Will driving in the rain decarbonize the heads?

[gedcruise]

We made a recent trip where it rained contiuously for 230 miles in both directions. The rain ranged from moderate to deluge.
My question is this:
If introducing some water into the intake air is known to remove carbon from the heads and the piston crowns, would a long trip through varying rain have the same effect?
Clearly, the intake air would have to have a fair amount of water in it. The air filter would absorb this water until it was saturated, and would then have to allow actual liquid through.
What do all of you think?

 

[brianl703]

I think if the filter ever got saturated with water it would probably come apart and bits of it would get sucked into the engine

 

[Brogy]

Most air intakes are at the top of the engines, guarded by the splash guards and headlight. If you want water to get into the intake get a cold air intake and go find some puddles to play in.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

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Most air intakes are at the top of the engines, guarded by the splash guards and headlight. If you want water to get into the intake get a cold air intake and go find some puddles to play in.

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I actually had a situation when I bought this 2005 AccentGT last year where I was coming down I-95 outta Boston the first month I had the car. HEAVY rain, lots of standing water on the road, and the car got soaked under the hood. The airfilter got damp (damp at the time I checked it a day later when I checked the oil and saw what had happened, was probably soaked at the time), it had to be replaced, and I had to do a pretty major cleaning of salt residue off a lot of the surfaces under there.

The engine never stumbled or was a problem, but while the intake horn leading to the airbox is up high between the battery and headlight, it still got enough water in there to dampen the air filter and a lot of sand and salt was inside the airbox upstream (unfiltered-air side) of the filter..

Scary, in that even way up high, the filter got wet. Testimony to WIX that the filter held up nicely, didn't come apart anywhere on the filter. Replaced, needless to say, with a new WIX.

 

[Pablo]

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Will driving in the rain decarbonize the heads?

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I wish. But there are a butt load of cars in Seattle with plenty of carbon.

 

[ikeepmychevytoo]

just be careful... you wouldn't want too fast a cleaning

 

[gedcruise]

Well, there are documented cases of certain car/engine combinations (BMW comes to mind) where the air intake is located low enough to allow the intake to suck enough water driving through (presumably deep) puddles to hydrolock the engine. That would be my idea of a bad day.