Blowing off intercooler pipes [Merged 7-8] ic intake

[RaysTsi]

The stock lower intercooler pipe pops off my Big T28 Killer when it starts to boost. Why? Do I need a hard pipe? Well i'm leaking coolant and have to go tighten this bolt down. Please give some advice Im stumped.

 

[oztofrdm]

I have never ran into a problem with IC piping blowing off running 32psi daily. But try taking two worm clamp in-between the two t-bolt clamps to hold them togther.

 

[Kevin Jewer]

What exactly is the "hairspray trick"? Forgive the newbie question.

Spray some hairspray on the parts before assembling them. It dries tacky and holds the parts together, but doesn't make it impossible to seperate them later.

 

[blackGSX2g]

I used 2.5-3" radiator hose from NAPA. It was a pain in the ass to get on, but I don't think I even need clamps on them anymore; they were about $11 each. You have to heat them up in boiling water to get them to fit over the GM MAF.

 

[GSTizzy]

thx for the reply im gonna use some hairspray from now on

 

[Jackyll]

I finally got my MAF-T setup and put it in about 2 weeks ago, but now the car lost all it's power. I did a leak test and there was a huge leak at one of the reducers (the first one that goes from the UICP to the GM MAF... leak was on the GM MAF side). I tightened the clamp and did the leak test again and it was fine. Took it for a drive and it boosted fine for a few seconds then back to no power. Leak test again and it's at the same spot. The reducer isn't blowing off or anything and it doesn't seem like the clamp is coming undone but then again i haven't actually marked it to see if it's coming undone or anything so i'm not sure. It's still on there tight, but there's bubbles from the soapy water again when i do the leak test.

Anyone have any tips for fixing something like this? Should i use a clamp that's not as wide? When i got the reducers they came with those heavy duty looking clamps that are like an inch wide. Would it hold on the lip of the GM MAF if i use a thinner one like those that came with all the stock piping? Or is there something i can put on the GM MAF or somewhere to get it to hold?

Thanks for the help

 

[gdmbat85]

Get a T-bolt clamp and put some silicone around the edge of the MAF to seal up nicely against the coupler. That should solve your problem.

 

[Cs4g63]

If you dont want to use silicone you can use hairspray. It sounds weird but it does work.

 

[97boostedTSI]

I just got my car back from having a clutch put into it and now everytime i really lay into it and get into boost i will blow one of my intercooler pipes off.

I checked the tbolt clamps on the lower intercooler pipe and noticed they were loose so i tightened it up and then took the car back out. It again blew under boost (20 psi) and this time it was at my J pipe. I have all hard lines so its not like anything could be cracked.

It didnt do this before so .. is this a mechanical issue or did the idiot just forget to tighten my clamps back up when he finished putting the transmission back in?

 

[CRAIG___]

I just got my car back from having a clutch put into it and now everytime i really lay into it and get into boost i will blow one of my intercooler pipes off.

I checked the tbolt clamps on the lower intercooler pipe and noticed they were loose so i tightened it up and then took the car back out. It again blew under boost (20 psi) and this time it was at my J pipe. I have all hard lines so its not like anything could be cracked.

It didnt do this before so .. is this a mechanical issue or did the idiot just forget to tighten my clamps back up when he finished putting the transmission back in?

i say just tighten the hell out of the clamps

 

[greddyturbo19]

dude same thing happened to me. i double clamped those suckers and then got stronger ones but yea double clamp them for now

 

[No_Skillz]

Tighten the clamps. Maybe try some hairspray (as per Defiant).

 

[whiteflash]

You could look into getting your pipes beaded, that should cure the problem. From my experience, i've found that if you tighten the t-bolts tight and go for a light drive without max boost, go back and you should be able to tighten them even more.

 

[Boostjunki84]

Seeing as how you just replaced the clutch, I doubt this going to be a continuing problem. Like stated above, just go through all of your IC pipes and tighten them; you should be good to go after that.

On another note, it's not a bad idea to check the pipes periodically to make sure they are tight; due to the fact that they can loosen up over time.

 

[97boostedTSI]

thanks guys! i pulled my bumper and tightened the living hell out of them. problem solved...HOWEVER after a full throttle third gear pull two of my couplers decided to crack in half!!! time for a new set i think!!

 

[DSMsOwnYourV8]

i am having this same problem. I'm really considering going to an exhaust shop and having all my pipes welded together. Has anyone tried this?

 

[daren_p]

i am having this same problem. I'm really considering going to an exhaust shop and having all my pipes welded together. Has anyone tried this?

This really shouldn't be necessary, I don't know how much boost your running but a proper coupler setup should have no problem holding all the evoIII turbo can throw at it. Make sure everything is clean, have the pipes beaded if their not already, get a good quality silicone coupler, use Tbolt clamps, make sure you have enough overlap for the coupler vs pipes & also make sure you don't have excessive engine movement (ie worn motor mounts). With this type of setup you shouldn't have any issues running 25-30psi+.

 

[DSMsOwnYourV8]

That's the problem is my ends aren't beaded, and having my pipes beaded sounds like a lot of work. I don't want to drop another $300 on new piping. Anything past 15psi and my pipes blow off.

 

[DSMunknown]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/turbo-system-tech/298846-beading-intercooler-piping.html

 

[romeen]

Completely agree with Daren. The bead will make all the difference in the world. I've used the epoxy method that RRE describes with great success.

Sand/file the end of the pipe where you will be applying the epoxy to remove paint and give it a rough texture. Wipe it clean with brake cleaner. Mask off a stripe about a 1/4" from the end. Goop on some JB Kwik (regular JB Weld takes too long to setup for this). Remove masking tape when epoxy starts to thicken up (consistency of dough). Sand down any sharp edges.

I did this on a couple of IC pipes 2 years ago. Completely solved my problem and it's held up perfectly.

 

[daren_p]

That's the problem is my ends aren't beaded, and having my pipes beaded sounds like a lot of work. I don't want to drop another $300 on new piping. Anything past 15psi and my pipes blow off.

Having no beads is going to make it much harder to keep thigs sealed, even if you've done everything else right (yes it makes that much of a difference). As Romeen posted lots have run the DIY JBWeld method & its worked great. If you don't want to do that, try to find a local performance shop etc. They should be able to bead the ends of your current pipes without having to go out & buy all new ones. Welding all your IC pipes wouldn't be a good idea IMO for a daily driven/street type car.

 

[erald01]

Well since my IC pipes are not beaded at the ends the air kept coming out from the coupler so my solution to all this was to connect the two pipes together with one layer of duct tape then put the coupler on top and double clamp it on both ends. What you guys think it will hold now or what? I did the boost leak test up to 20 psi and no leak so i am assuming it should hold fine.

 

[gregalmighty]

That sounds like a pretty good solution, I never really thought about doing that. I always use hairspray on the couplers before i clamp them because it pretty much turns to glue when it dries and leaves no mess. Let us know how they hold together for you!

Also what kind of clamps are you using? It makes a big difference. When I had worm clamps I'd easily pop off couplers at 17 psi, then I invested in t-clamps and can run 20+psi without beaded ends on some of my piping and never had a coupler pop off.

Good job coming up with that solution, I don't really see any reason why it wouldn't work.

 

[srumel]

That might hold for a little while, but I would be worried about the effect that heat will have on the duct tape's adhesive.
You might want to try just making some JBWeld beads if the duct tape solution doesn't last.

 

[DSMunknown]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/turbo-system-tech/298846-beading-intercooler-piping.html

 

[sb7775]

I have had great luck with hair spray. I used worm clamps and hair spary and it held 30psi like a champ.

Steveb