While driving on the highway coming back from a local Corvette show this afternoon, I ran thru a huge puddle in the middle of the road. I was going 65 mph. The puddle was about 10 feet across and 15 feet long. I don't know how deep it was but when I hit it my car raised up and hydroplaned for a couple of seconds. When I cleared the puddle, I regained control and was on my way home. All of a sudden, I thought wow was I lucky!!!! I had not even realized that I might have had a hydrolock problem. The car never even belched. I was amazed that the car didn't die out. I guess if that didn't kill it anything but driving in a foot of water wouldn't do it either. Love that Halltech intake...............Not everyone has a Halltech horror story.

 

Contrary to what some may believe I think that the Halltech system is first-class! :yesnod:

I have not had ANY problems with the system and I have driven in many types of weather.

 

Yeah, I saw on the Z06 forum where Jim says he really never has seen a "real" case of the hydrolocker attributed to his design.

 

These are not the conditions that cause low intake water ingestion (hydrolock). Please notice I said "low intake" it can happen with any brand. I personally know some one who had to install a new engine because of water ingestion through a Halltech. The conditions he experienced are similar to other the reported cases of Vortex and Halltech hydro lock.

The formula for getting water into your engine is to drive through 3 or more inches of standing water at low speed and open the throttle. The low speed creates a wake of water into the intake, and having the throttle open sucks it up. This tends to happed when passing through gutters pulling into driveways, or when leaving a stop and passing through a drainage dip.

In most high speed trips through water the airflow will tend to keep the water away from the intake, also most people will let off the throttle when they see the hazard. The closed throttle will keep the water from being sucked into the engine.

In any event, glad you made it through that water safely!

[Modified by adamsocb, 10:20 PM 8/18/2001]


[Modified by adamsocb, 10:20 PM 8/18/2001]

 

The puddle came up so quick I could not even slow down. They are repairing the highway and it was where they crossed over to the other lanes of traffic. It was a low spot at the top of a crest. No time to react. I do agree that the easiest way to ingest water is driving slowly thru a deep puddle, but I thought as hard as I hit the water with my foot on the gas that the engine would have atleast bogged for a second.

 

Jim is a liar! It happened to me and you can bet your **** he knows about it. I was idleing into a parking lot and barely giving it any gas when it happened to me. I never had any trouble at highway speeds either, but the wake got me I guess. Hate that Halltech! :D

 

If this is the case then I am sure that all of us would like you to post the examples.

For instance: who did it happen too? What shop can we call to verify the claim (the shop that did the repair or replacement work).

I ask this as it can be invaluable to have hard-core evidence that would convince the rest of us to get something less dangerous for our Vettes.

However, I think that we can ALL agree on one thing here: When driving your Vette always go around obstacles - not over them. :yesnod:

 

Please don't give Big Carrot the occasion to bleed out that story aaaaaaaaaagain. :rolleyes:

 

Big Carrot: If you indeed did that with the Halltech, then I think any bottom breather would have ended up the same way. There is even talk of stock Vettes getting hydrolocked down in Florida...

 

I've driven my halltech intake through the most extreme weather conditions imaginable.

B.T.W. there have been reports of hydrolock with the STOCK intake.

There's also something about BigCarrot's 150 shot that makes me think that the hole in the side of his engine was due to more than just the halltech :rolleyes:

Jim Hall makes a fantastic product that is as good as, if not better than any of the competition out there. I also doubt very much that those other intake vendors would be as willing to buy a new engine as BigCarrot expects Jim Hall to be.
But hey, stuff happens. Carrot, YOU should have taken that as a personal opportunity to buy a hopped up engine, but instead you troll every halltech post bashing the guy.

Ahh well I have a halltech and I wouldn't have it any other way.

And my advice? "Don't drive slowly into lakes"

 

Ask yourself why Halltech came out with the Sidewinder. It wasn't about customer choice imho. Can we say "hydrolock"?

 

The Halltech bottom breather design is what it is. Boosts power; makes a nice sound. Lot of folks running them. Exceeding low incidence of problems, including hydrolock. There are risks inherent in all activities.

I recently drove my car with the Tric's racers wedge air fliter sitting just above the air dam 600 miles through continuous and often VERY heavy rain. Long stretches of the old interstate had shallow pooled water. My F1SC tires were hydroplaning like crazy. My Halltech Tric peformed fine.

I am careful entering pooled water, particularly at low speeds. But if I ever do have a problem and hydrolock my engine, I'll call my insurance agent, not start bashing Jim Hall and HallTech.

Ranger

 

It was to satisfy all the customers who didn't want to take a risk. Jim had recieved such bad press about this nonsense, it showed there was a significant enough amount of people that were nervous enough about this issue to make money off of them. Think about it, a bunch of people start crying about the possibility of hydrolock and vortex sales went up. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that it would make good business sense to compete. Jim was basically giving the customers what they wanted, regardless of the truth of the matter.

The TRIC is an extremely well designed intake (in it's original form). The scientific principles used in it's design are based on tried and true fluid dynamics algorithms. The system was designed to increase volumetric efficiency and provide a design that "helped" the cold air along without causing turbulence (laminar flow).

The mythical hydrolock beast can happen on ANY intake on the market including the stock one. It's pure and simple that if you get enough water into a cylinder at during a compression stage, damage will occur. At that point it's driver error IMHO because you'd have to be a complete moron to drive your car through enough water to have that happen. Wake or no wake, the water has to be at least 6-10 inches deep. At least.

Just don't drive through that high of water! This car isn't an SUV!
:rolleyes:

 

If I remeber correctly, Big Carrot bought a used halltech sidewinder system from a forum member (just the tubing). He mounted it as a tric, and bought another type of filter to put on it...I think it was an Xtreme filter. Big Carrot....my opologies if that is incorrect.

1- If you engine is hydrolocked, it is an insurance issue (not a warranty one), is covered under comprohensive.

2- Some attributed the hydrolocking of C5s (which has happenedd to stock ones also) to the 97-00 intake manfold design, which may allow water to built up and then spill over. No cases of hydrolock with the LS6, 01+ intake manfold have been reported.

 

I too tested the Halltech out to-day. Got an check engine light. :rolleyes: Got under front of car and tapped the wedge filter and it was coated with fine sand from the beach. Knock knock a few times the sand feel off and low and behold check engine light off :D :D :D Next situation on the way home major rain and lotzzza water puddles deep 3-4 inches :eek: :eek: :eek: Pulled over and installed the sock and kept going a few miles latter 80 or so Check engine light came on again :crazy: :crazy: I pulled over and adjusted the sock water had accumulated in the bottom of the sock :mad Gave it a minor adjustment I had it on wrong :bb :bb :bb Check engine light went off and I continued my journey trouble free and in some very wet conditions. I will add too that most of this occured when at very slow crawly speeds in water and sand at the beach. I my opinion the product delivers everything it says it will do. It was me and not the product that may have caused the over worried driver to over react :D :D :D :cheers: