hydrolock issues

[ottoblotto]

hey are you guys aware that there are a few people that are having issues with water getting into the engine through the cai? i have read a few threads on this forum with people discussing this issue on their vehicles. if you are aware, are you working on some kind of way to keep the water from entering the system? im just curious as i spent a lot of time researching the available intake systems and yours received high marks on many forums, and had contemplated swapping to your cai, but now a few folks discussing this hydrolock problem. i would consider it a safety issue if people are driving in the rain and the vehicle stalls or dies completely due to water intake. just wondering if you are looking into this. thanks!

[Raider]

If you drive into an area of water deep enough to submerge the inlet of any intake ever made, it will suck up water. Mikomi is in Panama where heavy deep flooding happens a lot. Sunlokyee had 5" of rain and drove into a deep puddle at night.

CPE will post up, but I am lust saying people do run the risk of hydrolocking if the intake reaches down into water.

Splashes are not what causes hydrolocking.

the do have a pre-filter that is water resistant. I doubt it ill help if you submerge the intake under water, but splashes and such, it will help.
http://www.cp-e.com/2108.html

[Alpha Wolf]

I have the pre filter and on our streets in even heavy rain I have had no issues as you would have to submerge the intake to hydrolock it.

If you are going to off road then yes that could be an issue.

[erhayes]

I drive in SW Florida and don't use a CAI for that reason. Little to be gained except a nice noise? and much to loose if hydrolocked.

[Sablecat]

I drive in SW Florida and don't use a CAI for that reason. Little to be gained except a nice noise? and much to loose if hydrolocked.


The little gain is HP and I don't call it little and yes the noice is an added plus!

I'm coming up on a year of having it installed and I live in Seattle while we do not get the down poors like Florida, Seattle has some very bad roads and a lot of standing water. I told my wife avoid them I also have the cover on. And I've had no problems.

[Alpha Wolf]

I have noticed the hp gains. Especially when I remove them when I had to go to the dealer.

I love the noise.

I do not drive through 2 feet of standing water or deep pot holes.

Just choose to not drive foolishly. Foolishly = CAI into deep water

I take our Baja Turbo to go up to my buddies ranch which require one stream crossing without a bridge and the water level varies from inches to feet deep.

On normal streets I have had no issues with mine.

[ottoblotto]

i dont think that the guys having the issues with deep water are driving around foolishly. they just live in areas of bad drainage or seasonal floods. people should just be made aware of the fact that the cai with its extended reach can suck water into it causing damage to the engine and be hazardous when in certain situations.

[Sablecat]

i dont think that the guys having the issues with deep water are driving around foolishly. they just live in areas of bad drainage or seasonal floods. people should just be made aware of the fact that the cai with its extended reach can suck water into it causing damage to the engine and be hazardous when in certain situations.

Don't disagree and I debated about getting it taking that into considerations, but just saying its for the noise I had to disagree ;)

[ottoblotto]

i went with the sri and think it sounds great and havent had any cels or watersuction issues.

[erhayes]

I've seen enough hydrolock problems, that I will not increase my risk. I've taken engines down with bent connecting rods, damaged crankshaft bearings and pulled head studs. I just refering to engines in general and not Mazda. We do know that manufactures, including Mazda, design intake systems to avoid HL. A CAI, while neat looking & sound nice, almost always show any increase the HP in the top rpm range. I think Mazda does a nice job by engineering the intake to take the cold/cool air from in front of the engine compartment via the air duct. Now if the factory design could give me the good sound, I'd be happer.

[Alpha Wolf]

Well I think the height of the intake is a factor to be considered when you choose between stock, SRI or CAI.

If you know you live where there are flooded streets, deep holes you cannot avoid yearly, then to install an CAI and drive into one of these is foolish by definition. Because to do so is to knowingly risking hydrolocking your intake.

If that is your situation you need to stay stock or go with the SRI to allow you to drive through deep water.

You need to consider all factors before deciding. Peak hp is only one factor and the loss of sucking hot air or breathing through restrictive stock intake may be less important than the ability to drive through deep water.

Consider all those factors which may affect you and your personal situation before choosing an intake. It seems foolish to choose a low slung CAI and then drive through deep water at speed and complain about hydrolocking your engine.

[mikomi]

I love the CAI, but the flooding here in Panama is unpredictable. Recently it's only been around 1.5 feet of water, so it's not too bad, but I've seen 2-3 feet before.
I use an SRI, so floods don't worry me until it hits 2 feet, but by then I'm just going to stay home. :P

[erhayes]

Is is not just deep water that is of concern. An 8 inch large puddle hit at a fairly high speed can cause problems. I've run into this where ever I have lived. i.e. IL, IA, TN and now FL. Pretty tough to blame the wife or girl friend driving your car and has a problem when you have defeated the manufactures safety features with respect to hydro-locking.

[Alpha Wolf]

Is is not just deep water that is of concern. An 8 inch large puddle hit at a fairly high speed can cause problems. I've run into this where ever I have lived. i.e. IL, IA, TN and now FL. Pretty tough to blame the wife or girl friend driving your car and has a problem when you have defeated the manufactures safety features with respect to hydro-locking.

True, but that is why I restrict when anyone else drives "MY" car. :rolleyes:

My wife has the Geo and the Baja.
My son drives the Geo and the Beetle.

Thus, they really have no reason to take my car out in heavy rain and drive through deep pot holes or flooded parking lots. :D

[Sablecat]

I've seen enough hydrolock problems, that I will not increase my risk. I've taken engines down with bent connecting rods, damaged crankshaft bearings and pulled head studs. I just refering to engines in general and not Mazda. We do know that manufactures, including Mazda, design intake systems to avoid HL. A CAI, while neat looking & sound nice, almost always show any increase the HP in the top rpm range. I think Mazda does a nice job by engineering the intake to take the cold/cool air from in front of the engine compartment via the air duct. Now if the factory design could give me the good sound, I'd be happer.

I'm no expert but I noticed the HP low or high rpm. Or what I like to say the get up and go :) maybe thats not HP ;)

[jesseh627]

Hey guys,

Please pardon my ignorance, but is there any way around the possibility of hydrolocking if you remove the stock air box? I see some talking about SRI and Nano, but what would that have to do with anything?

In all honesty, I've ready plenty about installing CAI on trucks and have never run across this.

Jesse

[Alpha Wolf]

Hey guys,

Please pardon my ignorance, but is there any way around the possibility of hydrolocking if you remove the stock air box? I see some talking about SRI and Nano, but what would that have to do with anything?

In all honesty, I've ready plenty about installing CAI on trucks and have never run across this.

Jesse


Jesse the hydro locking occurs because the CAI re-locate the air intake to the lower left front fender to draw in cool air vs engine compartment air. This change moves the intake lower than stock with the intake pointing down in the fender. If you then drive through water deep enough and fast enough the water level will rise until it up to the intake allowing water to be drawn into the intake and the engine..

Not an issue if like me you drive in the rain but not through any deep pot holes, rivers or creeks. If you live in places where roads flood or have deep pot holes filled with water or you do off roading where you cross rivers etc it will be an issue. The SRI place the intake above the stock location in the engine bay placing it higher up thus, it requires you to drive a foot or more deeper into water before you start to draw in water with one. At that depth even the stock one will flood however.

[jesseh627]

Thank you, I follow that. I drive a ton of miles yearly and wouldn't want anything that would limit my driving. I don't make it a practice to forge streams or flooded areas either.

Thanks again.

[erhayes]

One fix is to raise the air intake about 2 foot above the hood. Ala dune buggy racing. haha

[Alpha Wolf]

One fix is to raise the air intake about 2 foot above the hood. Ala dune buggy racing. haha

They have a kit to raise the intake to the roof on the Baja.

I showed my wife it and I thought she was going to blow up LMAO...

A snorkel up to the top of windshield.

[John Morris]

Well guys!

I hate to rain on your parade! No pun intended, but you can cause some serious damage to your engine if you suck in water. My son hit a puddle and that was all she wrote. The engine gave up the ghost. Not a cheap deal just to have more horsepower and to make the engine sound better. So install it well and use a guard. Most of the high end cai products have come out with them. The choice is yours!

[Raider]

Your son hit a puddle in a CX-7 and hydrolocked through his CAI? Where do you live??? The only guy here with hydrolocking issues is in Panama.

[Sunlokyee]

happened to me in dallas, tx as well, a hour of hard rain is enough to get puddles big enough to lock it up. I remember that night cause it didn't even rain until I got to the restaurant for dinner. Happened to me on the way home after about a hour of rain.

good thing it didn't bend any rods since it stalled immediately from the all water sucked into the engine. over 8 quarts of liquid after draining oil.

had the pre-filter installed but it doesn't really do much except protection against small splashes.

[Raider]

Wow! We have driving ours in horrible FL weather, and standing water, for several years without a problem. No pre-filter, either. But we have not driven into deep water enough for the intake to be submerged and suck in water. But I know a TON of Honda, Mazda, Nissan,and other cars, which are a lot lower to the ground, that have hydrolocked. But they were cars, not SUV's.

[mikomi]

Wow! We have driving ours in horrible FL weather, and standing water, for several years without a problem. No pre-filter, either. But we have not driven into deep water enough for the intake to be submerged and suck in water. But I know a TON of Honda, Mazda, Nissan,and other cars, which are a lot lower to the ground, that have hydrolocked. But they were cars, not SUV's.

You wouldn't mind sharing some of that fortune and good luck with me, would ya? :rolleyes:

As some of you know, I had the CAI. But I got hydrolocking issues twice. It's a miracle my engine didn't outright blow up in my face. Now I'm using an SRI and haven't had an issue since. Additionally, my car is now lowered, so a CAI is not fun. :) I'm in the rainy season now, so I'll be sure to show you guys photos of why I also have a full-time 4x4 off-roader. Muaahahaha.

[Raider]

yeah, I mentioned you at the top of the page!

[Alpha Wolf]

I have nearly two years on my CAI without any hydrolocking issues.

I do have the pre filter but I also do not drive through deep standing water either.

My car is not lowered either.

The CAI works great as long as you are not a frustrated U Boat commander... ;)

I think the thing here is that if you are driving in deep water stay stock or use a SRI.

[Sunlokyee]

I know most of us here love cpe products (i'm a fan myself with their midpipe and exhaust), but I have to say their CAI could have used an extra guard, as least as an optional piece. Like John Morris was saying, most high end CAI along the same price range as our CPE intake comes with a water guard like below:

http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/pro-dry-s-intake.jpg
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/54-10072.jpg
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/54-81162.jpg

If it can happen to me in Dallas on a freeway service road during a hour or two of hard rain, it can happen to alot of people. Dallas isn't exactly known for its amount of precipitation.

Not trying to jinx anyone, but with the amount of CPE CAI out there for our vehicle, it wouldn't surprise me if there'll be more posts about hydrolocking.

[Alpha Wolf]

I know most of us here love cpe products (i'm a fan myself with their midpipe and exhaust), but I have to say their CAI could have used an extra guard, as least as an optional piece. Like John Morris was saying, most high end CAI along the same price range as our CPE intake comes with a water guard like below:

http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/pro-dry-s-intake.jpg
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/54-10072.jpg
http://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/performance_images/AFE/54-81162.jpg

If it can happen to me in Dallas on a freeway service road during a hour or two of hard rain, it can happen to alot of people. Dallas isn't exactly known for its amount of precipitation.

Not trying to jinx anyone, but with the amount of CPE CAI out there for our vehicle, it wouldn't surprise me if there'll be more posts about hydrolocking.


Those guards are to keep hot engine bay air away from the intake as those intakes are still located within the engine bay. They are not for keep flooding water out of the intakes.

[jonny_sin]

i've seen cars with the stock airbox get hydrolocked.. it has nothing to do with what type of system you use.. it's true.. i had a civic at one popint with a cai. slammed to ther ground and would drive it in the rain.. and my street had bad drainage issues.. i never hydrolocked.. it's just how you drive your vehicle..nothing to do with the product...but if your fears of hydrolocking are that high..then simply don't get a full cai and just go with a short ram system..or stay stock...

[mikomi]

i've seen cars with the stock airbox get hydrolocked.. it has nothing to do with what type of system you use.. it's true.. i had a civic at one popint with a cai. slammed to ther ground and would drive it in the rain.. and my street had bad drainage issues.. i never hydrolocked.. it's just how you drive your vehicle..nothing to do with the product...but if your fears of hydrolocking are that high..then simply don't get a full cai and just go with a short ram system..or stay stock...


I'd make a CAI that sat out infront of my front bumper at ground level and drive it into a river. No hydrolock there, design has nothing to do with it.... /sarcasm

Sorry, but your statement was ignorant. Driving style is not the only factor.

Design has everything to do with it, but it's not the whole story. I'm not going to bother trying to explain your situation with logic. But I have both the CPE CAI and AEM SRI. Both hydrolock regularly, the AEM SRI less but still does.

The type of intake is part of it though, the filter itself is important. Some filters are more resistant to absorbing water. The AEM SRI is a sponge for water and hydrolocks easily if I am caught in a big wake of mist behind cars on a hot afternoon in a rain. But a cold morning storm won't because there's no mist in the air from evaporating water. But the CPE CAI filter, the aFe filter, is very resistant to hydrolocking in the first place. But a pre-filter always helps. I used the aFe filter with the SRI, it's definitely more resistant to hydrolocking. It has a higher saturation point than the AEM filter, would be my guess. It also has a wire mesh surrounding the filter material, like a K&N filter, the mesh collects some of the water too before it hits the filter material.

[Alpha Wolf]

I agree it is a combination of things that define the occurrence of hydro locking.

Intake design/placement
Air filter type and placement
Pre-filter or not
Where you live ie road/weather conditions
How you drive carefully avoiding conditions that lend to hydro locking or recklessly full tilt oblivious to road conditions or weather conditions.

[carlos_hathcock]

Wow! We have driving ours in horrible FL weather, and standing water, for several years without a problem. No pre-filter, either. But we have not driven into deep water enough for the intake to be submerged and suck in water. But I know a TON of Honda, Mazda, Nissan,and other cars, which are a lot lower to the ground, that have hydrolocked. But they were cars, not SUV's.

My cousin installed the CAI I got from Raider and he said it wouldn't be too much of a problem because of the height of the car, his car however (Acura RSX) he keeps his stock air box in his trunk if it gets too wet outside. But he loves it, and he's know down here as the vette killer.