So I've been reading all over about CAIs and the common concern about water in the intake, and I've been doing some research, and working on a "best-of-both-worlds" fix, and I think I have found it.

I was speaking with my brother-in-law about this recently, and he went back to his R&D buddies (he's an engineer at Chrysler) who came up with a seal that is used on the diesel Wranglers to block the underhood air from getting into the airbox. They think I should be able to plug it right onto mine and make it a true cold air intake. It's just a piece of polyurethane foam with a push pin, should be an inexpensive part. MOPAR inlet seal #53034131AB (this includes push pin).

It's a production part for the diesel version, so it should be readily available. Now I can't imagine anyone in the US would have that part in stock, but I don't see why the dealer couldn't order it, it should be sent to MOPAR to ship overseas. So I emailed my mod-friendly dealer to see what he can find.

I'll keep you all updated!

 

Sounds good, but i'm not sure what you are refering to. Is this something we could use on the stock airbox or a way to keep water out of a CAI like an Airaid?

If the dealer can order this part then can we also order the diesel to go with it?

I know.........emissions.

 

Oh, sorry I wasn't clear - it's a part to mount to the stock airbox (thus keeping the water issue down) that creates a true cold air intake by pulling air from outside the engine compartment.

At least that's what the design is for, but I haven't seen the actual part yet.

Pics as soon as I try it.

 

Sounds like a project. I am interested to see how it works out. I bet the dealer wouldn't have an issue if you added another Mopar piece to the intake vs. an aftermarket CAI.

 

Where does it pull the air from? I have seen some that draw from under the front end, but IMO I'm not sure they are much of an improvement, because in the summer the radiant air from the pavement is pretty damn hot, and off-road they would suck a lot more dust/dirt. In the water it would still be an issue. Interested to see what this looks like though.

 

While I think a alleged "CAI" that does not draw cold air is silly, I have renewed interest in this. I got a scan gauge over the winter. Now that I am seeing warmer temperatures again I am seeing some incredible intake air temps. Some as much as 70 degrees over ambient! When I am rolling down the road they are typically 20 degrees over. When I take my foot off the gas they rise to 30 degrees over on occasion, while still rolling. If i sit at a light for a few it continues to climb.

I know the air is being heated by the rad, and that is only 188 degrees or less. This weekend I saw IAT readings of 156 degrees while driving in 75 degree weather. I have formulas to do the math on the temp rise vs hp and fuel economy. Even with these elevated temps it is only a few tenths of a hp, or mpg. But still, it seems wasteful to let the thing breathe 156 or higher degree air if there is a reasonable fix.

Let us know what happes with the MOPAR part.

 

Correct me if i'm wrong, but if you're going wheeling why on earth would you take a chance with one of those CAI's? I'm constantly having mud and water splashed into all parts of the engine compartment, stock airbox protects you from getting 99% of the splash anywhere near possibly getting to the engine, and for the tiny bit that gets in it, it settles to the bottom and doesn't get past the filter.
If you want a cold air intake, and want to actually go off roading and drive through mud/water, there's only one way to go, and that's a snorkel. I know it's double the price, but it provides cold air performance (way better than any one of those engine compartment CAI's), and then adds greater prevention from the hydrolock you're worried about....

 

I would never do deep water/mud with my CAI, frankly it has made me nervous on-road in a couple of instances (heavy rain, roadside water collection). Surprisingly though the intake area has stayed completely dry, I think that the airdam underneath shields a lot of water from the engine compartment (IMO), so I keep that on. A lot of people do wheel in environments where water is a non-issue, so a "CAI" is fine.

Like any mod, people need to be aware of what the risk/reward scenario is and act accordingly.

 

Well, I finally got, and installed the part. It's a really simple piece that, once the hood's closed, creates the primary intake from the side of the hood, and blocks air from the rest of the engine bay.

$12 part and 30 second install later, here are pics.

 

Well how does it do? Can you paint it? Have you thought about putting a
K & N filter in the stock box?