Intercooler Crud

[neuromonic]

Uhh, I know there is supposed to be all sorts of crud inside the intercooler. I was checking for boost leaks and decided that its very likely my intercooler hasn't been cleaned in the past 13 years so did it on a whim. I used simple green.

My intercooler had some sort of fiberous material inside of it. Like greasy cotton. I expected greasy oil snot, but wtf is this stuff from? I have a hard time believe it is an oil byproduct. And (if you can't tell from the picture) there is a lot of it.

At the very least it should motivate the rest of you's to clean your intercoolers.

edit: was showing the intercooler hairball twice.

 

[TurBoGs-T]

WTF?? Now that yours is clean you should run much much better.

 

[byondevl]

Loks like a family of rats lived in you intake...WTF?

 

[clownface]

......i might be wrong.....but i do think that youve done a bad thing....the fiberous stuff is supposed to be in there im pretty sure, its part of it the intercooler, . Im not sure if thats gonna hurt you or not cause im not sure what its in there for, or if its even in there in the first place...i just seem to remember noticing it in mine but it wasnt all black like that, it looked white.

 

[Mike1992]

Funny, i remember seeing something like this this morning in the toilet

 

[neuromonic]

so nobody knows what this is?! My guess was that it was from the air filter? Which probably hasn't been changed in the past 13 years either judging by how dirty it was when I changed it.

Oh they joys of buying somebody elses neglected pos.

 

[gs-t_96]

At a shop I was helping at we changed this guys oil whos oil hadn't been changed in 20,000 miles and it sort of looked like that. So maybe its just old oil.

 

[neuromonic]

I don't think so. This is fiberous. I could have dried the thing out and knit a sweater out of it.

 

[Defiant]

Good god, I think you sucked in a cat. I don't know where that could have come from, unless it somehow pulled a filter through the turbine, and I can't see that happening. I don't see how the car could breathe through that.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

That looks like something you would stick in an oil catch can to baffle it.

 

[thekellbeast]

......i might be wrong.....but i do think that youve done a bad thing....the fiberous stuff is supposed to be in there im pretty sure, .

Um...






#### NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The intercooler is made of aluminum, and ony aluminum. No fiber, or anything. The air filter is completely seperate.

 

[speedytalon]

can we all have a moment of silence for the poor kitty,

................................................................................., May fluffy rest in peace.

 

[clownface]

Um...






#### NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The intercooler is made of aluminum, and ony aluminum. No fiber, or anything. The air filter is completely seperate.

O, okay then. I didnt really know, just a guess. I guess mine has gotten clogged with that stuff also somehow then, thats odd though because i have a metal filter, maybe its been in there for a long time or maybe i didnt see what i thought i did.

 

[boosted95]

Looks like steel wool! WTF!?

 

[neuromonic]

Looks like steel wool! WTF!?

Yeah, but its much softer. I'll be damned if I can figure out what this is from. I'm back-flushing my radiator this coming weekend. I should take odds as to what runs out of that thing.

 

[DSMKevan]

WEll that adds *cleaning IC* to my list of to do's!!

poor kitty

 

[FiReBReTHa]

WEll that adds *cleaning IC* to my list of to do's!!

poor kitty

+1

 

[TurboGraphX]

goodness!
I can't say for sure what it is.... it looks like some kind of cotton from a old filter element. I've had foam get past the turbine and into IC's, though it was shredded and in tiny pieces, so I guess it is possible. As for weather or not it was supposed to be there....NO! 100% not! There should be nothing inside the IC but air. I'm sure that you are running better now. There is no way that the car was breathing right with that in there!
Ken

 

[tylerwal]

I don't think so. This is fiberous. I could have dried the thing out and knit a sweater out of it.

you made me chuckle

recently i cleaned my i/c and found plenty of oil but nothing fiberous, good luck