# Water in intercooler, need ideas!
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239
**Category:** Shift518 Automotive
**Created:** [September 29, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239 "2008-09-29T15:11:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/1 "2008-09-29T15:11:01Z")
I’ve been fighting an annoying fucking problem for the whole summer. My intercooler collects water when driving in pretty much any amount of rain. The only place it can come in is through the air filter which is a K&N cone filter. After the water collects in the intercooler I can’t hit a certain amount of boost pressure, depends on how much water is in the intercooler, (it like vaporizes the water and it hits the MAF). I have tried several makeshift shields to block the water from coming past the headlight but no luck. This problem has cost me over $400 so far in used MAFS this year. The only way I can dry the intercooler/maf out is disconnecting the piping and using a shopvac in blower mode and run it through the intercooler for 30minutes. Any ideas, maybe a different type of filter?
I’ll upload a pic of the setup later but there might be a pic in my build thread.
Thanks
Currently I have a piece of aluminum sheet metal wrapped around about 1/3 of the filter to block water from the front. That didn’t work. In the past couple weeks I have been placing a piece of ABS plastic about 12"x12" behind the headlight and up tight against the hood and that seemed to help very slightly but I still have water getting trapped.
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### Author:  [@Hank1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Hank1)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/2 "2008-09-29T15:14:53Z")
what about an outterware for the filter. thats what i use on mine. i’ve used it to keep water out of carb and it works pretty well till thus point…
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [September 29, 2008, 6:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/3 "2008-09-29T18:02:34Z")
> [@Hank](#):
>
> what about an outterware for the filter. thats what i use on mine. i’ve used it to keep water out of carb and it works pretty well till thus point…
I covered about 1/3 of the filter with a custom aluminum shield to block water hitting the front of the filter. But I think the vacuum may just “pull” the water in regardless of direction.
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### Author:  [@Code\_Blue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Code_Blue)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 8:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/4 "2008-10-13T08:49:53Z")
that would require ALOT of vacuum. What about making a rain guard underneath the are? I know hondas and other vehicles have factory splash shields.
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 9:04am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/5 "2008-10-13T09:04:01Z")
I’ll try and take some pictures today so people can better see what’s going on.
I think the 240 used to have a shield under the car, but I don’t have one. Probably should make one though.
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### Author:  [@Code\_Blue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Code_Blue)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 9:05am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/6 "2008-10-13T09:05:02Z")
sorry for the typo, I meant rain shield underneith the AREA
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### Author:  [@Boxersix](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boxersix)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/7 "2008-10-13T17:05:28Z")
You have to be drawing in a massive amount of water to be having this to happen. I mean on some of my old CIS injected 930’s we’d run water injection before the turbo to atomize the water and never had this problem, spraying 300+cc’s/min of fluid up though the stock dinky late model 930 top mount.
Weather strip the hood seams(foam weather stripping).
What else is wet under the hood when this happens? Localize where the water is coming in first. Have you messed with front aero that would have relocated the pressure split in the airflow(moving low/hi pressure zones aft)???
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/8 "2008-10-13T17:46:48Z")
Sorry totally forgot about pictures, I’ll take them when I remember to.
> [@Boxersix](#):
>
> You have to be drawing in a massive amount of water to be having this to happen. I mean on some of my old CIS injected 930’s we’d run water injection before the turbo to atomize the water and never had this problem, spraying 300+cc’s/min of fluid up though the stock dinky late model 930 top mount.
>
> Weather strip the hood seams(foam weather stripping).
>
> What else is wet under the hood when this happens? Localize where the water is coming in first. Have you messed with front aero that would have relocated the pressure split in the airflow(moving low/hi pressure zones aft)???
There is a lot of water that builds up in my intercooler. I have to disconnect both sides of the intercooler piping and use a shop vac on blower mode and blow the water out. It literally pisses out the open end of the intercooler.
I don’t know about the 930’s, but the problem is when the water hits the MAF sensor, since it’s after the intercooler.
I don’t have weather striping between the hood and headlights, I don’t know if I got that when I bought the front conversion. I’ll try and make something. I did adjust the hood so it closes tighter on the headlights.
The front aero is about 1/2" to low, there is a gap below the headlights, but there is metal behind the headlights before the engine bay.
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### Author:  [@Boxersix](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boxersix)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/9 "2008-10-13T20:14:36Z")
The 930 reference was just stated to show that for you to actually have watter puddling up inside the IC core you have to have a HUGE amount of water being ingested. 930’s negative MAF setup…CIS injection(mechanical flow meter plate/fuel distributor/WUR). Either that or your IC is so clogged internally that it’s choking with the increased charge density due to the moisture.
What else under the hood is getting wet aside from the filter and surrounding area? Filter wet top, bottom, all around?
Just odd. Evo’s with stock direct snorkel intakes(direct ram effect in rain) never have this problem :ponder Hmmmm. Too busy to run her by the shop next week for a peek?
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### Author:  [@SXY\_TIME](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/SXY_TIME)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/10 "2008-10-13T20:18:42Z")
wow, clean engine bay dude
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/11 "2008-10-14T03:52:28Z")
> [@Boxersix](#):
>
> The 930 reference was just stated to show that for you to actually have watter puddling up inside the IC core you have to have a HUGE amount of water being ingested. 930’s negative MAF setup…CIS injection(mechanical flow meter plate/fuel distributor/WUR). Either that or your IC is so clogged internally that it’s choking with the increased charge density due to the moisture.
>
> What else under the hood is getting wet aside from the filter and surrounding area? Filter wet top, bottom, all around?
>
> Just odd. Evo’s with stock direct snorkel intakes(direct ram effect in rain) never have this problem :ponder Hmmmm. Too busy to run her by the shop next week for a peek?
I can never find anything wet under the hood. This even happens in light rain sometimes.
I can probably stop by your shop whenever.
> [@Hooked on SXY TIME](#):
>
> wow, clean engine bay dude
Thanks
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### Author:  [@1stgen](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/1stgen)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/12 "2008-10-14T13:36:33Z")
If i may ask…why is the MAF after the intercooler? Why not before the intercooler? Most modern MAF cars have they’re maf at the airbox then compress through the turbo to the intercooler. Usually with a map sensor attached to the intercooler to sense pressure drop.
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/13 "2008-10-14T15:40:27Z")
> [@1stgen](#):
>
> If i may ask…why is the MAF after the intercooler? Why not before the intercooler? Most modern MAF cars have they’re maf at the airbox then compress through the turbo to the intercooler. Usually with a map sensor attached to the intercooler to sense pressure drop.
There were a couple reasons:
1. With my old (bigger) air filter there wasn’t enough room to have a MAF with an air filter attached to it.
2. Main reason was my BOV was venting to atmosphere and I moved the MAF after the BOV and intercooler so the car won’t stumble when letting off the gas pedal. Alot of people have done this without issues on Rb motors. I’m currently thinking about changing the whole setup back to stock, and recirculate the BOV.
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/14 "2008-10-14T16:22:46Z")
Pictures in order:
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### Author:  [@bennyfizzle](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bennyfizzle)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 6:48pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/15 "2008-10-14T18:48:32Z")
Maybe water is coming in through the BOV?
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### Author:  [@GATVILLE](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/GATVILLE)
#### Post date: [October 14, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/16 "2008-10-14T19:32:12Z")
> [@BENNYFIZZLE](#):
>
> Maybe water is coming in through the BOV?
:🙂 how can water get in when theres 7psi of air coming out :ponder
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### Author:  [@bennyfizzle](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bennyfizzle)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/17 "2008-10-15T04:24:47Z")
How else is water supposed to make it all the way to the front mount, could be puddling in there over night and he doesn’t always shift at 7psi, he might only have 1-2psi in the piping when he’s putt putting around in the am, and the water trickles in and collects, just a theory, I don’t see any better ideas coming out from you :🙂 :ssh
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### Author:  [@ninety1two40](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ninety1two40)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/18 "2008-10-15T04:26:42Z")
> [@BENNYFIZZLE](#):
>
> How else is water supposed to make it all the way to the front mount, could be puddling in there over night and he doesn’t always shift at 7psi, he might only have 1-2psi in the piping when he’s putt putting around in the am, and the water trickles in and collects, just a theory, I don’t see any better ideas coming out from you :🙂 :ssh
I don’t think I putt putt around anytime :lol
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### Author:  [@bennyfizzle](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bennyfizzle)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 4:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/19 "2008-10-15T04:29:59Z")
I have the marks in front of my house to prove it :ponder :rofl
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### Author:  [@Boxersix](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boxersix)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2008, 5:11am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/water-in-intercooler-need-ideas/239239/20 "2008-10-15T05:11:33Z")
> [@LACVILLE](#):
>
> :🙂 how can water get in when theres 7psi of air coming out :ponder
Pending on spring pressures some bypass valves open at idle under vacuum :stfu Rolleyes somewhere else
;D
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