Chrisreyn

Ok just recently changed from a 91 non-IC to a 93 IC'd truck.
I can see teh obvious difference in the air plumbing" , but other than that, I realy have no clear cut idea on how the IC actually works... I know it cools the intake air, but what are the actual mechanics of how it works?
Does the coolant from teh radiator flow through the IC as well? what potential problems and such do I need to be aware of??
Reason for asking is I see coolant appearing to be leaking from the IC to intake side hose( at least that is where it looks to be coming from) and am wondering how big a problem this is or could be.....

Edjumacate me pleese....

mcoleman

The intercooler is strictly air to air. Must have a leak somewhere else that is blowing or dripping or the radiator is leaking and blowing onto it. I'll take a look on the 13th if it is still doing it.

Tuckerdee

No coolant is involved in the intercooler function. The intercooler is merely a radiator, an air-to-air heat exchanger, that sits in front of your engine coolant radiator. The charge air is compressed, and thus heated, by the turbine/compressor combo (you also get some heat from the "interconnectedness" of this combo as well). It then flows through the intercooler, looses some heat to the ambient air...and gets denser because of that, then flows to the intake manifold.

So...if you see coolant...it's most likely leaking from your radiator...the water kind. Is it a big problem? Not to intake air. But, yes, for engine cooling. Trace it down. It may be coming from the top hose and dripping down to I/C boot below. The bottom hose on the radiator is below the boot for the I/C on the passenger's side.

Chrisreyn

Ok, thats kinda what I thought, the intercooler is basicaly an air filled radiator....
Thanks!

kiszka6911

Do a web search on boyles gas law, P*V=n*r*T, for the sake of this conversation n & r are just constants. So pressure * volumn = temperature.

If you want to increase pressure (boost) in the same volumn (this would be the total volumn of the I/c tubes, intercooler, and intake manifold) then temperature must go up. Think another way, with your shop or garage air compressor when you compress the air the compressor head gives off heat that is becasue the air is now hotter from the increased pressure, volumn was constant. When you use an air nozzle to blow parts off it gets cold becasue of the change in pressure, high to low, temperature has to go down.

Now add in the fact that we are using HOT exhaust to spin the compressor which I am sure there is even more heat transfer. So now we have a hot, pressured air and what we want is the cold pressurized air. So running the air through the air to air heat exchanger (total system volumn not changing) reduces the air charge temp.

Ace

I would be interested to see just how much exhaust figures into heating the intake air charge. Very little would be my guess. The compressor blades are being cooled by the incoming intake air by the same token the turbine blades are being heated by the exhaust. They are connected by a relatively narrow shaft that is seperating them by about six inches and itself being moderated (cooled/lubed) by engine oil. Pull the intake tube off right after you park the truck next time and stick your finger on a compressor blade to see for yourself.

dpuckett

BTDT, it's too hot to touch most times, at least for a minute or two. Reason being, air causes friction at high speed (think Shuttle explosion in 03- piece of insulation came off, and it all went up in smoke in seconds). Friction causes heat. The air is hot coming out of the turbo, no matter the application. The intercooler cools it off, but it is then heated up some more when it gets forced around the elbows in the system and intake horn. But the end result is an overall cooling of the intake air vs just a cross over. There was a lengthy discussion on the TDR 1st Gen forum about this a couple months ago.

CHrisreyn- look closely at the elbow on the radiator (where the elbow is braised to the tank) where the lower hose hooks on. I have had 2 of them crack there and need beefing up.
Daniel

G1625S

While it may be too hot to touch, remember that the human threshold for pain is only about 120*F, so if you can stand it for a second or two, it's likely less than 150*

SuperiorRam

just wanna tell ya to look closely at your trans cooler lines by the IC on the drivers side (by the rad) there is a clamp that might be chafing or rubbing a hole in your IC mine got BAD about 1/8" or more deep i found this info here and i'll pass it on

frostie

tuckerdee said it best.
When I was in a diesel class many years ago. This is what I was told.
When the engine is under a load, the fresh air side of the turbo can cause the air to come out over 400 degrees F. The air to air unit can cool that air more than 200 degrees.
We all know that heat causes expansion. The cooler the air going into our engine the better. cooler air is more dense and is able to burn more efficiently.
It doesnt seem that the air to air unit can do much good. Believe me they make an engine run so much better.

dpuckett

Just ask bgilbert about when he installed the intercooler in his 89.

Chrisreyn

Thanks guys... always cool to learn somtin new.......