ok guys i was just washing my civic and i think i sucked water into my cold air intake. after i finished washing it i pulled it into the garage and when i reached my hand down there it had a pretty good amount of water in there(and i found a screw driving in my skid shield) so what would be the sideeffects of water in the intake and how do i know if i should worry about it?

 

I believe you'd have to suck a pretty good amount of water in there to do damage...your car was running while you were washing it, or you were in a car wash?

 

no it was off while i was washing it, but i thought it sounded different but i think was just paranoid

 

Check the filter and see if it's wet. It takes quite a bit of water to getthrough thereto hydrolock an engine. If the filter is wet, dry it out. Pull the fuse for the fuelpump, remove the sparkplugs, and crank the startera few times to blow any remaining water out.

I'd be more worried about wet electrical connections, like around the distributor cap. Spray a moisture-dispersant (WD-40) on it's underside and dry it. Do the same for the plug wires and ECU.

The exhaust should blow any water right out. I've actually submerged my Jeep's without any ill effects.