How often should you clean your intercoolers out? ie: gunk, oil, whatever...
Once a year?

What is the right method/cleaner to use?

TIA.

 

Jerry(cablebandit chime in on this) lol sorry could not take it. low blow still funny though.

 

i just cleaned mine for the first time in probably 20 years. you can put paint thinner or gas in it and then just slosh it back and forth and repeat until the gas is clear then rinse it out with water.

 

I don't ever do it unless I had a reason to. Ive had a turbo self distruct and I had a couple of qts of oil in the IC at one time.


lots of carb cleaner or gasoline, then chase it out with a water hose, let dry in the sun. Then disconnect the throttle body pipe and spool it aa few times to get the last little bit out.

 

Cablebandit cleans his with water and then tries to run it thru the motor. Not a good thing.

 

At the shop I work at, we tie the steam cleaner wand in the intake and let it run for about a half hour to flush it.

 

Ouch! Don’t let him fool you, he did it subconsciously so he could do a bullet proof bottom end and crank the boost to max.
He seas stuff like “o I’m happy w/ 10.5’s, I don’t need to go faster then that”. But you knew that new bottom was coming.
Next year it’ll be twin 76’s, cause “o I dropped my screw driver into the turbo blade… both sides.” (picture southern drawl when you read quotes)

 

oooh, tough crowd here. brake cleaner will probably do the best job. just watch out for plastic / rubber parts that may be destroyed by it's superior cleaning power

 

How often you clean it depends on if you have a fresh air line from the valve cover tied into it. With the way Incon had the fresh air setup you would want to clean it out every couple months max. Other setups may be better. I don't run a fresh air line to the intercooler now and it stays nice and clean. To bad I cant say that about the outside of my scavenge pump lately. I just cleaned mine with a "orange" degreaser or simple green and paper towel, followed by lots of water and then several days to dry.

Gary

 

I can say it would not hurt. I bought a previously owned kit. Filled a large bucket- rubbermaid container filled with keosine. Let them soak, and would turn and move around once in a while. Got a lot of oil and crud out of the them. I then washed with hot water, now clean as new. I know it was a good move after I saw what came out.

 

fill it with water...dont disconnect the tb hose cause you think you got it all out. Crank motor and when it hydrolocks, pull out the motor and everything is easy to access. I cleaned the oil pan too while I was at it!! Oh, I didn't change the bottom end..still got stock rods.
ESR--you don't own a car..why are you on this site?
TTSSZ--you don't have and never have had a turbo...why are u in this section?
QUICKSILVERADO--I am calling Brenda and telling her we went to a titty bar and YOU PAID!!
After my last f-up, I'm scared to even think about cleaning em.hell i wont even clean the k&n filters now!!!

 

[QUOTE=cablebandit]TTSSZ--you don't have and never have had a turbo...why are u in this section?

But the twin turbo stickies on my hood make it go real fast.
(on second pic note s/s screens and no fog lights)

 

yeah your right just an upgraded electric blower like on ebay instead of t76 its an E-76 standing for E=electric

 

Stu those stickers add a LOT!!!!! I like the grills....too bad you don't have a real turbo like my twin E-76s!!

Eric, note my new sig!! If I can't blow my competitors away at the track, I will at least blow the starting line clean!!!

 

I have this reoccuring dream.....helicopters...spotlights.....police with guns drawn..."Mr. cablebandit.....please step away from the waterhose!!" What does it all mean?

 

water is you kryptonite superman (703hp) (770)TQ or shall I say unbrakeable (bruce willis movie)

 

look at that spelling...no wonder your car is slow!!! I will post your dyno sheet for ya in a bit.

 

Man I have brokers breathing down my neck barely have time to type.....lol .....man come on you know electric blowers are slow I only have one you have two

 

Just cuz I have a finance degree does not mean I can spell

 

how do you know when a redneck is about to die? when he says "hey y'all, watch this"