Best method for cleaning intercooler?
03-22-06, 07:57 PM
#1
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Best method for cleaning intercooler?
So I took of my front bumper to re-paint it and wanted to take advantage of it being off to clean my intercooler. My intercooler is hi polished and I wanted to know what is the best method to clean inbewteen the fins. I know I have to be very careful not to bend the fins but I wanted to clean the lines inbetween the fins. Any advice? I was thinking of masking off the fins with blue tape but wanted to know if anyone had other ideas or tricks they use for this?
03-22-06, 09:07 PM
#2
Originally Posted by bluelex
So I took of my front bumper to re-paint it and wanted to take advantage of it being off to clean my intercooler. My intercooler is hi polished and I wanted to know what is the best method to clean inbewteen the fins. I know I have to be very careful not to bend the fins but I wanted to clean the lines inbetween the fins. Any advice? I was thinking of masking off the fins with blue tape but wanted to know if anyone had other ideas or tricks they use for this?
Damn bro, I think I finally met someone more **** than me. haha
03-22-06, 09:30 PM
#4
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cleaner
What i use on my 240sx is some cast aluminum wheel cleaner. Works great. Don't leave it on the polished end tanks too long or you'll need to use mothers polish to get the white mark off.
What i always do is to wet the intercooler, then spray the fins of the core with the alum wheel cleaner. let it sit for about a couple of min. While i'm waiting for it to do it's thing, i'll mist over my endtanks so that none of it will run down them. Then hose the whole thing down and POW!! Done. Clean!!!! Not that my intercooler got crazy dirty or anything, because i stay on top of it, but that stuff does a good job.
IIRC Eagle makes the cast alum wheel celaner that i use. I'm sure there are other brands.
Kyle
What i always do is to wet the intercooler, then spray the fins of the core with the alum wheel cleaner. let it sit for about a couple of min. While i'm waiting for it to do it's thing, i'll mist over my endtanks so that none of it will run down them. Then hose the whole thing down and POW!! Done. Clean!!!! Not that my intercooler got crazy dirty or anything, because i stay on top of it, but that stuff does a good job.
IIRC Eagle makes the cast alum wheel celaner that i use. I'm sure there are other brands.
Kyle
03-23-06, 11:27 AM
#7
Top clean inside the I/C (more important that outside as the inside will get a coating of oil in it) remove the I/C and put in a little gas and shake well, then pour out the gas, do this until the gas you pour out comes out clean, then let it air out for a while. To clean the outside, once again use gas but use a rag soaked in gas to GENTLY rub the bars (watch the fins), then polish with aluminum polish when dry. If you bend a fin just borrow a bobby pin from you girlfriend/wife and use that to straighten them one by one. Using gas on the outside may not be necc. it really depends on the amount of grime/buildup on it. I would definitly recommend cleaning the inside if you have been using the I/C for more that 6 months without a cleaning.
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03-30-06, 02:34 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Well I thought my intercooler was polished but only the sides were. The bars inbetween the fins were just metal. So I decided what the heck I'd try to polish them out for a cleaner shiny look. I started by using 600 grit and water to sand down the grit and nasty stuff that sticks on (this is what happens when you don't protect your intercooler with mesh and show it off 
). Than I used a 1000 grit as step 2 and follwed with 1500 grit as my 3rd step, I couldn't find 2000 grit at either home depot, advanced auto or pepboys so I just used 1500 grit. I finished by using Mothers power metal with the Powerball mini which I found at Pepboys. All in all in came really nice, not professional or pefect by any means but much nicer than it looked before with a little more shine than before aswell. Took me a couple hours.
Before.
After..(If you look at the last bar up you'll se a close up of what it looked like before, I didn't do this one cuz the opening in my bumper wouldn't show it anyway.)
). Than I used a 1000 grit as step 2 and follwed with 1500 grit as my 3rd step, I couldn't find 2000 grit at either home depot, advanced auto or pepboys so I just used 1500 grit. I finished by using Mothers power metal with the Powerball mini which I found at Pepboys. All in all in came really nice, not professional or pefect by any means but much nicer than it looked before with a little more shine than before aswell. Took me a couple hours. Before.
After..(If you look at the last bar up you'll se a close up of what it looked like before, I didn't do this one cuz the opening in my bumper wouldn't show it anyway.)
03-30-06, 02:59 PM
#10
Lexus Champion
Finish the job!
Blue, you must finish that last bar! 
It's driving me crazy looking at it all clean with the exception of that one bar! I know it won't be seen, but remember you set the standard? Lol! 
It's driving me crazy looking at it all clean with the exception of that one bar! I know it won't be seen, but remember you set the standard? Lol!
03-30-06, 03:47 PM
#12
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Originally Posted by wringo
Blue, you must finish that last bar! It's driving me crazy looking at it all clean with the exception of that one bar! I know it won't be seen, but remember you set the standard? Lol!
It's driving me crazy looking at it all clean with the exception of that one bar! I know it won't be seen, but remember you set the standard? Lol! 
03-31-06, 10:38 PM
#14
Originally Posted by bluelex
So I took of my front bumper to re-paint it and wanted to take advantage of it being off to clean my intercooler. My intercooler is hi polished and I wanted to know what is the best method to clean inbewteen the fins. I know I have to be very careful not to bend the fins but I wanted to clean the lines inbetween the fins. Any advice? I was thinking of masking off the fins with blue tape but wanted to know if anyone had other ideas or tricks they use for this?
I was under the impression you had to DRIVE the car to get the ic dirty, guess you learn something everyday.
04-01-06, 05:32 AM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by Indio
I was under the impression you had to DRIVE the car to get the ic dirty, guess you learn something everyday.
Whatever !!!
Guys- Trust me I'll somehow be able to live with it, my hands,fingers and knuckles are still feeling the effects of rubbing over and over with this weak fine sand paper.
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