I have what looks to be a leak from the intercooler (sooty deposit near the edge) how worried should i be? Its a ZD30 02 model
I have what looks to be a leak from the intercooler (sooty deposit near the edge) how worried should i be? Its a ZD30 02 model
It is reasonably common for ZD30 intercoolers to leak. There are generally 2 main causes of them leaking.Originally Posted by nickpeacock36
1, The shroud on top of the intercooler can rub through the core. I spaced my shroud up with a few washers on each mounting bolt.
2, Overboosting can push the crimped on end tanks away from the core allowing the seal between the core and tank to leak. It's a good idea to fit a boost guage if you don't already have one so you can see what the boost is doing. If it is overboosting then it will be worthwhile fitting a Dawes valve to manually control the boost.
In either case if your I/C is leaking you need to replace it. Forget buying genuine, over priced and no better than what you already have. Places like PWR (www.pwr.com.au) and ARE do exchange intercoolers where they weld the original end tanks onto a higher quality core.
You could go a step further and fit an upgraded intercooler while you're at it.
You should be concerned about a leaking intercooler especially if you don't have an exhaust temp guage fitted. Low boost can raise the exhaust gas temperatures although it is unlikely you would be loosing enough boost to do damage.
Tony
Thanks Tony. Concerned enough to stop driving the car until its fixed?
Can you post a photo of the intercooler?
It's probably been leaking for a while and you've only just noticed.
Tony
I'll have a go Tony, but i havent had much luck posting pics upto now for some reason. Plus its raining persistantly at the moment.
The weather's the same down here on the southside Nick.
Are you trying to post photos as attachments or from a photo hosting website like Photobucket?
Tony
No mate im trying to load pics i just loaded into the computer. when i click the insert image icon it asks for a URL starting with http. any idea what im doing wrong?
I'm not sure which insert image icon you're referring to, but if you go into "go advanced" then click on either the paperclip icon up the top or "attachments (manage attachments)" down the bottom - you need to scroll down to see that one, it will bring up a box that will let you browse your computer to select an image. Just make sure the image is not to big, I resize my photos to 640 x 480.
Tony
Ok I have made pictures smaller so here goes
Well you got the photo thing sorted, well done.
You can see debris stuck to the oil stain so it's been leaking for a while, definately time for a new I/C.
You should be right to keep driving it until you can organise a replacement, but avoid using heavy throttle for long periods.
Tony
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote