Suggestions on how to waterproof my 5.3 intake?

This of course, resulted in a hydrolock on my first test drive. With the 4.0L, it was easy to block off the factory air box front, drill a hole in the back and run a hose to the cowl. Now however, I've gotta deal with a 4" hose, and no airbox.

Suggestions?

What about something like this?
http://www.knfilters.com/universal/apollo.htm

Then run the hose into the cowl

Or any canister style intake filter should do the trick. Then just run the flex hose intake into your cowl like you did with the 4.0. That is essentially what you made by modifying your stock air box with the flex hose.

GordoSmasho said:

What about something like this?
http://www.knfilters.com/universal/apollo.htm

Then run the hose into the cowl

Or any canister style intake filter should do the trick. Then just run the flex hose intake into your cowl like you did with the 4.0. That is essentially what you made by modifying your stock air box with the flex hose.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I was thinking, but trying to consider routing options. the giant scoop leaves lots of room at the middle, but my upper rad hose is pretty much dead in the way for routing to the passenger side. Meanwhile, I was going to cut out a slot in the driver side cowl (where the 3" hole is now) to make a mount for the ECU (yes, thats why there's that giant mess of wires there. Still haven't cleaned up the harness until I figured out where I was goona put the ECU).
I guess I could just rework the entire harness so the ECU is on the passenger side somewhere. That opens up the driver for a 4" hole in the cowl.

I have no trust for K&N though so I'd be looking at something from Spectre most likely (like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035GS6RU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I've seen what the cylinders look like running a K&N for off-road use. My 4.0L had 170psi compression with less than 5psi variance before the switch to K&N cone filter. Had average 160 with 20psi variance 6 months later. Sure, may not have been due to intake particulate, but they've gotta get their flow numbers from SOMEWHERE.
There was actually a really good (properly scientific) write up on the subject a few years ago. Result was that they found that K&N was, out of 10 other permanent filter manufacturers, the second from worst in terms of average particle size getting through, and their flow numbers were only about 15-25cfm higher than a stock paper filter (which of course, performed infinitely better on the particulate test). Spectre was near the middle, two steps down from paper filter for particulate, and was the third highest flow iirc.

Do you care more about preventing hydrolock or running underwater? If hydrolock is the main concern you could try a bypass valve

I read intake manifold, because you have an expensive pair of knock sensors under it, which are poorly protected from the elements at best. They have foam blocks to keep crud out, but they're more of a suggestion. Okay for grocery getting so long as nobody makes a habit of pressure washing the engine.

5.3 in a Jeep, 'specially deep water crossings, I'd be addressing those sensors soon.

Hoooper said:

Do you care more about preventing hydrolock or running underwater? If hydrolock is the main concern you could try a bypass valve

Click to expand...

Well, like I don't need the Jeep to be fully aquatic, but we end up in some puddles that will at least splash the inside top of the hood on a regular basis. There's really no way around that. The cowl intake worked very well, but at the same time my buddies XJ is still running a stock air box and he follows pretty near everywhere we go, and has never hydrolocked.
I think the issue is probably more that the splash hit the filter, than the filter actually being submerged. With the stock air box, there's really now way to splash it.

Needs to survive big splashes and very brief dunks, because I know they'll happen.

What's a bypass valve?

Overland said:

I read intake manifold, because you have an expensive pair of knock sensors under it, which are poorly protected from the elements at best. They have foam blocks to keep crud out, but they're more of a suggestion. Okay for grocery getting so long as nobody makes a habit of pressure washing the engine.

5.3 in a Jeep, 'specially deep water crossings, I'd be addressing those sensors soon.

Click to expand...

The proper solution is to RTV the rubber plugs in place and also to RTV a little dam in front of the hole. I dont know if he did this but yeah I agree it should be done if it hasnt been already.

what the double post?

Can you do a cowel intake? That might be a good idea. Making a cowel hood would also be a good idea. Any water that comes in over the grill goes right into your intake and on your TB.

You can turn the intake around backwards on ls motors. Do that and and a wiper cowl intake.

Cowl is the way I was going before, and I think that's the plan now as well. Just gotta find the right parts, and unfortunately, relocate my ECU to the passenger side, as there's not enough room for the ECU and 4" tube to the cowl on the drivers.