Correction, I drove through curb height water with my 98 Maxima which was lowered with H&Rs. I had no choice, due to the whole neighborhood was flooded, all streets and I was trying to get home. That was South Texas BAD rains of 98 which national guard, etc was dispatched to our area due to severe floods. Belts were screaming while doing this, I wasn't even going fast, real slow. And the engine died. I had the stock intake scoop and it sucked up the water. To what the dealer thinks, is the water was hitting the front of the radiator/condesor and working its way up it getting into the scoop causing the engine to hydrolock. Insurance covered it. If I had a cone intake, car would have been fine. I actually had a cai, took it off because it had some work done to it at the dealer, got it back, didn't have time to put it on., and this happened. lol!
Correction, I drove through curb height water with my 98 Maxima which was lowered with H&Rs. I had no choice, due to the whole neighborhood was flooded, all streets and I was trying to get home. That was South Texas BAD rains of 98 which national guard, etc was dispatched to our area due to severe floods. Belts were screaming while doing this, I wasn't even going fast, real slow. And the engine died. I had the stock intake scoop and it sucked up the water. To what the dealer thinks, is the water was hitting the front of the radiator/condesor and working its way up it getting into the scoop causing the engine to hydrolock. Insurance covered it. If I had a cone intake, car would have been fine. I actually had a cai, took it off because it had some work done to it at the dealer, got it back, didn't have time to put it on., and this happened. lol!
01-01-2002, 04:40 PM
#7
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Insurance covered it 100%. It was a act of god per them, and they replaced it with a new short block.
No biggie Sprint. It's been a while since then and it doesn't bother me anymore. I just am really careful now when it rains hard and driving near deep water. I really think the scoop design was a bit bad, instead of the one behind the headlight like on the 3rd gen max, and altimas.
That day I told Andi about it, he checked his and found water in his box after driving around the rains in dallas.....so it gets water up there, but who knows how much the engine can take.
No biggie Sprint. It's been a while since then and it doesn't bother me anymore. I just am really careful now when it rains hard and driving near deep water. I really think the scoop design was a bit bad, instead of the one behind the headlight like on the 3rd gen max, and altimas.
That day I told Andi about it, he checked his and found water in his box after driving around the rains in dallas.....so it gets water up there, but who knows how much the engine can take.
Originally posted by Anachronism
I meant to mention I came across a post that mentioned Russes water lock with the stock intake. In the unlikely event that the engine became water locked insurance would cover it? (if I put the stock intake back on first.)
Unless I hear something very negative I am convinced and will probably get a CAI in the spring. I am still curious about some of my other questions though.
I meant to mention I came across a post that mentioned Russes water lock with the stock intake. In the unlikely event that the engine became water locked insurance would cover it? (if I put the stock intake back on first.)
Unless I hear something very negative I am convinced and will probably get a CAI in the spring. I am still curious about some of my other questions though.
01-01-2002, 05:44 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,807
I had a CAI and my car got hydrolocked
However I have to say that it was completely my fault. I was trying to get home with my CAI equipped SE-R. The water was only about a 1ft high. I previously seen a vette and another B13 sentra make so I figured I could. I forgot I had a CAI and was lowered. I made it half-way through then I decided to turn off the engine without going farther. That didn't help because someone in a truck with a lift kit and big *** tire came plowing throught the water 
. Needless to say my car was about 500rpm from being shut off when it happened. I haven't heard such a bad sound since I lost my engine in the maxima . Know what the funny thing is, it would have taken me 15 seconds to pull the tube from the MAF, had I thought about it. Now I have to pull the engine and install another one 
. What is the moral of the story? Common damn sense will save you! There is nothing wrong with a CAI in the rain. The only thing to worry about is when the streets are flooded. Even then all you have to do is remove the intake tube that runs to the MAF.
. Needless to say my car was about 500rpm from being shut off when it happened. I haven't heard such a bad sound since I lost my engine in the maxima . Know what the funny thing is, it would have taken me 15 seconds to pull the tube from the MAF, had I thought about it. Now I have to pull the engine and install another one . What is the moral of the story? Common damn sense will save you! There is nothing wrong with a CAI in the rain. The only thing to worry about is when the streets are flooded. Even then all you have to do is remove the intake tube that runs to the MAF.
01-01-2002, 06:00 PM
#9
Re: CAI, water lock, bypass valve, rain snow & other questions. (yes I searched)
like everyone else has said you will not run into any problems (if you keep stock or semi-stock suspension) unless you drive in two feet of water... backwards...
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