Intercooler 16 year service

[Brett Dikeman]

At 12:13 AM -0400 7/1/03, Doyt W. Echelberger wrote:

>The cleaning probably opened up an additional 20% of the cooling channels.
>I was surprised at how many channels were partially blocked. I did a test
>drive after the cleaning, and the car seemed to run better......it was the
>type of improvement you have all probably noticed on the first cool crisp
>day of fall, after you have become accustomed to the performance of your
>turbo during the summer months.

Here's two more things to do:

Remove the intercooler.

Bang it on something like a plastic bucket until all the crap stops
coming out(front-facing side down of course).  Then blast some water
through the fins(again, from the back side).  A little cleaner won't
hurt.

Seal one end with a plastic baggie and rubber band; fill with some
hot water and some dish soap or a degreaser safe for plastic and
aluminum(no simple green, it reacts with aluminum!  No brake cleaner,
not safe for plastics!  Etc.)  Seal the other end.  Shake, tip one
end, then the other, etc.  You get the idea.  Repeat until the water
comes out reasonably clean, rinse once or twice, shake out the water,
reinstall, drive.

I've found a fair amount of oil on all the Audi and Porsche
intercoolers I've pulled out; it's worth the trouble to clean that
up, and a great item for when you're doing a t-belt change.

Oh, and if any of the paint comes off, touch it up lightly with some
flat black paint; not only are you protecting the aluminum, but black
colored items radiate more heat, a phenomenon called black body
radiation.

Brett
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