Stan Wright wrote:
A few years ago I upgraded the Liberty with ID Parts intercooler hoses, the Weeks Stage 2 kit, and the HDS thermostat. At the same time I also reconnected the CCV tube to the factory setup. Everything ran GREAT until a couple months ago. I was going to work and felt a small thud with a loss of power. The intercooler hose had come loose on the motor side of the Week's metal elbow. I reconnected it, but over the course of a week the hose also came loose at the other end of the elbow and at the connection to the intake manifold.
The inside of the intercooler hoses were saturated with oil so I went back to the elephant hose mod to remove the oil vapor from the intercooler system. I took the hoses and elbow off and washed everything out until it was squeaky clean. I reassembled everything and it worked fine for a month or so then it came apart again at the elbow. Once again it was saturated with oil. Since I had went back the elephant hose mod I thought the turbo might have been leaking oil. I inspected it and it seemed fine. No oil on the turbo or the intercooler hose attached to it, so my assumption is there is oil buildup in the intercooler itself that is being drawn out.
One thing I noticed is the Week's elbow could be a couple inches longer. When the hoses and elbow are assembled they seem to be slightly stretched and have a natural tendency to want to pull apart. To try to alleviate this I cut the ID Parts hose in two and inserted a piece of 2.5" pipe to give it more overall length. This allows the whole hose assembly to fit much better.
Another issue I seem to have is with the clamps. As I tighten them they seem to want to squeeze themselves off the hose. I've taken a punch and pinged the band to make divets that will bite into the hose more. It seems to help a little bit. Also, during this second reassembly of the intercooler hoses I used RTV on each connection to hopefully 'glue' each part together. This worked fine for a few weeks then it blew off at the intake manifold connection.
This is getting very aggravating. I can't count on the Jeep to be reliable. The hoses pop off during normal (low power) driving. Has anyone had these difficulties with the intercooler hoses? Solutions? Do they make clamps with more 'bite'?
The inside of the intercooler hoses were saturated with oil so I went back to the elephant hose mod to remove the oil vapor from the intercooler system. I took the hoses and elbow off and washed everything out until it was squeaky clean. I reassembled everything and it worked fine for a month or so then it came apart again at the elbow. Once again it was saturated with oil. Since I had went back the elephant hose mod I thought the turbo might have been leaking oil. I inspected it and it seemed fine. No oil on the turbo or the intercooler hose attached to it, so my assumption is there is oil buildup in the intercooler itself that is being drawn out.
One thing I noticed is the Week's elbow could be a couple inches longer. When the hoses and elbow are assembled they seem to be slightly stretched and have a natural tendency to want to pull apart. To try to alleviate this I cut the ID Parts hose in two and inserted a piece of 2.5" pipe to give it more overall length. This allows the whole hose assembly to fit much better.
Another issue I seem to have is with the clamps. As I tighten them they seem to want to squeeze themselves off the hose. I've taken a punch and pinged the band to make divets that will bite into the hose more. It seems to help a little bit. Also, during this second reassembly of the intercooler hoses I used RTV on each connection to hopefully 'glue' each part together. This worked fine for a few weeks then it blew off at the intake manifold connection.
This is getting very aggravating. I can't count on the Jeep to be reliable. The hoses pop off during normal (low power) driving. Has anyone had these difficulties with the intercooler hoses? Solutions? Do they make clamps with more 'bite'?
First, elephant hose is bad, get yourself a Provent filter!
As to boost hoses, a little trick I used on my Dodge, which is running over 40 psig boost at full gallop, it kept blowing hoses off even with "T" bolt clamps. I read of a little trick the diesel racers use, "GLUE"! So I sprayed inside of hose area where hoses connect and sprayed mating connector areas with 3M™ Hi-Tack 76 Spray Adhesive which I had on hand. Tightened "T" bolt clamps and let dry overnight!
Have NEVER blew a hose off again!!!
So, when I installed my Weeks silicone boost hoses and Weeks elbow kit on my Jeep CRD, I sprayed all the mating surfaces, tightened clamps, and let dry. Have never blew a boost hose off even when I turned boost up to 35 psi playing with Power Puck!
If you pull your boost hoses off, clean them good with some carb or brake cleaner to degrease, wipe dry, spray all mating surfaces with glue and reclamp and let dry for a few hours, you will never blow a hose off again!!!
