upgrading wta intercooler?

6strngs

New member
Alright so I have an ST165 and I'm 99% sure that the pump for the intercooler has gone out. (I had a CEL for my intercooler and my diagnosis pointed to the pump. Now I have the constant run mod, so no CEL, but I can't see water moving in the IC or hear the pump running) Anyway, I want to upgrade my IC so I would prefer to buy an uprated pump rather than another stock pump. So what kind of pumps are best to use? and is there how-to's or pics of them somewhere?

I'd also be interested to know what my options are for upgraded heat exchangers and the IC core itself. I guess a lot of people on here use mustang cobra exchangers and ST205 cores. Are there any other options out there?

and finally, for my goal, which is about 300-350 AWHP, and uses, which will be mostly street driven and some drag racing, is an upgraded WTA intercooler or a FMIC going to be a better option for me?
 

LegacyofDan

New member
well here are some options for you:

2 different sized heat exchangers
http://www.frozenboost.com/product_info ... d529ac7272

http://www.frozenboost.com/product_info ... d529ac7272

you are right people tend to either go with the cobra HE's or the ST205 HE's, but there are some options for ya :)


pumps, i know alot of people run the bosch pump:
http://www.frozenboost.com/product_info ... d529ac7272

but there is this one too

http://www.frozenboost.com/product_info ... d529ac7272

and i just bought this one off from ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... &viewitem=

/\ it maybe too big, but hey oh well, i'm going to try it out, and if it doesnt work i will sell it :) haha


hope i was some help :)
 

WideFNopen

New member
Just add another 165 HE to the pass side. The stock pump should flow pretty good with the constant run mod done. If you overflow the system with a huge pump you will not see gpod results.

If you do decide to run a big pump you should have some way to moniter the Air charge post IC and have a way to adjust pumping speeds.
 

6strngs

New member
thanks for the help guys. I didn't even think that too big of a pump would cause a problem, but it makes sense if the water is flowing too fast it won't have sufficient time to cool, and too slow and it'll become too hot in the IC core. I'll probably lean more towards that bosch pump, it seems higher quality than the other one.

BTW, I guess I should mention that I've removed the A/C from the car, so I have more room to mount a big HE than most would.
 

siralys

New member
Hey whats up? I've been looking into upgrading my setup as well. Good job Dan I was gonna give him the link to frozenboost too. I've been looking at that site and its given me some pretty good ideas. I suggest you look around the site at the various sizes and styles of heat exchangers, they also have 1 or 2 pump options there.
 

MrDB

New member
Another useful trick is to add in another resevoir to the setup adding more volume of water = more time to heat up and more time to cool down.
 

LegacyofDan

New member
MrDB":3u64o1lo said:
Another useful trick is to add in another resevoir to the setup adding more volume of water = more time to heat up and more time to cool down.

also if ur intentions are short lil drags, then you can use that "reservoir" as an ICE Box, all you do is pack in some ice and you would be surprised the much that does :)
 

Insanity-74

New member
If you want to improve the cooling ability of the charge cooler system then your first step should be to remove the "constant running" of the pump.....contrary to popular belief, having the pump run on constantly actually worsens the ability of the charge cooler to remove heat from the charge air.....tests have proved this.

Also the weak point of the system is not the radiator, its the actual charge cooler itself...a good upgrade would be to use either a 185CS/RC charge cooler, or an st205 charge cooler.....only then do you need to think about replacing the radiator.

Also the standard pump is more than up to the job of pumping fluid around the system.

Lagging the bottom of the charge cooler will also help...but dont waste your time with this thin heat reflective cloth that everyone uses...it wont do a thing, its too thin.....you need something at least 1cm thick, preferably a felt type material with a reflective cover...this will give you a long term solution to defense against engine heat.
 

ST185pinjo

New member
I was thinking of sticking kork to mine, about 1 cm thick kork tile or something. I don't know it that works, but if you try and set fire to a bottle kork that remains cold even if it has blackened. :shrug:
 

6strngs

New member
Thanks for the info, I know that you know what you're talking about when it comes to WTA intercoolers insanity. Anyway, my stock pump is shot so the constant run mod actually is doing nothing for me right now, I just did it to get rid of the CEL. I just figured that I would upgrade the pump while I was at it rather than just replacing with a stock one. So, if you had to replace the pump no matter what, would you still go with another stock one over an aftermarket one? I'm not too concerned with the difference in price if it'll help me out.
 

Insanity-74

New member
6strngs":8bq8cjm2 said:
Thanks for the info, I know that you know what you're talking about when it comes to WTA intercoolers insanity. Anyway, my stock pump is shot so the constant run mod actually is doing nothing for me right now, I just did it to get rid of the CEL. I just figured that I would upgrade the pump while I was at it rather than just replacing with a stock one. So, if you had to replace the pump no matter what, would you still go with another stock one over an aftermarket one? I'm not too concerned with the difference in price if it'll help me out.

In that case an upgrade wont do any harm if price isnt a worry...personally I`d go for stock...dont know why...just my preference......a better pump would certainly allow for my adventurous upgrades in the future.....but if there is a massive cost difference then I doubt the benifits would outway the cost....if that makes sense???
 

Insanity-74

New member
ST185pinjo":3nqa5ryr said:
I was thinking of sticking kork to mine, about 1 cm thick kork tile or something. I don't know it that works, but if you try and set fire to a bottle kork that remains cold even if it has blackened. :shrug:

Cork will slowly smoulder..it dosnt really burn but it will smell for ever :lol: I`b go for a fire resistant felt like this stuff.

Sorry, the link is to a UK shop...I have no idea at all where in the US you`d go about getting something similar.


http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ ... e=NIM14130
 

built2run

New member
wel if you already have a larger HE and the constant run there is no problem at all yes the core is the weak point but the constant run is a very good mod as when your on a dyno the car is not moving hence the air flow isn't all there even with the best fan on it. having more flow and more wolume of water flowing in the HE will help a lot and this I have proven in my own car. the water constantly moving throught the HE gets cooled off all the way by the time it has to go back to the core, the only way this works is if your HE is at least twice the size of the core. IMO get that pump and a large HE(the size of your rad aprx.) and the RC or st205 core or an equivalent core and keep the constant run mod.
 

WideFNopen

New member
I ran the extra 165 HE and had the constant run mod on my 165 setup before i swapped in a RC motor and it cooled very well, much better than stock.

I would like to see the data that says that this is not a solid upgrade.
 

WideFNopen

New member
built2run":3cp5mjjd said:
mybe slightly better flow but the core is the key to the system the 205's core can hold up to 500hp

Are you sure that they will do this without a chemical intercooler?
 

built2run

New member
ya look around gt4oc there are st205's at 500+ hp and the stock core maybe a larger HE and the pump running all the time. as was said b4 on here ATA looks better and is simpler, thats where the advantages end
 

Insanity-74

New member
built2run":3d9psb9y said:
ya look around gt4oc there are st205's at 500+ hp and the stock core

Really?? I`ve been a member of the GT4OC for 4+ years and am currently staff on the GT4OC and I cant think of a single st205 running 500bhp (although I`m sure there is one maybe two) and certainly cant think of one using the standard charge cooler. Its the current fad over there to put on a FMIC, which ALL of the big power cars have done...and alot of the little power cars aswell mores the shame.

I`m a big fan of the charge cooler system and the more R&D we do the better we can make it, but most just junk it and fit a FMIC.

In fact I think I`ve probably got one of the highest BHP cars still using a charge cooler and mines far from standard...and with only a modest <340BHP

I think you`ll find the stock charge cooler struggling at around 350 - 400 BHP...although this depends greatly on the type of turbo your running etc etc.

The TTE rally cars used a deeper core than you get on the road cars, and they ran only around 350BHP
 

Insanity-74

New member
Well after a bit more research I`m man enough to admit that I`m wrong............the basic criteria for the charge cooler pump to be "on" is that the throttle is open and the pump only turns off 30 seconds after the throttle has been closed..quite how having the pump run constantly would make any difference is a mystery...but on the other hand I`m going to have to admit that making it run constantly wont make it any worse......if you are going to run the pump constantly then a fan for the charge cooler radiator would be a good improvement and keep things nice and cool , but having the pump running when the car is stopped isnt going to cool anything due to no airflow.
 
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