Cold Air Intake Systems and Low-Restriction Air Filters: A Word to the Wise

[Webwader]

From the Honda Service News, provided to us by csimo.

Cold air intake systems and low-restriction air filters are hot aftermarket accessories. Popular among the import tuner crowd, these items may improve engine performance by letting the engine breathe more deeply, reducing the intake air temperature, and cutting down on weight. And for that all-important sound when you wind up the engine, cold air intake systems help produce a deep, throaty tone.
Stock air intake systems are designed to clean the intake air, minimize intake noise, and keep water from getting into the intake tract, all the while putting out the most horsepower and torque. Although cold air intake systems and low restriction air filters kick up engine performance a notch, they also have their dark side. They can really mess up the engine, and that’s not covered by warranty!
With cold air intake systems, you run the risk of engine damage from hydrolocking if you drive in wet weather or plow through standing water.
These systems are usually designed to draw air from the bottom of the engine compartment or from the front of the radiator where the air is cold and dense. The air filter used in these systems doesn’t sit in an air box, so water that gets sucked into the filter gets sucked right into the engine.
When enough water gets into the engine, the piston can’t fully compress the air/fuel mixture (water doesn’t compress) so it stops before reaching top dead center (TDC). Even though the piston stops, the crankshaft just keeps turning from inertia. As a result, the connecting rod bends and gets shorter. With each compression and power stroke, the connecting rod flexes until it eventually fails from metal fatigue. With low-restriction air filters, you run the risk of premature engine wear and contamination. Some of these filters just don’t work as well as stock air
filters do. Microscopic debris can get past the filter, causing premature wear of the pistons, piston rings, cylinders, and valves. It can also foul up the throttle body and the components of the intake manifold runner control (IMRC), intake manifold tuning (IMT), and idle air control (IAC) systems.
So what’s the bottom line here? Tell your customers they’re taking a really big risk if they run the vehicle with a cold air intake system or a low-restriction air filter. Engine damage caused by these items isn’t covered by warranty, and that could take a big bite out of their pocketbook.

[ridgeln]

Webwader -

thanks for doing this - great info to have. Is the emphasis in the article added by you or was it in the original article? Just curious.


TMac/Admins: do you think this can be its own separate section/topic area?

-ridgeln

[spdrcr5]

Originally Posted by ridgeln

Webwader -

thanks for doing this - great info to have. Is the emphasis in the article added by you or was it in the original article? Just curious.


TMac/Admins: do you think this can be its own separate section/topic area?

-ridgeln

There isn't any need to make this it's own section/topic area. What that article is talking about is a cold air intake, those are when the filter is placed down low behind the bumper. The aftermarket intake system that leave the filter within the engine compartment are not subject to hydrolocking because they won't suck in water into the engine unless you submerge the vehicle above the headlights.

AEM makes an Air bypass valve that takes all of the above issues that the article brings up. They used to have a video on their website that showed how good this product works and protects your engine.

AEM Air Bypass Valve

Here is the article and pictures. I can't find the video at anywhere.

[ProHonda]

FYI, STAY the heck out of water with your truck.

IF you do suck water in the intake, you screwed up.

The factory system WILL suck water if you plow water over the hood

I never take any ride into water, major no-no.

[ridgeln]

Sorry, Spdrcr -

what I meant was the posting of the "Honda Service News" articles (of which this is one of 3 that I know of right now) - we have a member who is providing these to the membership via Webwader, who is posting these for us (Thanks, WW!) I would suggest these going under "Honda Ridgeline" area in the main forum section.

I also do understand the cold air intake issues - having had a Dodge Cummins Diesel as my last truck, the forum I was involved with there had a HUGE number of trucks that had been modded and air intake being the #1 mod for almost all diesel truck owners (I did not due to the warranty issues).

I realize that the individual topics are not worthy of their own areas. Sorry for the lack of properly communicating my idea!

-ridgeln

[zero]

Good info from all of the posters.

[Webwader]

Is the emphasis in the article added by you or was it in the original article?

It was in the original article.

[DoctorJ]

Not sure how "microscopic debris" can get through an aftermarket filter any more than a stock filter. That sounds a bit bogus to me. Aftermarket filters like AEM are actually far superior at filtering. I agree with the water scenario.

[Webwader]

Not sure how "microscopic debris" can get through an aftermarket filter any more than a stock filter. That sounds a bit bogus to me. Aftermarket filters like AEM are actually far superior at filtering. I agree with the water scenario.

It can get through because the openings in the aftermarket oiled filter are larger than those of a good paper element filter. They are oiled in an attempt to get the dirt to adhere to the oil rather than pass through the filter into the engine. It doesn't do the job as well. That's why the automotive manufacturers quit using oiled air filters 50 years ago. The volume of air passing through the paper filter is maintained by having a very large surface area obtained by pleating the paper. Do you have anything to back up your claim of aftermarket filters being "far superior"?

[spdrcr5]

Originally Posted by ridgeln

Sorry, Spdrcr -

what I meant was the posting of the "Honda Service News" articles (of which this is one of 3 that I know of right now) - we have a member who is providing these to the membership via Webwader, who is posting these for us (Thanks, WW!) I would suggest these going under "Honda Ridgeline" area in the main forum section.

I also do understand the cold air intake issues - having had a Dodge Cummins Diesel as my last truck, the forum I was involved with there had a HUGE number of trucks that had been modded and air intake being the #1 mod for almost all diesel truck owners (I did not due to the warranty issues).

I realize that the individual topics are not worthy of their own areas. Sorry for the lack of properly communicating my idea!

-ridgeln

I see what you are saying now. We have access to the same articles and are working on changing the sites so we can publish this information properly, give us some time and you will be seeing more changes; all good we promise.