Intercooler Cleaning IC [Merged 11-7] clean smic fmic

[Atari007]

I have read a lot about cleaning your intercooler... I was just wondering if any of you guys have done it, and can you feel a differance? I took a look at mine this morning and it does look pretty nasty...........

 

[DCsGST]

When I cleaned it 8 mths ago, I did the gas trick. I just used my palms to plug the ends and pretended I was making shake n bake. That worked for the inside, but for the fins I soaked it with the strongest degreaser I could find, let it set, then ran a hose through it (back 2 front) You won't believe the amount of shyte that was lodged in between the fins. After it was all dry I spent a hour straightening fins.

 

[QuickClipse2]

I cleaned my intercooler for the first time today and it was more challenging than i thought. Once i got it off, i straigtened out some of the fins and poored lots and lots of gasoline in it.

Now what? Am i supposed to rinse it with water? Is there anything else i can do now that its off? How long should i let it dry for? So many questions i know. If you have an answer to any or all just post a reply.

 

[dthquazi1]

just let it dry in a well ventilated area. You can rince it in water. Just let it dry.

 

[MainEvent]

gas i thought u were supposed to clean 'em with alcohol

 

[QuickClipse2]

Originally posted by MainEvent
gas i thought u were supposed to clean 'em with alcohol

You can use gas too.

 

[4geze63]

give it atleats 3-4 hrs but if you want to speed it up, what I did was get a shop vac and put it on blow setting, then blow one end for 10 mins and then the other end for 10 mins and it was good to go.

when I recently did mine it actually increased my psi by about half a psi

 

[doug]

Yeah, gas is better. And I recommend NOT rinsing it with water afterwards. Gas evaporates faster than water.

 

[QuickClipse2]

Thanks

I'm so Happy now :laugh:

 

[DSMSpyder99]

when my friend did it in his 90 Tsi he went through 4 bottles of Rubbing alcohol. If i remeber right he wore gloves and cover both ends and shook it for about 1 minute then let all the old alcohol out and repeated until it came out clear

 

[g0tEclipseD]

where do u pour the gas into when ur cleaning it?

 

[EclipseGST-95]

is it hard to get the intercooler outa a 95 gst ...do u have to take the bumper off or anything?

 

[QuickClipse2]

You pour the gas into the intercoolers tubes. Then when its inside you hold both ends with your hands and shake it up so it cleans all over the inside.

I have a 97 Gst so i'm not quite sure how hard it would be for a 95 Gst (probably the same). The hardest part for me was the third bolt located above the intercooler and farthest to the right. Taking off the wheel helps tremendously. Good Luck

PS: If you think it's easier take off the bumper then go right ahead, but i didnt and i was still able to take it off succesfully.

 

[Defiant]

http://www.myzero.com/misc/cooler.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56203&highlight=intercooler+cleaning

 

[1993eclipseGS]

The outside of my intercooler is pretty much filled with dirt.(last owner ) The car has like 213,000 miles on it and i'm almost certain this has never been done. Should I do it? Will I notice an increase in performance? And, Do I hafto take my front bumper off to remove the intercooler? Thanks alot.
Rob.

 

[leet]

Just give the outside of the IC a good spraying with a hose. Most of the dirt SHOULD come right off.

You will notice a difference, since it works most efficiently when clean.

 

[jérôme]

when you see how much oil comes out with the fuel, youll know its worth it.
no, bumper stays, take the "wheel panel-thing" off.

 

[Defiant]

Cleaning the outside is just a matter of blowing the bugs out from the back, and hosing both sides down with Simple Green and washing it out.

However, to clean the inside isn't much more fuss:

http://www.myzero.com/misc/cooler.html

And then catch your fumes from the crankcase vent:

http://www.tgilmore.com/talon/catchcan.html

 

[MyRidzPhucked]

definatly worth it. Take it off, just pray none of the bolts are stuck. it took me 6 hours and 17 dremel bits and cut off discs to get one of the screws off.

and the main reas on you should totally take it off is you have to check for corrosion at the hose ends. my intercooler was corroded to the point where i had to custom make tubing coming right from the intercooler. I wish i had pics.

Just pray for no corrosion, its really not fun to fix. I'll give you details if you need to.

its fun to clean stuff on your car cause you feel better about it. just spraying it with a hose would get a bunch of shit inside and thats what we try avoiding, arent we?

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Thanks alot. I'm going to take it off tomorrow, I'll take some pics of the before and after!

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Well I just put the ic back on the car. I used 1 gallon of gas. It was filthy, it left a big spot of my snow pure black. And it isnt fun sitting on an icepatch trying to fit the ic back in its spot The pics should show the difference!

Thanks again for the help.
Rob.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

I was bored so i kinda did alittle painting also, but here it is after it was done!

 

[jmc94gsx]

Originally posted by MyRidzPhucked

and the main reas on you should totally take it off is you have to check for corrosion at the hose ends.

FYI

Very small holes are very common, a good quick fix is to scrape off the corrosion, clean the surface, and apply JB weld to the outside and let it cure. The JB weld will fill in any little holes.

 

[paranoidTSi]

I use gasoline for the internals, but if I need to drive my car the next day I use 92% alcohol as it dries much quicker. On the exterior I took a soft toothbush and lightly brushed all the fins on the outside, then to top it off I used brake parts cleaner on the outside. I felt a difference for sure.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

I dont hafto drive the car tonight, but sometime tomorrow I will to go get my inspect. sticker. I'm sure it'll be fully dry by then because it's pretty cold here.
Rob.

 

[Defiant]

Eh, the first 1000 revs of warm air are going to clear any gasoline fumes out right away.

I'm proud you knew to not paint the cooling fins