Cuttin out!

[silverluminaZ34]

2002 pontiac grand prix GTP
3.4 Mps Pulley, FWI , AL104s./180Thermo/U-bend Res. Delete
havent had any problems, until today Wich is really Rainy! Really wet!
When i seem to really get on the accelerator the car wants to cut out. Almost like if i were to spin with tcs on. (but not spinning,Higher speeds) Is it possible the FWI Filter is getting to wet? Thankss

[BNaylor]

Is your cone filter located under the driver's side fender in the area behind the headlights? If so do you have any shielding to prevent water intrusion into the filter. That area is not water tight. If you are not careful you can hydrolock the engine.

[tblake]

Pull it off and find out.

How old are your spark plug wires? Sometimes if they are old and get wet, they will cause missfires too.

[BNaylor]

Originally Posted by tblake

Pull it off and find out.

You mean the cone filter Tim? If this a true FWI and the cone filter is located in the area I described then you have to safely jack up the driver's side of the car, remove the wheel and then remove the inner plastic fender well liner and the plastic shield at the front end. Then you can remove the cone filter and see if any water dumps out. This is the reason I went with a Thrasher CAI which still draws air in from the high pressure area behind the headlamp but it is mounted in the engine compartment, however, better protected against water intrusion.

My son's friend just hydrolocked his engine in a new 2008 MazdaSpeed3 last week with a FWI due to the high rains and water in the streets from the hurricane remnants back east. My son had no issues with his Alero with a FWI located under the driver's side fender but I installed a plastic protective cover over the cone filter anticipating you would have these issues back east or in areas where there is high rainfall.

[silverluminaZ34]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

You mean the cone filter Tim? If this a true FWI and the cone filter is located in the area I described then you have to safely jack up the driver's side of the car, remove the wheel and then remove the inner plastic fender well liner and the plastic shield at the front end. Then you can remove the cone filter and see if any water dumps out. This is the reason I went with a Thrasher CAI which still draws air in from the high pressure area behind the headlamp but it is mounted in the engine compartment, however, better protected against water intrusion.

My son's friend just hydrolocked his engine in a new 2008 MazdaSpeed3 last week with a FWI due to the high rains and water in the streets from the hurricane remnants back east. My son had no issues with his Alero with a FWI located under the driver's side fender but I installed a plastic protective cover over the cone filter anticipating you would have these issues back east or in areas where there is high rainfall.

Yes, Thats the intake i have. So the correct way would to be take the cone filter off and remove any water and set it out to dry?

[BNaylor]

Just to be safe I would or at least confirm no water got in. Once water gets into the cone filter since most are based on a K&N design it may stay until the filter is removed and dumped out or evaporates or drys out. As you can see from the pic of the cone filter which is an S&B Powerstack K&N clone.

What brand FWI is this or is it homemade or an EBay special?


Typical true FWI

When the cone filter from that MazdaSpeed3 was pulled a bunch of water dumped out but it actually got into the intake manifold system and thus the hydrolock. The guy was lucky the dealer got the repair work done via the factory warranty which was really surprising but he still had some expenses as a result.

[silverluminaZ34]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

Just to be safe I would or at least confirm no water got in. Once water gets into the cone filter since most are based on a K&N design it may stay until the filter is removed and dumped out or evaporates or drys out. As you can see from the pic of the cone filter which is an S&B Powerstack K&N clone.

What brand FWI is this or is it homemade or an EBay special?


Typical true FWI

When the cone filter from that MazdaSpeed3 was pulled a bunch of water dumped out but it actually got into the intake manifold system and thus the hydrolock. The guy was lucky the dealer got the repair work done via the factory warranty which was really surprising but he still had some expenses as a result.

My FWI Is a Cheap setup. although, i will take it all apart tommoro, the car was running ok when i parked it. whats the best thing i should do? just to be safe theres no water? pull intake filter make sure its dry(no water) and check what else? change oil ect?

[BNaylor]

Sounds like a good plan to me. Better safe than sorry.

Be sure to pull the intake duct/tubing at the input of the throttle body and look for the presence or water or moisture to see if it possibly got into the throttle body or supercharger. If none present you may be OK so an oil/filter change may not be necessary. But it won't hurt to pull the dipstick and see if you see the presence of water. It will look like a brownish milkshake.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[silverluminaZ34]

Originally Posted by BNaylor

Sounds like a good plan to me. Better safe than sorry.

Be sure to pull the intake duct/tubing at the input of the throttle body and look for the presence or water or moisture to see if it possibly got into the throttle body or supercharger. If none present you may be OK so an oil/filter change may not be necessary. But it won't hurt to pull the dipstick and see if you see the presence of water. It will look like a brownish milkshake.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

~~~UPDATE~~~
So i pulled the Cone Filter off, Def. Had some water in it. so im drying that out. i took the tubing off at the TB and didnt seem to be any water. stuck my finger in the tubing also and didnt see any water. so i would asume that im alright on that. in the mean time any suggestions?
Also, in the meantime with my mods, would you suggest, with all the rain, should i turn it back into just a air intake? That way i dont have a chance to hydrolock it.

[BNaylor]

I guess let it dry out thoroughly to start. Did this cone filter have any filter oil on it? I would get a K&N filter recharge kit. The one that has the spray on oil. Also, S&B has one available. Clean the old crud, dirt and oil off, if any, with the cleaner in the kit. Then lightly spray the cone filter and let it setup.

As you can see that area under the fender gets a lot of water intrusion. So you can either convert the setup to a warm air where the filter is moved into the engine compartment or add a protective covering over the cone filter to keep it a FWI. You can use a plastic container similar to the 1 gallon or more ice cream plastic containers. Since it is plastic it will be easy to cut and fit over the filter even if it is temporary. I don't have any pics to post since I did not take any on my last FWI install to show you what I mean but this should give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Or as a last resort re-install the stock air box until you get to a time of the year where it is safe to use. I only get around 9" of annual rainfall in my area so an FWI will still get good use as long as it is properly protected from direct water.