cleaning intercooler

[charlloots]

can you clean your intercooler with gunk engine brite is it the same as useing carberator cleaner.thats what i used then hosed it down really good fins look bran new brass color .

 

[Rollin]

Moved to Tech.

 

[strikeeagle]

charl,

I assume you're talking about the outside, and not the inside?

For the inside, I use C16. Yeah, it's $8 a gallon, but you don't need much and it cleans without leaving any reside behind - it does a great job.

For the outside I've always taken an old toothbrush to the fins to gently pull out any dirt/bugs, then rinsed it off with a garden hose. I do the same to the radiator. But I've never had any grease/oil on the outside of my intercoolers...

I'd be cautious about using anything too strong that might attack the braze joints and compromise thermal performance.

 

[Matt Weiser]

For the inside you should use carb cleaner because it quickly evaporates off and doesn't leave a residue. For the outside, Engine Brite should work just fine. I used Simple Green and it worked great. Be sure and carefully straighten any bent fins as that affects air flow a lot.

 

[JToups386]

There have been numerous threads about this in the past. You may want to do a search on it.
However, I've always taken it off the car, and filled it half way with water, then add half a spray bottle of Castrol Super Clean (the purple stuff). Then fill it up to the top of the neck with water, slosh around a little, and let sit for a few minutes. Pour out (not on your grass or garden), and repeat the process. Once you've done the second round, run a water hose through the neck in the direction air will flow, and let it rinse through for a few minutes. You'll be amazed at the oil residue and greasy grime that comes out. Once done, the thing will be extremely clean and certainly more efficient for cooling. Let it dry for an hour or so, before hooking back up to car. If you have compressed air, blow through it for a bit, to speed up drying.
Works great for me!!!