Water got in Engine Air Filter Box - Anyone else have this problem?

I was driving from Ft. Worth to Iowa and got caught in the snow/sleet storm. When I got off the interstate, after deciding I just couldn't drive any longer on the treacherous roads, my engine light came on.

I had the car towed next morning to the Toyota dealer who told me that water had gotten into the Engine Air Filter box saturated the air filter and shorted out a sensor - this either from driving a couple of hours in the slush or possibly from hubby replacing the engine air filter a few days before my trip (and maybe not getting it seated correctly?).

Anyway, the service advisor told me it may dry out, but not in the current weather. I elected to have it replaced, not wanting to drive with an engine warning light on as I would certainly be disregarding the light in the event some other serious thing happened......

Expensive repair, but at least I had peace of mind.

So I was just wondering.......has anyone else had water get into their air filter box????

 

Richard and Hobbit, I am awed with your responses (seriously).
Yeah, I'm thinking hubby goofed a little on the install, expensive air filter, yep.

But, hopefully my experience will save others from an expensive repair.

Make sure the air filter is correctly changed and the filter box closed, positioned or whatever the heck needs to be done.

AND, if you are driving in prolonged really wet stuff and an engine light comes on, may be the air filter and sensor took water.

I was hoping this situation was from driving in the slush, and frankly it still may have been, as the tires were really tracking slush for about 4 hours and riding deep in it, especially on the 5 mile drive from hell to the hotel after getting off the interstate. There were no less than 42 cars off the road in ditches, three spinning out right in front of me. The Prius performed admirably well in response to those spin outs (Michelin Primacy Tires) maneuvering with just a little "slide". But then again, I was driving at a reasonable speed for the conditions, thus keeping the car in control (staying off those brakes in ice and slush helps tremendously).

So I guess, all in all, I was lucky to be alive, never mind paying for a soggy air filter and shorted out sensor!

Thanks for all your input!

 

Patrick,
I'll check the invoice tomorrow and post the sensor name/number tomorrow evening. The service rep/manager told me the air filter would dry out and be reuseable after it dried, and in fact gave me the wet filter back in the Toyota box.......

Can't remember if he said the sensor might be dried/salvaged, but it wasn't in the box with the air filter. I'll check the car tomorrow for to see if that is in the car.

I remember the labor and parts charges with tax was about $340 for diagnostic, sensor, new air filter and labor.

They got another $35 from me because I had them change the wipers. They were 2 years old and not optimum in that bad weather. (Note to self, always make sure you windshield wipers are in top shape when driving from Texas to northern climates!).

I just thought it would be good to post this situation, since it was a little unusual, I guess. I'm hoping someone else will profit from my nasty little experience.

 

Richard,
The slush was pretty deep. I was centering my tires in tire tracks make by trucks. The interstate was unplowed, just that single, lone range of tire tracks. I'm thinking the tire track was at least 6" down from the surface, maybe more.

The car was also throwing back a lot of slush, probably from areas where I wasn't centered in the tracks. It was a pretty rough go.

Don't want to blame hubby outright for botching the air filter change, because I really could see where slush could get kicked up under the car - I know I was driving at least 3 1/2 to 4 hours in these conditions.

The service rep was also non-committal as to the cause. He said it could be from the slush getting thrown up under the car, but also said it just could have leaked into the box if the air filter wasn't exactly right.

He did say he had seen it happen before, and didn't seem too surprised......

 

OK, here is what the repair invoice says:

15 Ckd Out Found AF Meter and Air Filter Filled with Water
213C $ 82.50
13 Replaced Air Flow Meter And Air Filter
213C $ 41.25
1 22204-22010 Meter Sub-Assy ZNTA $183.00
1 17801-21040 Element Sub Assy, AI $ 21.78

Then added to that, the shop charges, tax and windshield wipers I had them change.

So whatever the Air Flow Meter Assembly is (Meter and Element) that appears to the the bulk of the expense, aside from the diagnostic.

My hubby says he put everything back exactly as it was after he changed the air filter, and since this is not the first air filter he's changed in his life (although first on a Prius), I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I really think it was driving through all the slush and the wet blow-back of the frozen slush that somehow got into the box. As I said, I'd been driving in it several hours on the interstate (no warning light there).

I got off the interstate onto the secondary highway drove 5 miles, and the freezing slush/snow was even worse (and much deeper). The warning light didn't come on until AFTER I exited the 5 mile drive in the really deep slush on the state road.

Either way, it was a learning experience.

 

Patrick,
Thanks for the update info. So from what you are saying, it's really not possible for the seriously deep slush conditions to be the culprit itself?

That more than likely, it was a not quite right install of the Air Filter?
And if that is the case, I still love hubby, he'll just owe me something special for the $340 I spent, LOL!

 

Guess I can do that......but what's done is done, he feels pretty bad that I had problems with everything that was going on......

Hobbit, they might have been able to do dry out the part, the advisor did say it might dry out and be useable, but couldn't guarantee....but bear in mind that this was the morning after a huge snow/ice storm (in fact still snowing), cars were being towed in that had been ditched, etc. Plus they had a lot of people still coming in for regular servicing appointments (can't imagine why, I wouldn't have ventured out in that mess, but then they are probably used to that blizzard stuff).

Add to that the fact that I was due in to Des Moines the PRIOR night to make my daughter's baby shower the next day. I was still 4 hours out in good weather from a 2 pm shower and it was 8:30 when they looked at the car.

My older son who was with me told me I was probably getting ripped, but I was happy to just get it fixed and on my way - hoping to salvage part of the shower (it's my daughter's first baby). So allowing for the Grandma factor, and the fact that I was pretty teary over getting it fixed and back on the road, I can't fault them for just sticking in a new part.

Glad to now know what a MAF is.....seen that term on here before. Not glad I found out the way I did.

Just wondering if I did any other damage - ECU unit Patrick mentioned - any chance water got up that far? Car seems to be driving OK, but I noticed that they aired the tires at the dealer and it's not the 40/38 I was running. My MPG is down a little since this ordeal and I'm chucking it up to the tires.....but is there any chance it's something more????

Oh yeah, one last thing. Thanks to everyone on this forum, I have learned so much! You are all a great bunch of guys and gals! Special thanks to all the very experienced members who put in the time to help educate us and for those who report experiences as we all learn from each other.

I just turned 60,000 miles on my Prius and since I've had the oll change, new tires and rotation, new air filter (the EXPENSIVE one) and a wheel alignment last summer, I guess all I'll need is a new cabin air filter, a check of the CV joint boots and the important safety measure of the Transaxle fluid change. I've already requested the kit from Blackstone.

Anything else I should consider?

 

Oh yeah guys should I have the PCV valve replaced at 60,000 miles (as you can tell Hobbit, I am just now reading your page on the MAF cleaning).

 

Oops, right you are Patrick, I did mean preventative measure on the change of Transaxle fluid.

Thanks again for all your help guys!