LOST JEEPS :: View topic - Warning on Intercooler Leaks

A good radiator shop or intercooler specialist can do a 'Leak Down' test with the intercooler in place. They can plug one end and apply pressure in the other side. If the pressure gauge drops when it is held this will indicate a leak. Then it can be removed to find and fix.

We used JB Weld in the bush of Alaska of diesel engine power plants. The water pumps (John Deere) were eroding away from the inside out, eventually getting thin enough to open up. We coated the inside with JB Weld, and we noticed the erosion continued on the original alloy, but the JB Weld was holding it's own.

BVCRD wrote:

Just out of curiosity, what did your wife say when she found you working on the intercooler in the kitchen? If I tried that, death would be but a short second away... :dizzy:

Author:	Glend [ Wed May 19, 2010 5:44 am ]
Post subject:	Warning on Intercooler Leaks
Was just talking to Phil (from Wollongong, Australia ). He is in the process of changing his timing belt. He noticed a bit of oil on the top (CAC IN side) of his intercooler during all the disassembly. Pulled the intercooler and had it pressure tested in a water tank and yep it was leaking. A tube weld cracked near the top on the side where the CAC In hose joins the intercooler plastic tank. Apparently this type of fault is common in Nissan's. Maybe it has something to do with the engine movement of the CAC IN hose stressing the intercooler assembly - just my speculation. I have never heard of it in KJ CRDs and there is no evidence of it that I can find but it might be worth a look if your doing that job. The tube can't be welded as its too close to the plastic tank (tank would melt) and it can't be disassembled because it can't be resealed (its all O rings and crimps). So he went off to Jeep Australia to price a new intercooler. Are you sitting down? It was $2720 AUD! No aftermarket replacements due to all the clips and such that are part of the molding. You could (maybe) source a universal type but it would have to be mounted right up front somehow. Anyway he went to a local heavy truck intercooler specialist who he was referred to and this guy says he can fix it with a metal putty (sort of an epoxy I guess) and that it will seal it and not open up again. Obviously Phil is rapted - its only going to cost him $100 to fix this way. Got to get the name of this miracle putty! BTW this sounds very much like the same problem as in this old LOST post : viewtopic.php?f=5&t=50589&hilit=+intercooler+leak

Author:	Joe Dirt [ Wed May 19, 2010 7:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
We remove a lot of charge air coolers from semi's that are leaking and cracked. We send them to a local radiator shop and they repair them with some kind of epoxy. It works very good and saves a lot of money.

Author:	geordi [ Thu May 20, 2010 1:44 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
Must. Get. Name. Of. Magic. Epoxy. I'm starting to wonder if the ham-fisted mechanic who was working on my CRD's engine all those months might have borked something, as it STILL seems like I have either a sensor killing my boost pressure (intermittently) or a boost leak that somehow comes and goes. If only to eliminate it, pressure testing it would be worth the pain-in-the-arse work this weekend.

Author:	Glend [ Thu May 20, 2010 4:30 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
A good radiator shop or intercooler specialist can do a 'Leak Down' test with the intercooler in place. They can plug one end and apply pressure in the other side. If the pressure gauge drops when it is held this will indicate a leak. Then it can be removed to find and fix. As to the Putty, both Loctite and Devcon make a good aluminium epoxy putty.

Author:	Joe Dirt [ Thu May 20, 2010 7:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
I test them all the time. All you need is to get 2 pvc end caps the same size as the cac hoses. Drill a hole in one end and tap 1/4 inch threads in it. Pressure up to around 20 psi. And check for leaks

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Author:	nursecosmo [ Thu May 20, 2010 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
A hairline crack in an intercooler will not compromise performance as only a fraction of a percent of the charge air can escape. However, if more than an oil seep is getting out there may be some efficiency impact,

Author:	Squeeto [ Thu May 20, 2010 1:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
Glend wrote: A good radiator shop or intercooler specialist can do a 'Leak Down' test with the intercooler in place. They can plug one end and apply pressure in the other side. If the pressure gauge drops when it is held this will indicate a leak. Then it can be removed to find and fix. When I got less busy, I was going to ask how Mark did this: (well the green part anyway)

Author:	BVCRD [ Thu May 20, 2010 2:51 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
We used JB Weld in the bush of Alaska of diesel engine power plants. The water pumps (John Deere) were erroding away from the inside out, eventually getting thin enough to open up. We coated the inside with JB Weld, and we noticed the errosion continued on the original alloy, but the JB Weld was holding it's own.

Author:	Dean [ Fri May 21, 2010 8:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
BVCRD wrote: We used JB Weld in the bush of Alaska of diesel engine power plants. The water pumps (John Deere) were eroding away from the inside out, eventually getting thin enough to open up. We coated the inside with JB Weld, and we noticed the erosion continued on the original alloy, but the JB Weld was holding it's own. Just out of curiosity, what did your wife say when she found you working on the intercooler in the kitchen? If I tried that, death would be but a short second away...

Author:	BVCRD [ Fri May 21, 2010 9:06 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
Dean wrote: BVCRD wrote: We used JB Weld in the bush of Alaska of diesel engine power plants. The water pumps (John Deere) were eroding away from the inside out, eventually getting thin enough to open up. We coated the inside with JB Weld, and we noticed the erosion continued on the original alloy, but the JB Weld was holding it's own. Just out of curiosity, what did your wife say when she found you working on the intercooler in the kitchen? If I tried that, death would be but a short second away... I never worked on one in the kitchen. I trashed a pretty nice folding card table once, but it is being recycled as a camping table.

Author:	Glend [ Fri May 21, 2010 9:36 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Warning on Intercooler Leaks
I use the kitchen counter for all sorts of Jeep related stuff; wiring up my work light, gluing up my auxiliary battery box, etc. Just do it when she is away from the house and don't burn any holes in anything. Ignorance is bliss. I have a friend who rebuild a Harley in his living room, so whatever I do at home I just point out it could be worse.

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