So I live in Socal and rain was absolutely pouring the last 2 days. Anyways, I had work at 6am, so I got up and left my house around 5:45am... at this time it was pretty damn dark and the heavy *** rain didn't help either. As I was driving, I noticed a HUGE puddle in front of me ...

I tried to immediately stop considering that I had an injen cold air intake. Before I could, the front bumper was submerged in about 10 inches of water and the car immediately died . I cranked it again to no luck. The car was dead. I got out of the car in shin-high water to try and push the car out of the flood, but the wheels locked, and im sure i couldn't push it myself anyway.

I called a tow-truck and while waiting, cars kept driving through the flood and just splashing water on my car . The tow truck eventually came and so did a cop, coincidentally the same cop who pulled me over last month for speeding hahaha . I had to switch cars with someone else and go to work late, socks/shoes drenched, and feeling nervous about the condition of my car.

I got home from work and immediately worked on it. Uninstalled the CAI (very wet inside) and drained all the oil. FYI, there was A LOT of water in there. Afterwards, took out all the spark plugs to dry them off. After doing an oil change and re-inserting the clean spark plugs, the car still wouldn't start . We then manually cranked the car with 1 spark plug not attached. Soon, water just started flowing out (i guess this was the reason it wouldn't automatically crank).

After that, I reinstalled the intake I was able to turn on the car and a ridiculous amount of water/vapor started coming out of my exhausts too. I'll try to upload the video on youtube and post it on here.

Anyways, I'm glad that it didn't hydrolock. That would've cost me a whole new engine if valves/rods were bent or if other major damages were done.

Moral of the story: if you have a CAI, DO NOT drive through puddles! LOL

 

Where is the near death part?

 

Put your stock intake back on.

 

i think he meant his car was near death

 

Insurance would have got you a new motor.

 

near death for my car lol. yeah last case scenario would have been to install a stock intake and take it to insurance.

 

dude just get a short ram air intake, ive read so many of these threads... im glad you didnt ruin your engine though

 

After reading all these threads I think I'll keep my stock intake.

 

yeah im actually gonna take my cai out. it hardly rains around here, but **** like this happens. it's not worth the small hp gain.

 

Despite that the Injen intake is still cool!

 

not all intakes do this.

 

All true cold air intakes make the is a potential reality, unfortunately. This is not the case for short ram etc however.

 

maybe i missed it but did u get the car going...just keep cranking it over with the plugs out to clean the water out....is ur car the one on youtube at some shop that this happened to a z, pretty sure they said that was in cali...

 

i never had a problem when i had a injen intake

 

how did your wheels lock up if u put the car in neutral u could have pushed it its not that hard to push and if u were pushing your car im sure someone would have pulled over to help you i live in ny and people pull over to help even in the freezing cold

 

This part here made me lol BTW, I am glad your engine didn't come apart on you. Drive safe!

 

Believe me guys, it is more likely to do it with a CAI, but I hydrolocked mine and had the stock intake. I did have a cf scoop on the bumper and a tube running from the bumper to the opening in front of the air filter.

As I painfully learned, pay very close attention where you drive when it is raining hard. I lost mine when we had a storm that dumped 6" of rain in a few hours, which was unknown to me because I had been out of town for the day. If water gets to the intake, it's going to get sucked in. Period.

 

yeah the car works fine now. but i haven't put the clip on youtube yet. thats a different car

 

it was in neutral but i have no idea. plus, it was too hard to push when water was almost up to my knees and raining at the same time. i figured it would be easier to just wait for the towtruck haha

 

close call...keep us updated