Ok so its almost time for me to upgrade, and I was planning on a roush cai but water uptake would be a huge issue for me if it happened. Would a filter cover like k&n and injen offer in combination with an aem air bypass valve make it near waterproof? Would it cause problems? I know a some would say just go with the gotts mod, and while its still an option, I just want to know all I can. I asked this elsewhere and at the time it was the only place I could ask. None of those results really helped except the one that made me nervous that said a cai prevents the engine from running at the temp its supposed to and can harm it. I think its bs. But am I wrong?

 

http://www.knfilters.com/search/prod...Prod=RF-1041DK

this is probably the closets thing you can do to sort of waterproof a CAI. Ive been running my K&N CAI since January and have had no problems at all. A CAI is good if you have a custom tune for it, other than that i dont know.

 

Just an option, but how about running the Gotts mod to a snorkel kit through the fender? then you wouldn't even have to worry about it.
As far as the temp question, it varies, with the Gotts mod you are still pulling from the fender therefore air temps are similar just more air coming in. With a true CAI your temps vary depending on the type, construction materials, shield, etc.. But I don't think you can change the temps enough to truly "harm" the motor, but don't quote me on it.

Hope that helps.

 

Elsewhere has their facts confused. It's not the temperature that causes engine failure. In all honestly, an aftermarket intake will probably draw more hot air in, but even if it's 100 degrees outside and at a dead stop and intake temps go up to 150 as long as cooling can keep up it's not going to harm the engine. The real problem comes from moving the MAF with aftermarket intakes. This causes the MAF to give incorrect readings and may cause a lean condition. The lean condition can be corrected with a custom programmer, but you still have the issue of lower filtration if it is an oiled filter.

Unless submerged, the Gotts shouldn't draw a lot of water into the intake. The Roush is an open style. This means splash, rain, etc will probably reach the filter. I run a drycharger like the one in the link and a dry filter on my open CAI set up. I started this after I installed it and saw all the bugs that managed to get to the filter. I figure if bugs were getting slammed into the filter, rain probably was too. The drycharger isn't a mud shield, but will help with water.

 

From what I understand, the CAI makes the motor run lean not change temps. It brings more air in to the motor but doesn't change how much fuel. So you have too much air (or not enough fuel) which causes it to run lean

Ninja'ed by otto457