HELP! Mass Air Flow Sensor Wett!!!

[discharmingman]

Yesterday it rained hard in Los Angeles and I went over a semi flooded area which i couldn't get around because of traffic.....anyhow...as I was driving home I tried to give it some gas and it wouldn't go, it would just jolt....so i was forced to drive under 3000RPM or less to keep the car from doing that....I know people have said I should have gone with a SRI, but I didn't...so my question is....Would it be sufficient to take out Mass Air Flow Sensor and let it dry out? Has this happened to anyone? HEre are some pics of the MAFS...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/discharmingman/MAFS1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/discharmingman/MAFS.jpg

[Mutmatt]

you should be worried about water in the engine more than the maf :P

[discharmingman]

hmmm, so what can i do now?

[discharmingman]

I took out the sensor (pitured above) and dried it out, put it back in and took it for a test drive... it jolted again but only once this time....I came back home and took it out to see if it still had water on it and it had a few drops....not as much as before....I went ahead and odered the Hydroshield in hopes that this won't happen again....

i hope someone out there can share a similar case and let me know how they went about correcting this or if it was fixed...

the car still runs, so i Dont believe that much water got into the engine...

[Craighjr]

You will get a CELO if the sensor was damaged. Baby the car for a few days and see if it clears up.

[discharmingman]

I didn't get the CEL on. I was surprised. I'm not gonna drive it the rest of today or tomorrow....I'm hoping this will clear up...

[javanc]

Try hitting it with some MAF cleaner, that would help to dry out the very small and sensitive wires hidden up at the top of the main cylindrical part. Might help to clean some of the buildup off the air temp sensor too. And make sure you install the MAF in the right direction, just in case you accidentally didnt.

[Mutmatt]

if it got MORE water on it after putting it back in and you have a SRI... take off your SRI and dry that too!

[3.slow]

Reset the computer by taking off the battery cables.

[niz55]

This happend to me makeing the sri, But i got Poxy on my maf sensor. I cleaned it up with brake cleaner. We should start treating our cars little better.

[clos561]

hit that mug with a hair dryer ( on low )

[CX-7owner]

if it got MORE water on it after putting it back in and you have a SRI... take off your SRI and dry that too!
He doesn't have an SRI, with a car that low, and whats happening in LA, I would want one.

[discharmingman]

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna baby my car frmo now on...i left the hood open all night and took out the MAF sensor again to let it dry out.....put it back this morning and voila...it seems to be okay.....

Never again will I go through a flooded intersection....even if it means you have to go around the block to get to where you're going....I had a friend of mine in the car and he told me that I have to go fast through those flooded areas, to avoid getting submerged, but I'm not even gonna do that.....unless I have to I suppose....

I agree that we have to start taking even better care of our rides.....


Peace out...

[discharmingman]

This happend to me makeing the sri, But i got Poxy on my maf sensor. I cleaned it up with brake cleaner. We should start treating our cars little better.

In what area did you put the poxy on your MAF? Was it to seal it to the CAI?

[dkswim]

try remoming your filter and letting it dry as well but DONT DRIVE WITH IT OFF

[PLM_Man]

Is the engine sputtering or hesitating? If it is, pull the plugs and cover with a towel or something overnight incase any water is trapped inside the combustion chamber and can't get out. Fuel burns, but not water. It doesn't compress like air either.

The rest of the water should work its way out if it did manage to get past the cylinders. Maybe about 4 or 5 miles of white smoke and hopefully you're back to normal.

[discharmingman]

Is the engine sputtering or hesitating? If it is, pull the plugs and cover with a towel or something overnight incase any water is trapped inside the combustion chamber and can't get out. Fuel burns, but not water. It doesn't compress like air either.

The rest of the water should work its way out if it did manage to get past the cylinders. Maybe about 4 or 5 miles of white smoke and hopefully you're back to normal.

I appreciate all the help guys....seriously, I thought I was in for the worst....good thing everything seems to be back to normal....after the the entire day of not driving it and it sitting in my garage (thank God I have a garage), the car was able to rest and dry out completely....it seems to run fine like before it rained....when I got that water on the MAFS, itwould jerk like crazy when I hit anything above 3000 RPM....

I'm very careful now and I avoided those flooded driveways last night even if it meant I had to eat at a different fast food place.....hey, to the rest of you.......I hope you never have to go through this.....

Los Angeles forecast.....mostly sunny the rest of the week with the chance of light showers at night....

[PLM_Man]

Yea, its definately a shitty feeling when it happens (did it with one of my old cars coming home in a rain storm at night, and my street was flooded in half a foot of water because the drains were blocked with leaves).

I would also suggest that you change the oil as soon as you can incase water got into there too. If it was just your sensor that got wet, then you're probably ok, however, you might want to drain it to be safe, flush some oil through and let it drain out, then refill with some fresh oil. If the oil looks like chocolate milk (creamy solid brown looking) then water got mixed in it.

[Kurt07]

I had a friend of mine in the car and he told me that I have to go fast through those flooded areas, to avoid getting submerged, but I'm not even gonna do that.....unless I have to I suppose....


Smash your friend in the head. I have a fealing if you went slow thru that intersection you would have been fine.

[grease_monkey]

They made a very good point. I doubt the engine sucked in enough water to do any damage, however keep in mind that(along with the laws of hydraulics) water does NOT compress. My friend went thru a flooded area in his jeep and the engine froze up and cracked the block. Think about it. Basic geometry: 2008 Mazda3 Bore & Stroke 3.44in. X 3.27in. Take in the 10:1 Compression ratio and you have a volume of 2.888 cubic inches at TDC. Put that into terms of inside he cylinder and you're talking about filling up the cylinder only .34 of an inch. It will take more than that to put a lot of stress of the block but its just a reminder to stay away from water. And going through at higher speed is dumb. Gravity pulls down and the car is heavy. The front of the car will dip under. The only way you could go over fast enough was if you we're hauling ass faster than any damn car can go. Oh and if someone wants to please check my math. I may have been wrong.

[Craighjr]

Well from my off roading 4x4 days I will add that there is a certain speed to crossing water. You have to make a bow wake in front of your truck which creates a lower water level pocket in the engine compartment. Of course this is with your truck submerged in water to its headlights. Do it with your Mazda and pay the price.

[grease_monkey]

Haha moral of the story: stay away from the water lol

[matt8679]

I had the same problem when i first got my Injen intake. It rained really hard the night before and on my way to work i experienced the same thing. Water was dripping on the filter. I took the intake off to check for water sitting at the bottom of the tube and there was a good amount. So i dried everything off and reinstalled it. I fixed the problem with injen hydroshield and i have not had a problem since.

[discharmingman]

I had the same problem when i first got my Injen intake. It rained really hard the night before and on my way to work i experienced the same thing. Water was dripping on the filter. I took the intake off to check for water sitting at the bottom of the tube and there was a good amount. So i dried everything off and reinstalled it. I fixed the problem with injen hydroshield and i have not had a problem since.

INteresting....I did a search on this forum for "hydroshield" and there is much negative talk about it. I just purchased the hydroshield but have not put it on....I am gonna put it on now....

THanks, I just needed some confirmation....

BTW, do you have a speed 3 as well? I noticed that the injen CAI goes down and then up at the tip of the filter, causing water to just sit there like you said....

Did you have to remove the bumper to put the hydroshield on?

[knowledge007]

Shit I take off my CAI and drive with nothing...lmao Car runs like a beast...

[PLM_Man]

INteresting....I did a search on this forum for "hydroshield" and there is much negative talk about it. I just purchased the hydroshield but have not put it on....I am gonna put it on now....

Actually the Injen CAI for the RSX Type-S with the hydroshield was what I had when my water sucking incident occurred. It still let in enough water to enter the cylinders, but luckily not enough to snap a rod. I'd like to think the hydroshield helped prevent enough water from actually blowing up the motor, but I'm sure if you're reckless and hit enough water, you can still hydrolock with the shield.

Would I recommend one? Only if you don't have any water protection (i.e. splash guard or AEM's little valve).

[matt8679]

INteresting....I did a search on this forum for "hydroshield" and there is much negative talk about it. I just purchased the hydroshield but have not put it on....I am gonna put it on now....

THanks, I just needed some confirmation....

BTW, do you have a speed 3 as well? I noticed that the injen CAI goes down and then up at the tip of the filter, causing water to just sit there like you said....

Did you have to remove the bumper to put the hydroshield on?

Yes I have a speed3. To put the hydroshield on I just turned the wheel as far as it would go to the right. I then took out the plastic screws in the wheel well and i think there is three under the bumper i took off. you can then pull the wheel well back and put the hydroshield on. i also do this to change the filter.
I also put a strip of weather striping where water was dripping down on the filter. After it rains and you have the shield on you can see where the water is coming from. I am in Maryland and it will rain pretty good every once in a while and i have not had a problem since.

[grease_monkey]

Shit I take off my CAI and drive with nothing...lmao Car runs like a beast...

If you're reffering to running it without piping or a filter thats really dumb...Sucking in just some very small rocks can severely hurt your engine even dust...

[Craighjr]

I saw a mention of AEM's water valve. That is not for forced induction cars just so you don't go and get one.

[knowledge007]

If you're reffering to running it without piping or a filter thats really dumb...Sucking in just some very small rocks can severely hurt your engine even dust...

(rofl) Whats the matter with you. Of course, its called a joke...

[grease_monkey]

(rofl) Whats the matter with you. Of course, its called a joke...

I just wanted to make sure, I know some people who are dumb enough to do that. I just didn't want anyone hurting their cars.

[PLM_Man]

I run mine with my fiance's pantyhose rubber-banded to the tip of the intake pipe since pantyhose are known to have excellent flow properties.

(lol2)

[Mid_Life_Crisis]

How much do the "water socks" inhibit airflow? You know, the covers for the airfilters that are supposed to prevent massive water suckage. Has anybody seen anything on that?

[PLM_Man]

How much do the "water socks" inhibit airflow? You know, the covers for the airfilters that are supposed to prevent massive water suckage. Has anybody seen anything on that?

Haven't seen any physical tests. I would be surprised if you experienced any more than a 1-2hp loss max due to a very slight flow restriction. The only test I ever did with mine was put it up to my mouth and breathed through it. I couldn't tell the difference. Don't know how much the car would either.

I'd say the flow restriction of using the "water sock" on a new air filter would be about equivalent to the use of an un-socked air filter thats been run for about 1000 or so miles (enough mileage to catch some particles inbetween the fins of the filter). Then you could always pose the arguement that the sock would block larger particles from getting caught inbetween all those fins, thus keeping your actual air filter cleaner longer. The sock is a breeze to clean. And when you run it under water...you'll see that it pretty much runs right thru the material, confirming what the product is: water resistant, not water proof.

If you're going to drag race and need every pony, just pull the sock off when it comes time. Its even got elastic around the lip, just like real socks!!