ok lets say im driving in the rain, and i have a cold air intake. lets say i drive through a very deep puddle of water or somthing, what are the chances of water getting sucked into the intake filter and getting into theturbo...would that be bad???? and if so what else would happen?

 

unless you're sitting in the puddle for a fairly signficant period of time not much will happen. if you're sitting there sucking up water then you have the potential of hydrolocking the motor. this doesn't happen nearly as much as people think it does though, it actually takes a good amount of water for it to occur.

 

so if the motor locks or what ever does that mean the motor is done??destroyed or something?

 

I am pretty sure that once it does hydrolock that the engine is done but I am sure you can rebuild it or something,but you really shouldn't have to worry about it unless you plan on having your filter sit in a puddle fully submerged sucking in water. I have had a CAI on almost every car that I have ever owned and I drive through big puddles and nothing has ever happened to my cars. I have taken off my filter and it seemed a little damp before and still nothing. I know that it has happened to people but like PSI said it hasn't happened to as many people as you may think or heard about.

 

here's the basics... in an engine you are trying to compress an air and fuel mixture... water is a non-compressible substance... so imagine trying to compress something that can't be compressed... something has to give (like a valve, a connecting rod, etc.)