New Intercooler

anupaum · Dec 5, 2008

And I mean NEW!

I bought this thing on e-bay and I'm astonished at how cheap it was. There is no way any of my local shops could fabricate something like this for only $80--I mean, that's pretty near the shop rate for a single hour!

The Hitler Youth were on holidays yesterday, so I didn't have any trouble getting across the border this time. (Last time they detained me for 7 hours and searched my car! Ugh! The paranoia disgusts me!) Better yet, when I came back across the line, the woman on the Canadian side let me through without charging duty. (It was too cheap!)

So, here's what it looks like:

Now I've got to figure out how to mount this monster! It's MUCH bigger than my other intercooler was . . .

Davis · Dec 5, 2008

Cool!
I am excited just looking at the picture. I hope it works well for you.

turbo cat · Dec 5, 2008

ebay has alot of dirt cheap intercoolers its just aluminum with robot weld. just be sure to pressure test it before you use it

BlackBII · Dec 5, 2008

turbo cat said:
just be sure to pressure test it before you use it

x2

anupaum · Dec 5, 2008

Davis said:
Cool!
I am excited just looking at the picture. I hope it works well for you.

It's a beautiful looking thing, for certain! It's also MUCH bigger than the one I've got on there now, so it should work better, right?

anupaum · Dec 5, 2008

turbo cat said:
ebay has alot of dirt cheap intercoolers its just aluminum with robot weld. just be sure to pressure test it before you use it

Agreed! I should have done this the FIRST time. How do you pressure test the unit?

TireIron · Dec 5, 2008

I would suggest a couple of cheap parts from a home depot type store or anything else that you can figure out. Get 2 rubber plugs that will either fit inside the ends and seal up, or fit over them and tighten down with a clamp. Then attach a hose to it or a nipple, or anything that can hold at least 20 PSI of pressure in like the fitting on a basketball even. Then use a compressor or a ball pump and pump up some pressure to get it around 20 PSI and see how long it will hold it for. It should be able to hold the pressure indefinitely if your plugs are sealed to the end caps well. If you plugs are sealed and you cant get it to hold 20 PSI then there is a leak somewhere. You can use a soapy water solution to check for leaks and be sure it's not the caps. Just put it in a spray bottle and spray it on suspect areas, this is how I find leaks in tires if they're not obvious. If there is a leak the soap will start making bubbles.

anupaum · Dec 9, 2008

I've been having trouble with my installation. The intercooler is HUGE--it covers the entire front of the radiator, and it BARELY fits between the radiator and the center support pillar. This is going to require a complete re-design of the intercooler piping, too . . .

Does anyone here know whether the nylon-reinforced silicone elbows used for intercooler connections will collapse under vacuum?

anupaum · Dec 9, 2008

It's been rainy, cold and disgusting outside, but I got some work done this afternoon during a break in the rain.

This intercooler is SO BIG it takes up the entire radiator opening of my truck. I've got it bolted to the radiator support frame on one side, and a bit of aluminum flat bar on the other. It looks like it belongs there:

This is going to be a REALLY tight fit! Also, the intercooler tubing will have to be completely re-done:

Lovely, though, isn't it?

TireIron · Dec 9, 2008

the silicone connectors from places like http://www.hosetechniques.com/ are designed for just that purpose and will stand up to more boost and vacuum than a rubber hose could ever hope to support. I've used connectors from there and other places (I've used samco and perrin products also) in turbo applications and it is exactly what they are designed for. Thats why they make specific high quality 3 ply and 4 ply hoses. These things are hard to crush with your hand, never mind a simple 20 inch of vacuum. I've also found that the t-bolt clamps are very nice and don't split apart like the crappy worm drive clamps when you try to really tighten down on them. I've had a lot of issues with my radiator hoses leaking because I can't clamp them down properly without the clamp breaking apart.

But yea, from your picture it looks like 2 90 degree elbows and a little cutting and you should be able to hook things right up.

anupaum · Dec 10, 2008

TireIron said:
the silicone connectors from places like http://www.hosetechniques.com/ are designed for just that purpose and will stand up to more boost and vacuum than a rubber hose could ever hope to support. I've used connectors from there and other places (I've used samco and perrin products also) in turbo applications and it is exactly what they are designed for. Thats why they make specific high quality 3 ply and 4 ply hoses. These things are hard to crush with your hand, never mind a simple 20 inch of vacuum. I've also found that the t-bolt clamps are very nice and don't split apart like the crappy worm drive clamps when you try to really tighten down on them. I've had a lot of issues with my radiator hoses leaking because I can't clamp them down properly without the clamp breaking apart.

I sure hope so, because the elbows I ordered weren't cheap! My eldest sister used to have a spoof on women that compared them to elements. One of the characteristics was: "The most effective income reducing agent known to man . . ."

It's not true. I'm sure that honor belongs to my truck!

But yea, from your picture it looks like 2 90 degree elbows and a little cutting and you should be able to hook things right up.

Let's hope so. There's snow in the forecast and our Camry, with its traction control, is simply AWFUL in the snow!

anupaum · Dec 11, 2008

I picked up the silicone connectors at Lordco last night and I'm VERY disappointed. I can easily crush them with my hands and I know they'll simply collapse under vacuum when the throttle closes. These things might work for a turbo installation, where the intercooler is located on the front side of the throttle body, but because by throttle has to be in FRONT of the blower in order for the system to work, these connectors will see full vacuum and WILL collapse.

By the way, the ones the parts man ordered for me come from Vibrant. I'm NOT impressed!

TireIron · Dec 11, 2008

Thats disappointing to hear. Maybe you can return them and just use 4 straight connectors and 2 90 degree metal mandrel bent elbows if you dont think these will holdup. Verocious motorsports makes tight radius cast aluminum bends with beads on the end to be sure they hoses dont pop off, and the 2.5" and 3" arent priced too horribly either. http://www.verociousmotorsports.com/Shop-by-Category/Aluminum-Mandrel-Bends/Tight-Radius-90-Degree-Cast-Aluminum-Elbow I use them for my mandrel exhaust bends when I build exhausts because they have half decent prices and actually use 10 gauge exhaust pipe which makes welding nice and easy.

Before doing anything though if you want to try using the silicone ones (if you cant return them), you should try sticking a pipe in each end of the elbow and clamping it down and seeing how much it will actually collapse with vacuum on it.

these are the tight radius elbows...

Or if you can return them it is also possible to have a 90 degree mandrel welded onto each end of the intercooler, of course each one would have to be positioned right where they need to be when welded and they would have no adjustment...

therieldeal · Dec 11, 2008

those cast elbows work great, i used a 2.25" one on the turbo outlet of my escort. had one end welded to a flange. you could weld a pair of them to your IC and be good to go.

birdmanslopy · Dec 12, 2008

thats a toyota supra sidemount if im not mistaken..... they flow good till about 13 psi to 15 before you start blowing hot.
if i was you though id beat roll all your innercooler piping and get good couplers.

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