How does water not get into an air intake?

[Fredrick_NP]

I have no idea how air intakes work... or even what they look like. Do they keep water out, or does something else remove the water? Or do engines just deal with the water?

What made me think about it was when I was getting a car wash. When you drive in it shoots water under the car, and it made me wonder how water was not getting sucked in.

(Also, is it bad to have the water spray under the car for too long? I tend to go really slow over that part of the wash because my engine always looks really dirty.)

[TheSilentChamber]

On most stock motors the water would have to go though many sharp bends and resonator boxes and such before it ever got close to the filter its really a non issue. On a car that has say a cold air intake just sticking behind the bumper its not really an issue because the motor will not such the water though the filter, it will still suck air though the dry part of the filter untill the filter become completely submurged, but by that time the motor will probably have shut off anyway.

[beef_bourito]

also, if you did soak the filter before starting it and water did get in it, when it was sucked through it would be pretty fine mist and in small quantities. that wouldn't do any damage to your car. the only way for it to actually hurt your car would be, as silentchamber said, to have the filter submerged and the engine on. then it would suck in water, fill up, or partially fill up, at least one cylender, and the engine would seize and you'd have to take it to a mechanic.