Well today i finally had a full day off from work so i cleaned my intercooler. At first i was nervous about doing this but once i got started it was a piece of cake. I bout my truck used a few years ago so i was curious if the intercooler was replaced when they got recalled. Once i got the S/C off i saw how disgusting my intercooler was. It was basically black and it had 10 rows so it had been updated. One less thing i have to do Well 3hrs and 6 cans of carb cleaner later it was done. Once i got it all back together I took it for a drive and can definatly fill a difference. Before i saw 12lbs of boost and would creep up to 13. Now its a solid 13 and creeps up to 14. Any one who owns a lightning has to do this. Ill be doing it again this winter at least it wont be 93 degrees then.

 

This is what came out of the intercooler

 

Be doing mine as soon as I get home from Korea. Bet mine looks the same.

 

Thats nothing

Mine was worse, I not only got the normal oil, but about 2-3 quarts of 50 weight oil from my leakey KB.

I ran mine through a perts washer for a hour, then 4 cans of carb cleaner

 

 

A couple of questions for you while the job is fresh in your head:

What do you do about the intercooler coolant? Do you have to cap something off prior to removing the intercooler? Do you have to do something to make sure no air enters the system?

How do you dispose of the black fluid filled bucket of crap when you're done? Will an auto parts store be able to take it and recycle it?

 

Ya you just stick some plugs or bolts into the hoses from the intercooler. When you take the intercooler out, you will have to drain some coolent out of the intercooler. Then also cap off the tubes on the intercooler. You don't want to get carb cleaner inside it.

Yes Autoparts stores should be able to recycle the oil

 

The system "burps" itself. When everything is back together, let the intercooler pump cycle fluid through the system and add coolant as necessary in the resevoir.

--Joe

 

You can just cap it off i replaced it since it hadnt been done for 44000 miles. ITs easy to drain there is a valve on the heat exchanger you get about a gallon out of there. I then caped off the tubes so i didnt get coolant all over my engine bay when pulling the intercooler out.

As for the big bucket of crap i just took it too an Auto oil changers thats close to my house.

 

Excellent, thanks for all the advice.

 

AA Batteries with 1.5 wraps of duct tape make great plugs for the intercooler lines.