Intercooler Placement IDEAs Needed., Need a better option.....Love my water to air, but open Options

[budman5201]

As all you probably know, i have a ej20 turbo subaru in my car. I love it and it runs great, but now i am at the point where i want to streamline how well the system works.......

First matter of attention is the intercooler placement. I have a small water to air intercooler tucked in front of the pulley on my subaru motor. It works great, but i am getting a little too much heat soak on the aluminum tubes leading to it. I was debating an idea of putting it in the rear trunk or in the fender since placement wouldnt be a factor because its a water to air. I do like the one members ORANGE nice turbo car on 914world here with the air/air one in the back and vent in the wing.....

Looking for ideas....

[Katmanken]

I'm re-reading this thread and a coupla thoughts..

You want efficiency or pretty?

If you want efficiency, hang the sucker on the outside of the car in a direction for airflow to pass through it-ie on the roof, deck lid, in the rear spoiler, etc....

Pretty is hide it like yer doing....

DB, what's stopping you from doing a quick test to solve this top to bottom or bottom to top issue????

Can you hang a coupla pieces of yarn on the top of yer intercooler, drive yer car and look at the tuft movement on the top of the intercooler in the rearview mirror at several different speeds??? If the flow is bottom to top, the yarn goes up, if the flow is top to bottom, the yarn stays down...

A piece of cheap posterboard and some duct tape can also cover yer engine grille and might give a more definitive flow answer through the smaller opening over the intercooler with the yarn test- ie: up or down.

Then again, covering the grille may change the flow....

Ain't testing fun??? Airflow is not always intuitive....

My gut says making a smooth custom top with no openings is a heat bomb. Why? Have a nice hard run, get stuck in stopped traffic, and the extra heat has to go somewhere but can't... Warm air rises, and the engine is stuck in a hotbox......If you do the run and stop test with a stock Subie car, the fan kicks on and forces cooling air through the radiator and out of the front engine compartment....

Ken

[RJMII]

DB, what's stopping you from doing a quick test to solve this top to bottom or bottom to top issue????


Ken

Ken;

I have done quick tests with both of my watercooled 914's. (I know you were talking to DB... but...)

The first one, the radiator was in the engine compartment. We HAD to figure out the airflow in order to get the cooling correct. We used strings.

This recent one, the exhaust pipe from the turbo dumps out right behind the axle and it was running quite rich when I'd put my foot into it. The cloud of smoke from the exhaust came up from the bottom, and out the top.

I'm telling you, airflow in the engine compartment is from the bottom, up and out the top.