Hi guys my names Jon, I own a 2001 Jetta GLX, I recently installed AEM's cold air intake sytem and I am very pleased with it. However, I live in New England and we experience all types of weather including snow and rain. I was wondering if anyone has or had this system on there car and if it posed a threat to there cars engine while driving with it in the rain or snow. I am obviously not taking my car off road or plan on traversing any deep water, but if anyone has any information about the effects of water spray or snow to the filter and engine, I would appreciate any knowledge. I would also appreciate any reccomendations as how to fix this problem, if it is a problem. (Note: I have already looked at air bypass valves and they do not work with the particular cold air intake required for my vehicle.) Thanks!

 

Not certain but i didnt want to risk it, so i went with another set up.
i know of a guy that hydro locked a motor in an eclipse with a cold air intake down close to the bumpre, but i think that was an extreme like a giant puddle or something.

we talked a little about that subject here

https://volkswagenforum.com/m_4179/tm.htm

Im sure a bypass valve could be put in somehow, it would just have to be customized.

 

contact bagel too, he spoke of a similar situation about the snow and all with a cold air intake.

 

Thanks for the info guys, appreciate it. I just bought some sheet metal today and im gonna try fabricating some sort of a shield for the filter. Im also probably not gonna be runnin the intake this winter and put it back on in the spring, ill let u guys kno how the shield turns out.

 

That sounds smart, play it safe for sure, and yeah im sure the shield will come out nice, especially custom made to fit like that

 

Here's a pretty cool article about bypass valves, i guess i didnt realize exactly how they work.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/te...lve/index.html

 

My Volkwagen cold air intake has built in hydro-shield which is a piece of plastic that blocks the air filter from water. A friend of mine told me that when your using a cold air intake, there is a potential risk when driving in the rain. This is often referred to as "hydrolock". Normally you'd love to rip through puddles without thinking twice, but because your engine is now getting air from inside your bumper you have to be careful. If your engine manages to suck up any amount of water through the intake and into the engine you will probably have little to no horsepower left. In more extreme cases, the water brought into the engine through the intake can actually break connecting rods in the pistons, as water will not compress at all, unlike air. In other words, be careful." So, it is important to take the necessary precautions when using a cold air intake so you do not end up getting water in your engine. This may include installing a water shield in your intake or not driving in the rain at all. It is also notable that less damage will occur from water getting in the engine on a rotary engine car, as opposed to a piston engine car.

 

Does anyone think you could custom make one of those for another brand of cold air intake?

 

yeah, shouldnt be too hard, just find some anchor points near where your filter sits and build it around the filter. home depot or lowes would have everything you need

 

I actually bought something from injen. It's a piece of cloth called a hydro shield, hah. But from what I have heard it works perfectly and no water will get through in rain, as long as you don't run through puddles like a jackass. But my friend and I are fabricating a shield for my intake out of sheet metal. Should be no problem. If anyone needs the link to the injen thing, just ask.