[urq] Intercooler cooling fans

[Jeffrey Goggin]

> Any pictures or specs and how to's?

There are a few articles on this subject at www.autospeed.com, but
(unfortunately) you have to subscribe to read the complete version.

That said, there aren't any real tricks other than finding the right fan and
making sure the air it extracts has a way to get out of the engine
compartment.  I bought a NOS RS4 IC on eBay for cheap (~$160) as well as a
used Kawasaki motorcycle radiator fan (~$25) that fits absolutely  perfectly
between the end tanks, and will be installing this, along with vented S4
wheel-well liners, on my '99.4 A4 using a manual switch/relay setup the next
time I have enough time to pull the front end apart.  I'll also be
installing a mister system similar to the one I had on my '89 200Q (in fact,
I'm stealing the parts from that car!) and may ultimately install a
temperature-controlled switch for the IC fan if it proves effective enough.
Of course, living here in Arizona, almost anything has to help at least a
little bit (FYI, I saw 109 degees on the A4's outside temp gauge today and
113 degrees one day last week.  With the car parked in the sun at these
temps, the OEM rustproofing wax in the doors and rocker panels will melt and
in some cases, actually drip onto the ground under the car ... yikes!).

Now that I've written this, though, I've started wondering how easy it might
be to adapt an UrQ IC to an A4 ... after all, it has a far larger core than
even the RS4 IC, and with modified end tanks, its dimensions are such that
it might well fit inside the bumper cover, directly behind the grill vents.
Best of all, thanks to the engine swap I'm (slowly) plugging away at, I have
a free one sitting on the shelf in my garage.  Hmmm...

Jeffrey Goggin
Chandler, AZ