As luck would have it, I just ran into and had an hour’s BS session with one of the techs from Toyota. As I suspected, I’m not the first to think of this idea. It does work* and does not cause any problems.
MB, are these openings down low? I wouldn’t want to create a hydrolocking problem…
Yup, below the bumper. about a foot or less off the ground.
The plan right now is to put a plastic box behind the hole to catch water and crappola, with a 2-1/2 inch port out of the top of the box to feed the engine and aft of the port a 1" drainage hole in the bottom of the box. The port from the top will feed a vertical 2-1/2" tube or flex hose (the input to the filter box is 2-1/4"). The input spot to the air cleaner box is about 2 to 2-1/2 feet directly above where the box will go.
That should allow rain, water, and misc crap to collect in the box and drain out the bottom.
Since the port hole will be 6.25 times the size of the drain hole, and the engine will be suckin’ on the port hole at about 250 CFM (@6000 rpm), that should prevent an airstream from developing from the intake to the drainhole that would create a vacuum on the port feeding the aircleaner box.
There’s another safety net. The aircleaner box is rectangular and lying down, with the intake at the bottom half of the box and the outlet at the top half of the box, a flat horizontal aircleaner between the two. That should stop water from being drawn in if any should make it up the 2-1/2" tube to the aircleaner box.
For the winter I plan to also install a diverter so that I can draw air from the engine compartment rather than the ram air intake.
That’s great thinking on your part, however. I’m glad you posted the question. The more people point out the potential potholes is the better I’ll be able to avoid them.
God I love the challenge!