Thread: Heater and Intercooler service

Pull the intercooler out (there's a good tutorial on Urban Panzers site). Check the intercooler for damage/leaks/cracks etc. if all is good you then need to flush it out. I used acetone to flush mine out. I stuck a rag in one end and secured with tape, then I poured in about a 500ml of acetone and covered the other opening with a rag and shook vigouresly for a few minutes. Repeat until the acetone runs clear. Leave the intercooler for an hour or so to vent the vapour and then I blew compressed air through to make sure it was free of any left over vapour. Check your hoses for delamination and if possible replace with silicone ones if your budget allows. Replace all hose clamps with new ones and that should be it for the intercooler.
Ps. Wear safety glasses when using the acetone. It stings quite a bit if you get it in your eyes ��...Oh, and don't have a ciggie hanging out of your mouth when shaking the acetone filled intercooler...Acetone has a low flash point...I've seen it ignite from a static spark when I was building boats....

Any desolvent that will remove oil should work. Rather than acetone, I used a mixture of kerosine and hydrocarbon based degreaser (don't use the alkaline water based one, unless you want to replace the intercooler as a result!!!), but other than that, similar procedure.

I sealed both ends, (two or three layers of glad wrap with elastic bands to secure it around the pipe) tipped the intercooler upside down and swished from side to side to get any oil out. Only used about a litre of fluid.

Repeat several times til the fluid is not removing any more oil (ie clear or pretty close to it).

I used acetone mainly because I had a 10L drum in the shed but also because it evaporates quickly and leaves no residue.