Intercooler fitting guide

johnny · #1 18-06-2006, 08:47

Can anyone point me towards an online guide to fitting an intercooler?

Am I right in thinking a side mounted intercooler from the S13 will fit?

Thanks.

turbomike · #2 18-06-2006, 10:18

hi,s13 one is not worth bothering with and is

,far better to use either a big volvo 740 or 940 one which are worth fitting and work good,i have all the piping for the 940 intercooler but you would need to soarce the intercooler,if you want to fit a 740 intercooler there used to be a guide on here (in the how to section)on how to fit a volvo 740 intercooler and radiator if its not on here still pm me and i ll send you the how to througth the post as ive got it printed

PukkaSilvia · #3 18-06-2006, 15:32

remove the standard fan and fit an electric one and then move everything about in the bay in the space you have created and bodge in an intercooler off another vehicle down your local scrappy. saabs,volvos etc are all the best bet. Ford iveco trucks etc have good bits of pipework you can grab to plub it in.

johnny · #4 18-06-2006, 15:33

Cheers for that

Is the S13 intercooler really that bad? I'm not intending to go for massive power so guessed it would be ok. Another thing is I want to stick to a fairly simple installation and leave the radiator in its original position. Finally, the S13 intercooler can be picked up for peanuts which is just about in my budget

johnny · #5 18-06-2006, 15:35

Thanks for that Pukkasilvia, posted at the same time as you.

s13eater · #6 18-06-2006, 15:36

one of the easyist ones to fit is a cossie one.

Zman · #7 18-06-2006, 16:08

Wrote this a couple of years ago, hope it helps

http://hem.bredband.net/gabvar/inter...20install.html

PukkaSilvia · #8 18-06-2006, 17:17

Nice writeup zman.

Well i have argued this before on another forum. The s13 intercooler is not very good as it is qute small and its not very free flowing. But i think if your not after loads of power, want to make the engine a bit more efficient,keep it 'stock' looking and tidy it is a good modification. It is certainly better than not having an intercooler at all. It would be good for upto 200bhp i should think. (12-14psi on a t2 turbo with a modified exhaust and air filter)

its really upto you what you do. There are tons of intercoolers about on ebay and at the scrap yard. ones with a decent flow in and out for the gases and big cores are your best bet.

johnny · #9 18-06-2006, 17:52

Yes, that's a great write up Zman.

Pukkasilvia, that's how i'm looking at it, the S13 one is an improvement over nothing but I'll have a look around.

200bhp will be my absolute maximum as I'm only intending to change the air filter, modify the exhaust and turn up the boost a smidgen.

I've bought the car to do airfields in and it isn't my main car so I can't go throwing too much money at it. I just want to improve the current performance a little as it seems very leisurely (ie slow) at the moment.

PukkaSilvia · #10 18-06-2006, 18:22

If thats all your after you will be very pleased with the performance after you do the things you have listed. The s12's performance hike with those mods is very noticable. Its after that stage things get expensive and achieve less gains.

I really enjoyed driving one of my s12s with just those mods. It was great fun to drive and drift with lots of responce and a nice progressive power band. 12psi with improved engine breathing is very nice on the s12

There old cars so a good service with new plugs (bcpr7es spaced at 0.9mm) and new oil(10-40 or 15-50 or 10-60 synthetic) and filters(universal cone air filter and c109 oil filter) is your best place to start at achieving back lost performance.