Water-in-intake shut down safety?

[rzr6-4]

I would never do dumb things near water, so asking for a friend...

Hypothetically speaking.....

Do these engines have some way of detecting water getting into the engine and shut themselves down as a safety measure, or if it shuts down does it actually mean you flooded the engine?

A few weeks ago I-.... someone I know was doing some mudding and hit a large water hole going too fast apparently. Water splashed all up under the hood, getting some in the air box, soaking the filter, and causing the truck to shut down. Immediate attempt to restart didn't work but after pulling the air filter and dumping a little water from the air box it started up no problem. Put the wet filter back in, seemed to be a little down on power with that but still made the 25min drive home. All that is to say, once it decided to participate, it started and ran fine like the water wasn't an issue, so I was just wondering if that shut down was more of a safety than actually getting in the way of combustion.

Also, the part of my air intake where it attaches to the fender....doesn't.


The end of this piece is about 1.5" away from where it is supposed to be. It is pulled away both in towards the motor and back towards the passenger compartment. Having this open area obviously didn't do me-...that guy any favors keeping water out of the intake, but would this also cause any issues with being down on power? Not getting a ram air effect since I think there's an air scoop in the fender that it's not reaching?

 

[crash68]

Do these engines have some way of detecting water getting into the engine and shut themselves down as a safety measure, or if it shuts down does it actually mean you flooded the engine?

If the engine shuts down in the manner you described it's because the water plugged the air filter and suffocated the engine. There's nothing to stop the water from going down the intake and hydrolocking the engine. If forging deep water is in the future you may want to invest in a snorkel kit that moves the air intake to the top of the windshield.

 

[BenchTest]

So, let me get this right...you were, I mean, your friend's neighbor's, cousin's, ex-wife's best friend threw the truck into a lake, some water went in the intake and choked it out?

 

[rzr6-4]

So, let me get this right...you were, I mean, your friend's neighbor's, cousin's, ex-wife's best friend threw the truck into a lake, some water went in the intake and choked it out?

Yep, that guy did it. By no means was it anywhere near submerged, mud + water was probly 15" deep, but yes the splash into the intake shut it down. Just curious as to how considering it started so easily (once the filter was removed). The intake hose was definitely moist throughout but I wouldn't think that there would have have been a solid wave of water that could have made it into the box, through the filter and clear down that hose.

Maybe it just doesn't take much fluid to be able to choke out the spark. I've seen fully flooded, water being pumped out of the cylinders ATVs be able to restart so I just didn't think that "moisture" would kill it.

 

[Wild one]

Actually having the box dislodged from the fender might have been what saved you from hydro locking the engine,as the box gets air from both the headlight opening,and from an opening down by the front tire.Follow that plastic piece the box fits into,and you'll see it gets air from the headlight,but if you follow the plastic piece it also goes down to in front of the tire and is open at the bottom so it can also pull air from the high pressure area in front of the passenger tire