What is the purpose of an intercooler on a diesel engine?

An intercooler is a special piece, usually placed on Turbocharged or Supercharged engines. It’s purpose is to round up the air compressed by the turbo and supercharger, and then strategically cool it.

What happens when an intercooler fails?

If the intercooler fails, the engine won’t receive enough cool, dense air resulting in loss for complete combustion and exhaustion of unburned fuel. Not replacing the intercooler can directly affect horsepower, fuel mileage and emissions.

Is a turbo intercooler necessary?

Yes, an intercooler is required to install a turbocharged engine because an intercooler cools down compressed air coming from the turbo significantly – preventing them from prematurely detonating at an incorrect time.

How does a turbo intercooler system work?

An intercooler is a heat exchanger that’s fitted between the engine’s super or turbo charger and the intake manifold. Its job is to absorb and dissipate the heat in the charge air in order to provide the engine with the coolest and most dense air possible. There’s two types of intercoolers, Air to Air and Water to Air.

Does intercooler increase power?

It also makes the compressed air denser as it enters the intake manifold, which causes a richer air-to-fuel mix in the engine’s cylinders. The result is increased power output. So, the answer to the question is yes! An intercooler does help to increase horsepower.

What are the symptoms of a bad intercooler?

Signs of a damaged or leaking intercooler

• Noticeable drop of the engine power.
• Increased fuel consumption.
• Unnatural smoke from the exhaust system.
• Clogged intercoolers will cause an increase in the temperature of the air flowing into the engine.

How do you know if you have a bad intercooler?

In minor leak cases, there will be a lag in acceleration and an extra turbo whine. Major leaks will cause the computer to automatically default to “home mode”. This will result in a drop in the power and restricted RPM, making driving near impossible.

What are the benefits of a intercooler?

An efficient intercooler removes heat from the air in the induction system, preventing the cyclic heat build-up via the turbocharger, allowing higher power outputs to be achieved without damage.

Does intercooler increase HP?

So, the answer to the question is yes! An intercooler does help to increase horsepower. Adding an intercooler to an aspirated engine setup won’t make much difference to the engine’s output. Let’s look at the different kinds on intercoolers you might want to mod your engine with.

What are the benefits of a bigger intercooler?

The real magic of installing an aftermarket turbo intercooler is the ability to run a more aggressive tune without running into detonation. A larger intercooler is also less susceptible to heat soaking, which means you can stay out on the drag strip or race track longer without losing power.

What are the benefits of an intercooler?

Is intercooler required for turbos?

If you have stock turbos with a tune that increases boost the use of an upgraded intercooler is extremely important due to the high charge temperatures that the stock turbos make with higher than stock boost. The new turbos flow drastically better than stock and have a greatly different boost curve.

What is the difference between a radiator and an intercooler?

An intercooler is a radiator that cools the air exiting the turbo before it gets into the engine. The turbo is an air compressor that takes outside air and squeezes it down so it becomes denser / under higher pressure. A byproduct of compressing the air is heat.

How does an intercooler go bad?

There’s not much that can go wrong with an intercooler, so most faults are usually either associated with installation issues or physical damage resulting in boost leaks . One of the most common areas affected is the rubber boost hoses and the clamps that hold them in place.

How does an intercooler cool a supercharger?

An intercooler works just like a radiator – air is cooled by fins, bars, louvres , and plates inside the intercooler that are cooler than the compressed air coming from the supercharger.