Upgrading the Intercooler in a S/C Manifold

94tbird

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Are there any replacements out there? I think That I would benefit greatly from a better flowing unit. any know of anything out there?

And because there always seems to be confusion when talking intercoolers and heat exchangers, i am not talking about the heat exchanger in the front bumper. just the intercooler that sits under the S/C headunit
 

tommygodfrey

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Are there any replacements out there? I think That I would benefit greatly from a better flowing unit. any know of anything out there?

And because there always seems to be confusion when talking intercoolers and heat exchangers, i am not talking about the heat exchanger in the front bumper. just the intercooler that sits under the S/C headunit

No nothing is going to be available. The intercooler you have is very good you just need an ice box and bigger h/e to see it at the track. Just like a Cobra. The intercooler will flow a ton you just need to add the correct supporting cast for your power levels
 

stkjock

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No nothing is going to be available. The intercooler you have is very good you just need an ice box and bigger h/e to see it at the track. Just like a Cobra. The intercooler will flow a ton you just need to add the correct supporting cast for your power levels

he's got a Killer Chiller already.... coolant temp is not the issue.
 

94tbird

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No nothing is going to be available. The intercooler you have is very good you just need an ice box and bigger h/e to see it at the track. Just like a Cobra. The intercooler will flow a ton you just need to add the correct supporting cast for your power levels

i do not have a heat exchanger any longer. I use a killer chiller and it has been working very well, but i just need to get the temps down a bit on the top end of the track. It seems liek it heat soaks too quickly. It may be a fluid amount issue. I have only a gallon to a gallon and a half i think. I may just need a 2 gallon tank or so. but i would like to look at a higher efficiency Intercooelr if at all possible in addition to the fluid capacity.
 

94tbird

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I honestly have no idea what KB uses. Its a 2.6H blower, so whatever the included manifold and intercooler is, is what i have
 

Natural1

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i do not have a heat exchanger any longer. I have only a gallon to a gallon and a half i think. I may just need a 2 gallon tank or so. but i would like to look at a higher efficiency Intercooelr if at all possible in addition to the fluid capacity.

Do you know what the temperature of the water is when it leaves the KC? I did one on a Cobra and we did run the heat exchanger before the KC to allow the water to be cooled by the HE first. Honestly, you are the first I have heard of running a KC without a HE. If I had to guess, when you removed your larger tank (with no HE), you lowered the capacity of the cooling system's fluid and also made the KC work harder by not cooling the fluid before it goes into the KC. On a short cycle with 1.5gal of fluid, that may be your issue. These intercoolers work well in other applications, the HE is the only variable I see. Just a thought..

BTW: We had a Lightning that was showing high discharge temps. I'm not saying this is the issue, but he had the lines to the pump flowing the wrong direction. IMO, he was lucky the engine held up.
 
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tommygodfrey

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I honestly have no idea what KB uses. Its a 2.6H blower, so whatever the included manifold and intercooler is, is what i have

I would check into that with KB. I can tell you I had a basic Ice box in the battery location on my 03 cobra w/ an Afco single pass H/E with a KB 2.8H pumping 28psi and my IAT2's crossing the strip running 9.9's @ 3755lbs were no higher than 133* in 90+ degree heat
 

94tbird

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well i know the flow is correct, my temps are real low most of the time, its just at the end of a run i think they are getting too high and its pulling timing. I do understand that these sensors are extremely prone to heatsoak as well and that actual temps can be about 10-15 degrees cooler than what it is showing. Ive gotta find a larger tank, just nowhere to put it. I am not going back to a trunk mounted tank. maybe even a secondary tank in series with this one.
 

tommygodfrey

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well i know the flow is correct, my temps are real low most of the time, its just at the end of a run i think they are getting too high and its pulling timing. I do understand that these sensors are extremely prone to heatsoak as well and that actual temps can be about 10-15 degrees cooler than what it is showing. Ive gotta find a larger tank, just nowhere to put it. I am not going back to a trunk mounted tank. maybe even a secondary tank in series with this one.

check my above post
 

94tbird

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I would check into that with KB. I can tell you I had a basic Ice box in the battery location on my 03 cobra w/ an Afco single pass H/E with a KB 2.8H pumping 28psi and my IAT2's crossing the strip running 9.9's @ 3755lbs were no higher than 133* in 90+ degree heat

even when i had a 6 gallon tank in the trunk filled with ice, my temps would still get really high. A lot higher than they are right now as well. so ive been moving in the right direction. just need a little bit more.

I dont think its the pump either. I've tried 2 mezieres and a lightning pump
 

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Tanner is correct. Removing the HE not only removed an extra level of cooling but it also removed the volume of water available to disperse the head in the system. Similar to a deep transmission pan....you simply have more fluid to carry the heat away.

On a replacement intercooler....you will need to find out the dimensions of the KB unit in order to see if an off-the-shelf version is available. Mihovetz removed a Cobra unit and replaced it with the I/C from a Ford GT a few years ago and it helped a little.
 

tommygodfrey

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even when i had a 6 gallon tank in the trunk filled with ice, my temps would still get really high. A lot higher than they are right now as well. so ive been moving in the right direction. just need a little bit more.

I dont think its the pump either. I've tried 2 mezieres and a lightning pump

What are your temps?
 

94tbird

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seems to vary but its not unusual to see 130-150 at the end of a run after a cool down period. I do circulate fluid between runs to get the car cool and usually give it at least an hour before another run.

I think part of my problem lies in the fluid capacity and partly i think i need to give the car a longer period before i take it down the track running for the A/C to properly cool the fluid.

Last night i let the car idle in my garage for 5 minutes. In that 5 minute period, the fluid got to 25 degrees BEFORE it hit the killer chiller. That was the fluid temp in the tank after returning from the intercooler.
 

tommygodfrey

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seems to vary but its not unusual to see 130-150 at the end of a run after a cool down period. I do circulate fluid between runs to get the car cool and usually give it at least an hour before another run.

I think part of my problem lies in the fluid capacity and partly i think i need to give the car a longer period before i take it down the track running for the A/C to properly cool the fluid.

Last night i let the car idle in my garage for 5 minutes. In that 5 minute period, the fluid got to 25 degrees BEFORE it hit the killer chiller. That was the fluid temp in the tank after returning from the intercooler.

The volume is probably an issue. The best way I did my Cobra was circulate Ice thru the system ( drain ect. a few times ) and run a fan on the blower between runs so it was completely cooled off. Then I pulled the relay out of the intercooler pump going to the staging lanes and plugged it back in before a run so the ice would not melt going thru the pits. I would put the h/e back on it.
 

Natural1

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I would put the h/e back on it.

+1

It just sounds like a combination of the KC being overwhelmed by not having a HE in series and lowered fluid volume. I have also seen oil and grime perform very well as an insulator, when the IC is dirty.
 
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94tbird

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Joe at KC told me to remove the HE for max efficiency. I appreciate the suggestion but for the time being, its gonna stay off. I think the main issue is volume. Im gonig to tackle that first.
 

Natural1

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Joe at KC told me to remove the HE for max efficiency.

Ron, I don't mean to beat a dead horse, as you have made up your mind already but please allow me this... The last time you made that comment (another thread), I didn't ask but now I really have to:

How will the manifold cooling system as a whole operate more efficiently, when its cooling capability is reduced by removing the HE? You want the water to go through the HE (cool), then go into the KC (cold) on its way to the IC. I don't see any way removing the HE will ever be efficient.

As I said, I'm not trying to "stir" the proverbial pot, I just don't really agree with Joe's rationale. I would actually like an explanation of how this works better than the standard configuration, as I just can't understand it being more efficient.

Also, if the tank is on the discharge side of the pump and not the suction, the system will not function properly. I'm sure you know, but I have seen this as well.
 
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