metal in the side mount intercooler

[srGS-t]

ok my turbo bit the dust and it shot metal all in my intercooler....none got threw it but my ? is can clean it out or am i going to have to buy a new one

 

[silvah_gsx]

You can clean out the intercooler. Remove it, buy 2 quarts of rubbing alcohol (strongest you can find, i used 70% alcohol), pour some into the intercooler, shake vigorously, dump, repeat until out of alcohol. You can just use water and do the same thing, but alcohol will also clean grease, oil, and rubbish out of the intercooler.

 

[Dream On]

It should be ok as long as it didn't punch any holes in your intercooler. Check it over really good. Gas also works to clean it out, but alcohol is cheaper.

 

[ilikespeeding]

Id pull the intercooler out and get a suppy of pressurized air and blockoff the inlet side and restrict the cold side and then spray soapy water all over the intercooler. That will tell you if you have leaks.

I used to be a fan of just filling the intercooler with alcohol for leak testing but I saw that some will run out of the sides and onto the front and make it look like there is a leak. However, Im all for alcohol for cleaning.

 

[No_Skillz]

When you clean your IC make sure you get all the metal pieces out. You don't want any of that making its way to the engine.

 

[paper_clip_boy]

Also if rubbing alcohol cannot be found, the Jack Daniels will do.

You can make a game out of it. 1 shot for you, 2 shots for me.

Althought the last time I tried it, the intercooler schooled me.

 

[No_Skillz]

Don't use something good like JD. Get some everclear.

 

[kenamond]

If you have a shop-vac, I'd try hooking it up to the inlet side to try and pull pieces out. If you miss something, there's no filter between it and your motor. Might keep all of the pieces you find and try to piece it back together just to see what's missing, then try to find the missing part(s). You can put the foot section of some pantyhose in the joint of the shop vac as a crude filter to see what all you pull out. The problem there is that you have to pull the compressor housing off to get at the compressor wheel to see what's gone, and you'll need sur-clip pliers for that.