Cheap intercooler setup - Anti turbo go bang damage????

[tweak'e]

Couple of things to consider with a W2A setup when the primary goal is to protect from a disintegrating turbocharger.

As 180degrees points out, the difference is going to be marginal - while a water-to-air IC is going to draw the heat away more efficiently, the water is not going to be much cooler than ambient (plus any thermal energy its own cooling system can't remove from the fluid). A front-mounted air-to-air is at ambient without any additional cooling system, but is not as efficient - liquids and solids are better at transferring heat than air........

sorry to wade in late.

water is efficient in heat transfer but thats only a small part of the equation. overall an air-air will beat a w/a system provided your going fast enough. even ARE's fantastic w/a was still beaten by air-air.
water is never below ambient unless your spending energy to make it so. ie ice bucket or refrigeration.
w/a has the advantage when your going full noise at very slow speeds. eg crawling through mud/sand in L1 at full throttle.

i know of one w/a that leaked and caused engine failure. test it before fitting !
i doubt compressor frags will do any damage. they rarely damage air-air and w/a are generally use thicker material.

 

[bods]

^ That's the other issue with a W2A. The water has to be cooled - so there'll be another radiator mounted in front of the engine's radiator. Plus a pump, hosing - there are more weak points. Is it worth the relatively minor performance gain?

It depends on the type of driving you do. For low speed 4wding w2a coolers have a large advantage over an a2a cooler. Even with the engine fan helping it, a front mount can't remove as much heat as a w2a setup.

For high speed driving though, there's not a lot in of advantage in either one. The only advantage of a top mount is reducing the heat flow through the radiator, that and its as far out of the way of damage as possible.

 

[jaymac90210]

Other than being there as a safety net to catch a bursting turbo, are the gains that good? All I'm after is a bit more low down power or a wider, smoother torque curve... Hence a chip was looking like a good idea. Is the engine fine to run 500,000kms without an intercooler? (In an ideal scenario where the turbo doesn't die and kill my engine). Like would it mean my piston rings are less likely to die earlier if I got an intercooler?

Edit: I will add to that by saying I do let it warm up 10-12 minutes every morning, oil and filter changes every 5,000kms AND it gets a good old 2-3 minute cool down (turbo timer )

 

[bods]

that long a warm up is just wasting fuel. a couple of min max is all you need, just drive it easy until it gets up to temp. i only let mine warm up about 30secs before i start driving. i just don't get stuck into it until the temp gauge is sitting on half way. it's pretty easy to tell when the yd25 crd's are warmed up as the injector knock all but disappears, when it's cold they are very loud...

an intercooler will give you a small power increase, the most effect it has is on egt's. in saying that, i'm sure there are a lot of non intercooled turbo diesels of all makes (not just navaras) that have done that many km. it may help extend the life of the motor a bit, only because the intake and exhaust temps are lower than without one

 

[tweak'e]

top mounts can actually interfere with air flow through the radiator. both try to exit the air through the same place so they fight against each other to a degree.

intercooler is certainly worth it. diesels cry out of intercooling. not only does it help with performance, it helps keep egt's down. thats very important with the zd30 history of grenading.

with modern oils warming up an engine, out side of freezing weather, is a complete waste of time and $$$.

 

[vh202]

Gents,

Thinking about an intercooler for my QD32 that I turboed and wondering whether this tiny little thing is a good place to start. Its pretty cheap but is very small which is the only thing that bothers me. Reckon it would make any difference short of catching a blown turbo?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/adelaide-region/other-parts-accessories/intercooler-small/1017472280

 

[rabbit-chop]

That would be yr ebay micro cooler. I bought one cos it was the only thing i coulf find that would fit frontmounted next to the winch. It was surprisingly good quality. I crunched the maths and decided it would not be restrictive. Only reason i didnt use it was cos i decidrd it would be too hard to run plumbing for a frontmount with no bodylift. I reckon if it gets plenty of cold air it will be better than nothing, But if you can fit a bigger one then go bigger.

 

[vh202]

Then this one here being twice the size would be better, Im assuming I dont need a huge one im not getting huge flow rates here and im not running a huge boost pressure

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/adelaide-region/other-parts-accessories/intercooler/1017471827

 

[rabbit-chop]

That looks pretty decent ay! Whatever you can fit in there mate!

 

[vh202]

I have no idea what I can fit, I figure where there is a will there is a way I could just be a stupid fool though. Its still not huge though. Most of the ones advertised on ebay are twice the size at 600x300mm core

 

[rabbit-chop]

You might want to get under the bonnet and behind the grill with a tape measure, taking in to account how you're gonna run yr plumbing and all. Maybe make up templates of whichever 'coolers yr looking into.

 

[Old.Tony]

Either of those intercoolers would catch the larger bits of turbocharger. The intercooler can sit in front of the radiator, up and out of the way of the winch.

Just to be clear on something - turbochargers don't have to blow up. Driven gently for the last couple of minutes of a journey, or left to idle for a minute or two at journey's end, the turbocharger can cool down and not cremate the oil left in the bearings as the flow stops when the engine shuts down.

Regular checks of the turbocharger should be done - any competent mechanic should at least stick a finger in and give it a whirl & a wiggle to determine whether or not there are any issues coming up. It is a part of the engine, after all! You can do it yourself if needs be, just make sure everything is clean, remove the hose from the front of the turbo. It should spin smoothly - if it feels like there are little bumps or a sandy/gritty feel then there are issues with the bearings. If there's quite a noticeable wobble in the shaft, there are definitely problems. Catch them beforehand or prevent them altogether and you will not have to worry about it.

 

[vh202]

Im not particularly concerned with my turbo going bang but I would like to perhaps eke out some extra performance if I can. Thus I want to ensure that If I do put something in it wont be too small.

 

[ben85]

Im not particularly concerned with my turbo going bang but I would like to perhaps eke out some extra performance if I can. Thus I want to ensure that If I do put something in it wont be too small.

you mightnt be now, but i bet you would be if it did $$$$

 

[ben85]

if you want performance, get an exhaust, 80series airbox, intercooler and a chip.

chip is the only upgrade your likely to really notice.

 

[Old.Tony]

chip is the only upgrade your likely to really notice.

Sadly that's very true.

If you keep good records of fuel consumption you might notice where the intercooler was installed, and where the exhaust was installed, as long as your driving pattern remains the same. For the young or young at heart, there should be a spike in fuel consumption just after the installation of each (flat foot just to see what it does yeeeeehaaw!). However you may only perceive a slight difference - turbo spools a little sooner, car seems to feel like it's not carrying as much weight.

But when you put a chip on it, it's like bolting on extra cylinders. And it comes with an appropriate spike in the fuel consumption!

 

[vh202]

Well given the QD32 is mechanical injection a chip isn't going to do me any good. I've put a new exhaust and an 80 series air box on so the last performance thing is an intercooler.

If you guys think the impact is minimal I may just not bother

 

[unkn0wn]

This is something I’m in the process of doing and have done a couple of times before.

with any turbo vehicle the modifications stay primarily the same.

Exhaust – turbo’s love free flowing exhausts.
Intake - need a intake that can keep up, if you install a turbo or wind up more boost then you will need a better system
Temps - need to keep the temps down, lower temps more power

diesels don't care AS much as petrol for intake temps, but you will be able to wind up more boost if you install an intercooler and that will give you more torque and power.

my patrol and v1 nav setups were both top mounts. Fine for road driving, plenty of flow to keep them around ambient temps...off-road they just soak up because there is no flow. even with a fan, there just is not enough flow to fight away the engine bay tempture.

stock gu patrol have tmic with a fan triggered to come on at 80dec c. Just an indication of what factory Nissan think a turbo charged diesel intake temps should be.......

FMIC is simple enough and effective, not as effective off road with low speeds. (this has all been previously explained)

Water to Air system will pretty much keep your intake air temp steady, regardless of the situation...but it also relys on some electrics (pump)...so if your electrics fail, the system fails (this can be said about a FMIC replying on a fan to).

personally my next system was going to be a water to air system, from frozen boost. I do allot of 4wding where the air based systems are inefficient and useless. that is the main reason, if you go off road hardly ever then go for an air based system.

Just installing an IC will only see a small difference in power, but it will make your engine happier. Your get three options from here 1)wind up the boost 2) wind up the fuel 3)both – this is where your added power will come from.

My last top mount failed due to vibrations – the core split. Im a little scared the water system will do the same and push water into the intake – but the next system is going to be better engendered against vibrations. This is something you need to consider with any system.

Apart from that there should be no real reason your W2A system leaks, unless u get a shitty quality one with bad welds. But in all cases you should test for leaks before using it.

Subaru had the factory fitted systems to, with a similar temp switch to turn on the electric pump – you might want to consider this in your system setup.

Anyway, goodluck

 

[vh202]

I was planning to fuel and increase the boost post putting an intercooler on.

I think you have just pushed me towards a frozen boost water to air setup. Fingers are poised on the buy button. Id been looking at it previously but decided against it due to the possibility of a compression lock if they leak.

 

[mooxie]

Hi all.... Ripper of a thread going here! I've been MIA due to far too much overtime work!
As initial measures against turbo failure, I fitted a Bogaard turbo timer and a catch can.
I'm still on the fence for the intercooler. Lucky for me, my Nav is my weekend ride only... so I can get away with minimal driving till I figure it out!
I'd planned to fit an 80 series airbox... so I think I'll do that first then see what I can fit in.
I can't justify paying $1300 for a pre-made intercooler kit.
Will either be a small front mount as protection and the hope of a little economy boost on the highway. Or a frozenboost W2A barrel.
On a tangent, as I'm going to fit an 80 series airbox (when I can track one down!) has anyone considered jamming an air-air intercooler where the standard airbox and fuel filter sits? Just looking at the extra space I'll have... thought it could be a spot for a small intercooler with a thermo fan. Not a perfect spot... but maybe better than sitting above the turbo?? Obviously wont have the airflow of a front mount, but it saves cutting holes in the bullbar mounts etc.