Engine ceased - Possible hydrolock

[MSMS3]

If it was a dealer install make sure your paper work says so !!! And when you get the car running DO NOT install the CAI again. A turbo car does not need a CAI, that is what the intercooler is for.

Where is this stuff coming from? High water is a covered loss. It does not matter whether the intake was installed by the dealer. What matters is that the vehicle was exposed to a peril covered under the policy and sustained damage.

The device that connects the air filter to the maf housing, whether it is a CAI or SRI or the stock air box (what we call the "intake") has absolutely a totally different function than the intercooler. These free flowing aftermarket "intakes" provide a greater volume and mass of air to the engine than the stock air box.

The intercooler is on the opposite, hot, boosted, outlet side of the turbo compressor and serves to cool down the air charge after it has been compressed (boost) and heated up considerably. Boosted air=heated air. The intercooler cools it down a good bit before it enters the intake manifold. Hot air has fewer molecules of oxygen than colder air, so cooling it back down makes more power.

And Road and Track was totally wrong in concluding after conducting before and after dyno tests that the MSCAI produced a 24 whp and 28 pound torque gains from this "not needed" CAI? I don't think so.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/l...zda_mazdaspeed3/2007_mazda_mazdaspeed3_page_2

Sorry to be so harsh, but man, please, where does this stuff come from?

 

[meicalnissyen]

A covered peril caused the failure, its that simple.

Another example would be a windstorm knocks a tree over and busts the rear window.

INS covers the window, as a covered hazard did the damage

But NOT the tint you had put on, UNLESS you specifically have it added to the policy

 

[ogsp5]

MSMS3 I agree with you. All I am saying why do you need a CAI for the cold air when you have a inter-cooler to reduce the temp of the compressed air before it gets to the intake. And a CAI in Florida is famous for losing engines. That is how I lost my first engine. I will never use one again.

 

[SPEED305]

good writing MSMS3.

A towing company just took the car. I probably wont hear anything for another week or so. Thier was alot of cars that were stranded.

On TV the showed an Audi R8 under water parked at the Miami Heat game. That and about 10 other high-end vehicles were damaged.

Lets see what they say...

 

[SPEED305]

MSMS3 I agree with you. All I am saying why do you need a CAI for the cold air when you have a inter-cooler to reduce the temp of the compressed air before it gets to the intake. And a CAI in Florida is famous for losing engines. That is how I lost my first engine. I will never use one again.

because 25hp and 30 tq on this car is insane!!

 

[GoFast]

MSMS3 I agree with you. All I am saying why do you need a CAI for the cold air when you have a inter-cooler to reduce the temp of the compressed air before it gets to the intake. And a CAI in Florida is famous for losing engines. That is how I lost my first engine. I will never use one again.

the "cold" air isnt the only reason why a cai or an sri work so well on this car...

 

[bykeryder4life]

All I am saying why do you need a CAI for the cold air when you have a inter-cooler to reduce the temp of the compressed air before it gets to the intake.

the end temp of what comes out of the intercooler is based on the temp of what goes in. start with lower temps end with lower temps.

 

[MSMS3]

MSMS3 I agree with you. All I am saying why do you need a CAI for the cold air when you have a inter-cooler to reduce the temp of the compressed air before it gets to the intake. And a CAI in Florida is famous for losing engines. That is how I lost my first engine. I will never use one again.

Intercoolers are far less than 100% efficient. For every 10 degrees of increase in temperature you lose 1% of your horsepower. On a 300 hp engine, that's 3 hp for every 10 degrees. This can be very substantial when you add it up.

Now, it's not just cold outside air that's raising the hp so much with an aftermarket intake. SRI's do much the same thing. I won't renew the debate on which is better. It's close. What I will say is that because the stock air box is so restrictive, you need some type of aftermarket intake, either CAI or SRI to increase the mass air flow coming into the engine. An intercooler does not address or resolve that issue in any way at all. It does not get you more air. It only tries, in a less than perfect way, to coold back down the existing air being compressed by the turbo.

I'm on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (ground zero for Katrina). The back wall of my office was hit by a 27 foot storm surge. Of course, that building is gone now. I've been through a lot of flooding from storms over the years. I'm 59 years old and this MS3 is the current daily driver of a long stream of hot cars going back to the musclecar era. I've run cold air intakes on most of the cars I've owned in the last 20 years, including several turbocharged intercooled Saabs and Volvos. It really does take a lot of effort to hydrolock a forced induction engien with an intercooler. Stalling it out when the filter gets saturated is the most likely scenario and is recoverable, but even that has not happened to me. On this car, true hydrolock is possible, but would be very difficult.

 

[mp3-79bronco]

it happened to me with a CAI and a front mount so it is possible lol (bent rod 1)

 

[SPEED305]

Update

so the mechanic calls me back....says that the engine is turning fine but it will not start. He thinks that spark plugs may be fouled. Im hoping its nothing big. I already miss my ride!!

Anyhow, he will order the OEM plugs and install them. He will get back to me noon tomorrow.

What do you guys think about this?

 

[Speed3Rookie]

so the mechanic calls me back....says that the engine is turning fine but it will not start. He thinks that spark plugs may be fouled. Im hoping its nothing big. I already miss my ride!!

Anyhow, he will order the OEM plugs and install them. He will get back to me noon tomorrow.

What do you guys think about this?

wow...is your car at a "mazda" dealership?
hope it all works out for you. looks like they didn't have much to report except that the engine "turns over". (yippy)

 

[SPEED305]

wow...is your car at a "mazda" dealership?
hope it all works out for you. looks like they didn't have much to report except that the engine "turns over". (yippy)

yes, its at the local mazda dealer. The insurance gave me the option of choosing my repair shop. The information I recieved was from the advisor, and not from the tech, which may be why he was so brief.

 

[SPEED305]

another UPDATE w/?

got a word back from the advisor, says that the car is running fine. The technician changed the spark plugs and it started right up. They are going to change the oil, oil filter, belt and install a new CAI filter. They will also detail the interior, even though it didnt get wet.

i will pick it up tomorrow during lunch and get more specific details from the mechanic. I want to get more than the vague info ive received from the advisor.

quick questions... if my mind serves me correct, i read something about switching from Sythetic back to regular oil "MAY" have an adverse affect on the engine.
Is this information correct?
Is there a possibility that changing back to regular oil for an extended period can damage the engine?

Thanks for all your comments and concerns....
Merry Christmas to all and to MAZDAS247.com

 

[Darth Vader]

Your mind is undeserving of your trust. (spin)Switch around oils all you want. You can't hurt anything that way, unless you forget to put some in.

 

[SPEED305]

thanks vader.

So I pick up the car today...the car sounds and rides fine. however, on the way home i gave it a few WOT and is backfired some. I did the same at 3/4OT and it doesnt do it. It only backfires on WOT, but continues to pull. Its only happening from about 3500rpm to maybe 5000rpm, but not always at the same rpm. after i got back to work, while idleing...i reved it and it did it the first time,and it backfired. did it a second time...and it didnt do it. 3rd time, nothing.

possible wrong sparkplugs? not gapped correctly?

 

[Darth Vader]

Yep, possible. Gap on this, or any turbo car, should not exceed .030, imho, or you risk blowing the spark out at high rpm/load. Some out of the box, non-oem plugs are gapped at .045, .055, etc. Stock plugs I put in were out a bit, a couple needed gapping a touch.

Since it ran fine before and still doesn't quite seem right, I'd just take it back, show them the problem and ask their assistance. You might want to drive it around a bit, they may have disconnected the battery and the car needs to re-learn its operating parameters.

 

[SPEED305]

yeah, i called them back and let them know. ill take it on monday. im out of town for the weekend.

maybe ill get my own spark plugs and just tell them to install those. Lets see.

 

[08cosmic3]

Wet Maf sensor could cause car to run rich resulting in backfiring, would also explain why the car would not start before. It dried enough to run but needs cleaning now. Buy Electric cleaner and spray it good. There is a how to somewhere if you need help.

 

[BOOSTR]

Glad that it worked out for you SPEED305 and that you got a new CAI filter to boot.

 

[SPEED305]

thanks boostr