AEM cold air intake + water :(

[MPS1]

Hi guys,

I just got a AEM CAI on my MPS3 and it was fantastic...until
Yesterday I drove through a rainstorm and there was a flooding in the middle of this valley of about 70m of rushing deep water, there was no other way around so I got out in the storm undid the cover in the wheel arch and put a plastic bag over the intake to drive through. I took it off after, but after driving for about 1/2 hour engine light came on and the car splutttered.

I later found that water got onto the MAF and into that extra pipe next to the MAF that goes directrily into the rear right of the engine next to the spark plugs. I had to hairdry it all the next day till the CEL went away.

Does anyone know if I have ruined my engine.. there are no weird noises, idling is fine, but water still got into that thin pipe attached into the intake.

I think im going to take off the extension and get an oiled SRI rather than the massive dry AEM CAI. Anyonne using a prefilter (that hydrosheild thing) Any suggestions? By the way I have a pod heat sheild that covers the rear vents near the wheel but obviosuy its not good enough because the front gets wet...

[Jmac]

Bad news.. personally I would stay away from oiled filters.. go for a water repellent pre filter instead..

http://mpsgarage.com.au/shop/product...re-filter.html

[Nirvandan]

That was one of the main reasons i went for a SRI over the CAI, sorry to hear mate

[MPS1]

Why would you stay away from an oiled filter? I heard they are good for dusty/wetter weather. Do you think that there would be any problems with the engine though?

[Jmac]

Why would you stay away from an oiled filter? I heard they are good for dusty/wetter weather. Do you think that there would be any problems with the engine though?

Some people have had problems (hesitation etc) from oiled filters on newer cars. My guess is that is why all (?) SRI/CAI kits come with dry filters.

[shakespeare]

I've got a prefilter water repellent thingy and I still got a wet filter and CEL's so I covered most of the air vents in the front wheel arch and haven't had CEL's since.

The air vents in the wheel arch are for (I believe) evacuating heat from the engine bay, though since I have covered these I haven't encountered any extreme temperatures with IAT or Boost temp.

http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/how-t...er-shield.html

And another, though from your post it sounds like you've got one of these?

http://www.ozmpsclub.com/forum/how-t...-wet-cais.html

[MISSMPS]

Username looks very familar..i thought someone had woken up and realised how awesome AB is and traded up


Not good news about the water though

[tricache]

put a plastic bag over the intake to drive through

There is another problem but I won't go into that haha I have seen first hand filters getting flattened by doing this.

The only way to eliminate water going into ANY intake is leave it stock...I have been through 3 different SRI configurations and now have a Simota CAI. Even my SRI had the occasional problem with water, front end spray from passing cars in heavy water or just super super heavy rain.

My CAI has been on since September last year and only had a CEL twice now and that was from spinning the wheels in very heavy rain.

I know there are times where it is unavoidable but that's the risk you take putting an aftermarket intake on a car.

I think if you haven't have problems now that the water has been burnt off...it takes a good amount to cause problems in the engine and I'm not talking about hesitation but hydro lock!! Hesitation is actually caused by the MAF sensor becoming wet

[MPS1]

Ohh I was just looking at the simota intake on ebay, I don't know anything about that brand though. When you get CELs tricache, water may not just be going on the MAF but suked up into that breather pipe into the engine. I have read somewhere that the inside of the engine can rust up very very easily.

Im going today to autobarn to check out what filter/pre filters they have - too paranoid to keep this one on when winter is coming lol

[AD07]

Just get a SRI to save yourself worrying every time it rains......

[MattMPS3]

Oiled filters are OK on a MAF equipped system, its a bit of an old wives tale that they have more issues, just don't drown the filter with oil, over oiling is where the issues come from.

However from my experiences with my CAI, I was running a K&N oiled pod on mine for some time, and the biggest issue I had was that due to the location of the CAI, it is exposed to that much more dust & dirt down there, and the oil just holds everything in the filter, rather than it naturally falling away, I was forever cleaning the thing. Now I am using a 3A dry pod with a hydroshield, seems to be going well so far, and the hydroshield also helps keep the crap out of the filter.

If you enter a deep puddle, keep moving at a constant speed, the tyres will create a bow wave effect that will push the water out of the way of the CAI location, if you stop in the puddle thats when you will have issues, obviously it depends how deep the puddle is to start with.

[MPS1]

Sounds like the hydrosheild is the best way to go then, and yea it wasn't a puddle it was a river, i still drove through slowly though, im pretty sure the plastic bag helped alot...:S

[tricache]

and the oil just holds everything in the filter, rather than it naturally falling away, I was forever cleaning the thing. Now I am using a 3A dry pod with a hydroshield, seems to be going well so far, and the hydroshield also helps keep the crap out of the filter.

Don't some K&N filters say they work better once they get dirt in them?

[Doc]

not a fan.. the technology and manufacturing process for dry filters (read microns) has overtaken the old oiled filter.. so why bother using them..

Sorry to hear about your dramas though mate

Doc

[MPS1]

not a fan.. the technology and manufacturing process for dry filters (read microns) has overtaken the old oiled filter.. so why bother using them..

Sorry to hear about your dramas though mate

Doc

Thanks doc, I just hope no one gets the same problem, I'm going totrygeting a hydrosheild to repell the water, and put the intake in the engine for winter, a a few kw maybe is not worth peice of mind

---------- Post added at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:26 AM ----------

not a fan.. the technology and manufacturing process for dry filters (read microns) has overtaken the old oiled filter.. so why bother using them..

Sorry to hear about your dramas though mate

Doc

Thanks doc, I just hope no one gets the same problem, I'm going totrygeting a hydrosheild to repell the water, and put the intake in the engine for winter, I'd rather have Peice of mind than gaining a few kw if that is how much a cai adds

[nzjono]

Had the same problem tonight after going through an automatic car wash with under body high pressure sprays. Im hoping by morning it will have dried out.

Has yours been ok since you dried it? No long lasting damage?

[MPS1]

No problems so far, car is running fine from what I can tell, and i just had it serviced...im just scared next time it rains lol

[nzjono]

Took mine down to Gold Coast Mazda in Southport this morning and the emptied the water out of the CAI. Everything is fine now and the engine light is off. Dam lucky! Oh just outside there I spotted a parked Black Mazda 3 MPS with thin spoked black mags. Looked hot. Anyway Im going to try a DIY duct tape job on those air flow slots under the passengers wheel arch.

I think I was lucky as the car was only idling in the car wash, if it had been at boost god only knows if the water would have been sucked into the engine itself....shudder....

Thanks for the feedback

[esp22]

so when driving...is the only way the cai can suck water up is through the little vents in the wheel arch?Or unless u drive through a huge puddle which goes over your fog lights?THanks

[tricache]

This is why you just wash your car by hand :P haha

and yes that Black MPS is one of the sales staff's car, he is STILL trying to sell it I think.