I have an Injen CAI and I got a little bit of water in it last night. I don't believe I sucked anything intot he engine, when I got on it, the car sputtered a little bit but nothing happened. I let the car sit over night and there is no sputtering today but I am noticing that when I get on it a little bit, there is a burning smell coming from the actual filter itself right in the grill at the front of the car. It smells almost like a hot glue gun. I have no idea what it is and I am concerned about something being wrong with the car. If anyone has any answers I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Thank God I got the Stillen HiFlow AirBox instead!

2003 Twilight Blue 5AT Sedan, sunroof,
Graphite Leather, splashguards,
DB/GroundingGear red 12 wire Hyper-grounding kit,
350Z intake duct, Stillen Hi-Flow Airbox

 

kilrmy,

The smell may have been from some other components (brakes, engine, exhaust, etc.) that got wet. How much water did you hit or run through? At what speed?

My opinion based on limited experience, CAI designs with low mount air filters can and have hydro-locked engines. At one time I had a picture of a VQ30DE rod that was bent about 60 degrees in the middle. The cause, a 4" puddle and no luck.

Have you thought about the bypass valve?

DaveO

 

The puddle was not too deep and I went through it extremely slow. The car is not acting funny at all. It is running smoothly and everything seens normal. I am thinking that the smell may be water being burned off in the piping. As long as the car stays running OK and the check engine light stays off then I am OK. Any ideas or thoughts are welcome.

 

I've driven in thunder storms over deep puddles w/ the CAI on at like 90 ~ 100 MPH and nothin' like that has ever happened.. Did you drive through a lake or somethin'!?

<font color=white>Pearl Ivory</font color=white> G35 Coupe 6MT Prem/SplashG/BSM, <font color=red>Injen CAI</font color=red>, <font color=red>Injen Super SES</font color=red>

 

I do not believe you have to worry about rain and splashing from puddles. By the time that relatively small amount of moisture blasts through the filter, it is reduced to very small droplets that simply evaporate when they hit the cylinders. What you need to worry about is sucking a solid column of water up the pipe, like soda up a straw. You would actually have to drive into water deep enough to submerge your intake at the filter. When that solid column of water is introduced to your cylinders... stuff starts to bend/break.

The sputtering you experienced probably had nothing to do with water in the intake. That sputtering may have resulted from a severe, acute puckering of your sphincter when you only *thought* your engine injested a column of water! :-)

Take care.

'03 G35 5AT Sedan, Garnet Fire/Willow
18x8 SSR GT1/Bridgestone S03/Eibach

 

Well the mystery has been solved. The car did buck a little bit from the water in the intake but the burning smell was just something that turned out to be coincidence. A plastic bag without me realizing decided to get stuck to my exhaust and it started melting from the heat. I had no idea until my gf's father on a whim looked under and saw it there. So luckily there is no harm just a little bit of nasty smell and once that plastic bag is melted I will be all good. Talk about relief.

 

Install a by-pass valve. This will cure your water ingestion problem.

SKYLINE 350GT, NISMO R-Tune.

 

You can injest all the water you want as long as you dont create a water only flow throught the intake...rain, and puddlesplash will not cause you any problems. Avoid complete submerge of the intake opening...thats 1' above the street in my sedan...if you drive in a 1' of running water be prepared to call the coast guard.

 

I've witnessed 7 hydrolocked cars. 3 personal friends and 4 customers from the shop I worked at. We had to replace motors in all of them. Many of you say "it's okay as long as it's only 1" puddles" BAH to that...you're lucky. Doesn't matter how deep or how fast you're going, or if you submerge the whole filter. If the water gets up there somehow, things will break. Doesn't matter if you suck in a cup or just 1 ounce. Water does not compress, rods & valves do. I bet you all anything within a few more months we'll hear of some hydrolocking.

-------------------------------------------
Ivory Pearl/Graphite coupe
Clear corners-intake-exhaust

*coming soon*
Focal Polykevlar Powers, PG Titanium amps, PG Titanium subs

 

You make me scared driving in the rain lol. Hmm...i hope there is enough space for me to add a heat shield or something and i should be worry free. I'm just gonna drive it around for a few days and see how it goes then add the heat shield if necessary.

2004 G35 Coupe 5AT
Black/Graphite Ltr
Tire Pkg