Flh Den

I have not had my c6 for very long and so far have never driven it in extreme rain conditions, but earlier this summer my wife and I were returning in a rain storm that produced about 4 inches of rain in 2 hours. Roads were flooded everywhere and in the 30 mile ride (in her Lexus es) we passed dozens of stranded cars all over the interstate. It was the heaviest rain I have ever driven in. The next day our Corvette Club had their annual show and members were telling me that had I been in my Vet that night I could have actually hydro locked the engine in that kind of storm due to the intake location on the vet. My Car has a Halltech Cai and my question is , could this really happen? Any do or dont's about driving in a heavy storm, regarding water intake. I have been in pretty heavy rain in my c5, but I never heard of this possibility before.

EyeMaster

I've been in heavy rain this summer, couldn't get past 50km/h. My headlights got full of water, which eventually evaporated away. I didn't open them up yet to see how the water got in, I thought they were sealed.

BadgeZ28

yes it is possible. You can purchase a sock which is better at repelling water. They slip over the existing filter. Hopefully they make one that fits your shape filter. The cloth or gauze style filter elements would be more susceptible IMO.

jeffjob

Not an expert on the hydro lock thing, but it can happen. I understand especially with some of the aftermarket CAI upgrades. I do think the unmodified intake if fine for several inches of water, if driven smartly.

Now having said that, I have driven thru some of the heaviest downpours, (several times) in my 09 coupe.

I also drove thru a town in NY that had just had some flash floods and other cars were getting stranded.

Just be smart, take your time and if it looks deep, avoid it!

HOXXOH

It's not the rain itself that is the hydrolock issue. It's the puddles of standing water and wakes from oncoming or side traffic that have the possibility of pushing large amounts of water directly into the intake.

When driving through the water, follow someone at a distance to estimate the depth, yet not create big waves. It's better to be stranded while waiting for water to recede than to proceed into the unknown. You could also get the wife to walk ahead and check the depth.

Cherokee Nation

There has been a few guys that has ruined their engines due to water ingested into it.The ones that was on this forum had the Vararam CAI.?

rcallen484

Or children.................PLEASE, IT WAS A JOKE, MEANT SOLELY IN JEST

corvettej

I have a Haltech BeeHive, I just slow down and keep moving, my main concern is keep from hydroplaning with the wide booty kit.

carpe dm

If you have a true CAI,(i.e, cut shroud), you can hydrolock. If you do not have a cut shroud, and direct access to the air flow, it is unlikely.

AORoads

good advice. in addition, be both time of day and area sensitive. that means, if you don't know the roads, that's when things like large dips filled with water can be an issue. also, even if you do know the roads, it's hard to see at night, and even more difficult if it's raining hard. that can allow you to miscalculate depths on streets/highways you know.

laconiajack

To answer your question: yes. Advise: go back to stock, the CAI doesn't add one horsepower to your engine, only a greater probability of hydrolocking and virtually destroying it.