Are Cold Air Intakes safe?

[99ALERO]

well, my car started weird the last few days, RPMs jumping from 800-1200, and i notice my car is using a little more gas than it should. I have a Cold Air Intake installed

Yesterday the Service engine Soon light came on so i took it into the dealer to get it checked out. Well, the Mass Air Flow sensor is messed up. So............the car is running rich. So i ordered a Granatelli mass air flow sensor because i dont like buying over priced GM crap.

[StealthAlero]

Speaking of which, how often do you guys clean or change the filter for your CAI's?

[Naich]

CAIs are safe as long as you are careful not to drive into really deep puddles.

You clean your filter with the K&N recharger kit.

[Alerosince99]

the car is running rich. So i ordered a Granatelli mass air flow sensor because i dont like buying over priced GM crap.

Please tell me you didnt pay 450 for the granatelli maf! Pro-M is still only 250 and people have had much better results with it.

[jturkey69]

^^ditto!!

[StealthAlero]

Yeah i've heard of the recharge kit before, but how often do you use it?

[Redog]

I heard every 6000 miles with the cold air.

When I had the WAI it was less

[StealthAlero]

Does the ASE or DHP chip override the MAF, or aftermarket MAFs for that matter. Because if it does, isn't it useless to buy one if your buying one of the two chips. I'm just wondering because i know most chips change your factory settings ex. how much air to flow.

[jturkey69]

DHP does contro; the settings, so getting a pro-m would prolly be a waste...ASE wel...they went to mexico, so they wont ever get my business, and only a few people have had good luck with theres

[99ALERO]

Originally posted by Alerosince99@Feb 25 2004, 04:50 PM
the car is running rich. So i ordered a Granatelli mass air flow sensor because i dont like buying over priced GM crap.

Please tell me you didnt pay 450 for the granatelli maf! Pro-M is still only 250 and people have had much better results with it.
i found it at Stylin Concepts.com (http://www.stylinconcepts.com/parts.cfm?categoryid=28&subcategoryid=208&partfamilyid=349&brandid=0) Listed for $329.95 with tax and shippin around $358

I didnt drive in any puddles and i change or clean my filter every 12,000 miles. As i looked at my front bumper I notice a space between the lower headlamp and the bumper, enough where water could get in there and hit the filter during driving, so with the snow melting and slush and water all over spraing up maybe this was the cause?

[jturkey69]

thats exactly right about the water problem under the headlight...but now im sure you have also takin your car to the carwash right...well there ya go...high speed water blowin all over the filter......i got an AEM bypass valve off one of the local honda boys, so i dont worry bout it now, also im using the civic tube, so the lil nipple thats on htere, i have also put a mini breather on there as well

[leroBob]

try duck tape hehe

[StealthAlero]

That little inlet between the headlamps shouldn't matter. Southeast Alaska gets almost the most rainfall in the world, yeah it sucks but. I've had no problems, so i don't think that you should either. Just try cleaning your filter once in a while.

[jturkey69]

the first filter i had, an el-cheapo, sucked water in after i went to the carwash, i pulled out, and as soon as i got on the road i stood on it, and it buck and jerked like crazy, thats when i chnge filters, and got the bypass valve.

[StealthAlero]

Huh, i always hand wash mine and i've had no problem, i even used a pressure washer and my cai works great. I bought a FDP kit, so whatever that filter is i guess, works alright.

[Alerosince99]

I live in minnesota so there is plenty of snow, puddles and what not. I also take my car thru a drivethru car wash during winter. I have never had a problem with my cai.

[1WhiteOSV]

I have a CAI on my alero and about 2 weeks ago I went to the powerwasher to wash my car and i guess I sprayed my filter somehow(i still have foglights in and headlights so..it was still protected in the fenderwall) because when i left my engine completely died, i tried starting it and it'd fire up then just shut right back off, and hade EXTREMELY rough idle when it stayed running for like 5 seconds once. So i pushed the mofo to the dealership where i got my car (its still under warrranty and thank god i was like right next door to the dealership when this happened..LUCK) anyway i left it w/ them for a couple hours and i guess i got water into my system and i think it got the MAFsensor wet or something...i dont think any got into the actual engine, but they really didnt tell me...they just said "you sucked water into ur intake" luckilly it was EASILY fixed at No charge to me :thumbsup: and I was on my way. But my main message to this is that..NOT only BIG puddles can be a danger...i sucked in only a little bit and ya..my poop died and WOULD NOT start for the life of her. SO just be careful at carwashes and just overall around water. ALSO, the bypass valve will only protect you if you have the filter SUBMERGED in water to where the pressure rises in the intake tube...When that happens, the bypass valve opens and air is sucked through it till the water drains back out and the pressure is at zero again and the bypass valve closes, which then starts sucking air back through the reg. filter. If you get just a lil bit of water (like in my case) a bypass valve wont help <_< . Hopefully this helped some people. THanks


Adam

[RiotNrrrd]

Is there anyway you can protect your filter/CAI from water? I work with a guy who made a guard out of tubing to keep out water, yet I think it would restrict some of the air intake.

Has anyone else had any probably with their stock MAF after installing?
I just purchased a CAI and I'm not sure if I want to install it if I have to worry about getting water in my engine or my MAF messing up.

[99ALERO]

Well, My car stopped running, so I went to the junk yard and got a MAF off of a 99 Monte Z34. When i took my CAI apart, I found LOADS OF SALT!!!!!! Salt was all over the sensors in the MAF and my butterfly valve on the throttle body was white on the outer edges. So i modified my CAI to a WAI and notice my car does run better now. here are pics of the salt, kinda blury but you can see the salt. It is the bright white parts on the MAF

[99ALERO]

another

[99ALERO]

last one

[StealthAlero]

Were you trying to drive through the ocean or something :P

[leroBob]

u live in alaska probably a hole hell of alot more snow and salt up their or do u guys use somethin else?

[99ALERO]

i live in wisconsin and the do salt alot because we get freezing rain and alot of snow

[Redog]

I actually changed my CAI to a WAI. I still think water can get up there but after seeing 99Alero's MAF, I changed it out right away.

I will still use CAI on the track. I'm using all the pipes from the CAI in my WAI except for the elbow and downpipe. Will post some pic soon

[Fast Eddie]

Looks like somebody did a poopty install cuz its obvious something was not air tight, even the chepest filters would block all the crap. As for water getting in there i've driven though those deep puddles, 10+" of snow and what not, NO PROBLEMS. The keys are an airtight system and a quality airfilter, K&N and BTW you need to recharge them about every 50K miles more often in harse conditions.

[jturkey69]

umm ok

[99ALERO]

Originally posted by Fast Eddie@Mar 17 2004, 09:12 PM
Looks like somebody did a poopty install cuz its obvious something was not air tight, even the chepest filters would block all the crap. As for water getting in there i've driven though those deep puddles, 10+" of snow and what not, NO PROBLEMS. The keys are an airtight system and a quality airfilter, K&N and BTW you need to recharge them about every 50K miles more often in harse conditions.
I had an air tight system, Salt dissolves in water which can be suck up the any quality filter. There is a noticable gap between the headlight and the bumper where water easily goes thru.

[jturkey69]

^^dude i totally agree with you, cuz i have had the same problem as well...


.so i guess someone is just that much more lucky huh eddie

[Fast Eddie]

all I know is I've driven my car with water ON the filter (oiled K&N) and no problems, most people will tell ya K&N will not allow water through. But like I said I did a fair bit of snow plowing this winter and driven through HUGE puddles, so yeah I guess I'm lucky.

[1WhiteOSV]

I had a cold air intake and sucked in water TWICE in one week....just in normal rain too, no big puddles, the filter was NOT submerged AT ALL. So i switched back to the warm air intake (short ram) and acutally i think i like it better..i have much better launch power, not as good high end power but good low end. I guess i was just unlucky w/ my intake cuz i have not heard of anyone gettin water in their system TWICE in like a week! lol..o well. Im just sayin, for all those people that say u have to have ur filter submerged to get water in ur system..YOU'RE WRONG!

[vodkaslut85]

had an air tight system, Salt dissolves in water which can be suck up the any quality filter. There is a noticable gap between the headlight and the bumper where water easily goes thru.


I hear ya on that...I didn't notice that gap between the headlights and bumpers but in the morning when I saw it I thought it was body damage untill I saw uplose pix of other alero's online. I pretty much took care of that gap, some spare carbon fiber and 1/2 inch screws should do the trick and it's not noticeable if you aply the carbon fiber underneath the bumper.