water and CAI [Archive] - TorontoMazda3

BenChan

09-24-2008, 03:33 AM

hey guys .. i have a cai for my mazda3 .. and it goes right down beside my left wheel well.. everytime it rains / when i wash my car .. my filter gets wet and my CEL comes on .. i would need to HAND dry it .. sticking my hand down and soaking the water up with a towel. Then the CEL is gone. The water gets in from the left headlight (left hood crack) leaking RIGHT down to the filter ... HOW THE **** can i prevent this from happening because it is pissing me the ASDHGLJAHAW!! off .. Also i have a two pipe CAI .. can i convert it to a SRI ? by taking off my second pipe and just connect my filter onto the first pipe? ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME !

BenChan

09-25-2008, 09:58 PM

no one has this porblem?!?! wtf ..

dentinger

09-25-2008, 10:09 PM

what kind of CAI do you have. cuz, if i remember correctly, some CAI's can be used as either a cold air intake, or a short ram intake.

and no, i dont think anyone has had that problem.
a few of us have had some serious problems due to CAI's, but its very rare, and it usually happened from driving thru a deep puddle, or when it was raining heavily out.

BenChan

09-25-2008, 10:11 PM

i bought mine at pacific mall .. no brand name on it =S .. LOL! i was cheap .. the CAI goes RIGHT at the left wheel well .. and the water will leak from the hood cracks near the left headlight ... and dripps RIGHT down to the filter .. like wtf .. how cn i prevent this ..

dentinger

09-25-2008, 10:13 PM

hmmm. weird. ive never heard of that happening.

you could try getting one of those hrydo sheilds. they block water coming in, but still allow air in.

BenChan

09-25-2008, 10:17 PM

the filter it came with (the guy said it was from K&N but i dont believe him) anyhow .. the filter it came with has a whole at the top .. and water will dripp right there and SIT in that whole .. and while i drive in rain or when i wash my car .. water will sit tehre and when i turn on my car .. the CEL will turn on .. then i have to turn off the car .. and get a towel to suck up the water .. then i turn the car back on .. and CEL is gone .. get what im saying? or you lost?

BenChan

09-25-2008, 10:20 PM

http://www.jscspeed.com/part_pictures/turboxs_wrxshortram.jpg

this is the filter i have .. see that while in the middle .. water will SIT in there .. waiting to be sucked up ..

dentinger

09-25-2008, 10:23 PM

hmmm.. well, are you able to adjust the angle of the filter at all?
cuz i know with my intake, the pipe where the filter goes on bends upwards.
so you could push the filter more onto the pipe so that the "hole" isnt facing upwards...

BenChan

09-25-2008, 10:25 PM

HAHAHAHA !!! i tried that .. god damn JIMMY put it on TIGHT .. i cant move it PERIOD .. LOL! shit .. i need a new filter with out that DAMN ****ING whole .. pissoff .. anyways .. thanks bro

06Touring3

09-26-2008, 08:33 AM

this is a pretty common occurance (and something to think about before buying) with CAI's....the solution is to get a hydroshield or a cover that goes on top of the filter (usualy made out of a breathable material)....or you can just convert to Short Ram

i have a CAI and was afraid i would get CELs in the rain but i haven't gotten one yet so it doesn't happen to everyone...but that ffact that it happens isn't new or surprising

nicker

09-26-2008, 09:41 AM

06Touring3

09-26-2008, 10:28 AM

WOW perhaps this is why you only buy a higher end CAI? I have a Fujita and I have had 0 issues with this NEVER thrown a Cell and I don't use a filter cover. Somthing is for sure wrong with that thing FOR SURE!

this has absolutely nothing to do with brand....it's more than capable of happening to you, me, or anyone else with a CAI...again REGARDLESS of brand...

this problem is more common than you think...it varies on the person. there are guy son M3F that ahve the same CAI as i do and they throw CELs every time it rains of they wash their cars....i've never had that problem....

eqlso

09-26-2008, 10:30 AM

If the water is leaking into the middle like that, just buy one where the top ends are sealed.

Fuman

09-26-2008, 06:52 PM

Which CAI do you have??

BenChan

09-26-2008, 08:12 PM

eqlso .. i did that .. i bought a new filter with the top closed .. i washed my car today .. turned on the car .. went for a drive .. no CEL then came back .. ran ENOUGH water for test2 .. no cel .. it was the filter after all .

eqlso

09-27-2008, 10:50 AM

Get a hydro shield too...that would probably help it a little bit more.

BenChan

09-27-2008, 01:25 PM

how much is it for one of those? and where can i get one?

eqlso

09-27-2008, 01:40 PM

Ask around with some of the sponsors. I never got one so I'm not quite sure where to get one.

icecubetray

09-27-2008, 11:04 PM

I have a outerwears pre-filter(filter cover)........water beads right off of it......

never had a problem.

it was around 10 to 20$......it was pretty cheap....though I don't remember the exact price.

Slipstream

09-27-2008, 11:39 PM

either go short ram or ya get the hydro shield pretty sure they under $50 just shop around and if u around pmall they should have it there also.

deandai

01-03-2010, 11:46 AM

is it advisable to convert CAI to SRI?, isn't the performance going to be tres shade and lacking? because i'm thinking about converting mine.

stevenma188

01-03-2010, 11:54 AM

Just throw on a pre-filter, and you should be fine, short of driving into a lake.

johnmx3ze

01-03-2010, 12:16 PM

i had the same same problem...

had the same filter...

i just made a custom plastic thing that i clued on top of the filter where the hole is so now its flat on top and i have no more cel and no more water in cai...

good luck man i know how you feel...

deandai

01-03-2010, 12:24 PM

lol good thing i didn't drive into that lake last week then:chuckle , but i'm confused. I just can't picture what you guys are talking about any one have any pictures to clear up the confusion :$

deandai

01-03-2010, 12:40 PM

lol good thing i didn't drive into that lake last week then:chuckle , but i'm confused. I just can't picture what you guys are talking about any one have any pictures to clear up the confusion :$

omalak

01-03-2010, 01:34 PM

deandai

01-03-2010, 05:26 PM

seems like a good idea, hmm i\ll be sure to msg you near winters end to see the results, but i was thinking if i convert to SRI do i need to re install the air box?

stevenma188

01-03-2010, 05:39 PM

No you don't need to reinstall the airbox. Just take the lower pipe out, and put the filter back on the upper part and your done.

AloopM3

01-13-2010, 07:51 PM

I have a k&n CAI and its 2 peices as well, is it like 100% i can just move the filter to the top peice to get short ram?

doughboyr6

01-18-2010, 11:24 PM

you won't have problems with CAI unless you drive into a lake or deep water....which i did.

I have a fujita F5 and it has been fine for years. Last winter/spring, i drove thru a puddle/stream of water that was about 1.5ft deep. Flooded my engine and it was kapooop.

shu5892001

01-25-2010, 09:17 AM

this is from another thread i posted. Shu5892001 uploaded pictures of his home made solution

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=33551&highlight=cai&page=2

I run an Injen, with a pre filter and i added a tupper ware top on top of the filter.

I am going to run in full CAI mode this winter, we'll see how it goes

the tupperware does do the job, i am still running the same setup, no pre-filter only the hat lol no problem no CEL and seen lots of rain and snow