Yes another intercooler question

[manwithav8]

First time post and newbie to these forums. I have been reading a lot over the last few days as I have just bought a new to me 2000 2.8TD LT rodeo with 220000km's on the clock. The ute is in the other half of the country and took a gamble on buying unseen. (very edgy till I get it and look over it)

I have read up on the usual mods to get these things breathing and going a bit better and am planning on the intercooler, more fuel, bigger exhaust route. All after I compression test though.

I have been looking around trademe for top mount intercoolers and had a thought.

Size obviously does matter, too big = too much lag and too little = not enough cooling so I am guessing it needs to be of the right size.
So, should I be looking for something new and if so what size? Or is it better to find a good condition bighorn unit?

If I go with the later how can I determine the condition of the intercooler? $30 is pretty cheap IMO so should I snap up the unit early and simply fit it and see how things go?

hhmm so many questions of which I have no answers lol

[manwithav8]

So no answers then??

[mudslinger]

get a factory top mount from bighorn etc and if need extra cooling chuck a 10inch fan on it that is wat i will be doin at some point on my mu

[Fly3r]

yep, what he said.
lag is not really an issue with deisels.
my two cents, is go with something that works, and the stock set is known to work

[jellis]

i guess if you really wanted you could proably get it pressure tested.
not sure where or how but im sure tehre would be a way

[Captcol]

Once you go aftermarket you get into sciencey type stuff that I would rather leave to experts

[geeves]

The same truck with the 4jh1 engine had a front mount intercooler so you might have an easy route to fitting a front mount without haveing to worry about scoops etc. Top mount causes less issues off road as they dont clog with mud but also they dont work as well at low speed unless you fan force them.
Cheap easy route is to keep an eye on pickapart for a 88 to 98 bighorn and grab the intercooler scoop and all pipes and brackets It will bolt on although you have to rotate the intake on the turbo carefully.
Just as cheap but not as easy is a Pajero or Subaru intercooler Have to make your own brackets and pipes and use aftermarket scoop (pajero scoop will fit with the pajero intercooler)

[manwithav8]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =384957454

Now, hoping noone looks at this and decides to cut my grass on this I think this could be a good deal. Looks pretty tidy and the pipping seems to be there. The seller has said there is no scoop available but i don't think finding one will be that hard.

Geeves what exactly is involved with rotating the inlet on the turbo mate?

I will be using the rodeo for commuting from Upper Hutt to Palmy North every weekend for the next two years so open road travelling is my main concern so opting for a front mount isn't worth the plumbing hassels IMO. I will often tow a trailer full of firewood and the ute deck will be full as well but not a major distance. Mainly around the Upper and Lower Hutt areas during the week and around the Palmerston North area on weekends. Will only ever tow an empty trailer from upper hutt to Palmy though, never full.

The mods I'm looking doing will all complement each other. Intercooler, Inlet snorkel and 2.5" exhaust from turbo back. Obviously there is a need to fit boost and EGT gauges and fuel adjustments. Is there a priority in order these mods and adjustments should be made or can I simply start off with more fuel then start spending money on the more big ticket items?

[turnturn]

As a bit of a guide for you regarding intercooling. I found that adding an intercooler to my 2.8 was worth about "half a gear".
I used to have a hill on the way to work that was somewhere between 4th and 5th gears. It now gets up the hill in 5th.

[manwithav8]

As a bit of a guide for you regarding intercooling. I found that adding an intercooler to my 2.8 was worth about "half a gear".
I used to have a hill on the way to work that was somewhere between 4th and 5th gears. It now gets up the hill in 5th.

Yeah thats what I have been reading. I'ts a rather cheap and efficient mod. Have you done anything else ie exhaust and inlet or have you just fitted an intercooler and left everything else standard?

[turnturn]

I've fitted the Intercooler and my exhaust has been replaced but only from about under the drivers seat. This was a repair and not a deliberate modification. I have also disabled the EGR stuff and wired open the QWS butterfly in the exhaust.

[manwithav8]

I've fitted the Intercooler and my exhaust has been replaced but only from about under the drivers seat. This was a repair and not a deliberate modification. I have also disabled the EGR stuff and wired open the QWS butterfly in the exhaust.

So you noticed and improvement over standard with just the intercooler then. Would be interesting to see how much of a gain with the intake and exhaust done as well then.

[turnturn]

Yes, the improvement that I mentioned above was purely down to the intercooler. The other things happened at other times.

[manwithav8]

that settles it then. Intercooler definately happening since there is a marked improvement to be had.

Is there a point in winding up the fuel at the pump before completing the intake and exhaust mods?

[manwithav8]

So I picked up the Rodeo tonight. Filled it up and after 160km the fuel needle has just dropped to the F. Looks like this will be the most economical wagon I have ever owned lol

Right, power.......... So I don't actually find it that bad, was down to 3rd up the Rimutakas, (just north of Upper hutt for those kiwis that don't know) but apart from that it held a steady 95-110 for the rest of the trip to Palmerston north. I'm happy with how smooth it ran and how easily it started up that I'm not going to bother with a compression test. No smoke either.

I will continue with fitting the intercooler as I can't help myself and have to better everything I own. I even mod my chainsaw for christ sakes lol.

I'm thinking of doing the exhaust after the intercooler as it will probably be cheaper for materials than fitting a snorkel. (doing it all myself) I have read on here that many recommend a 2.5" but have seen the odd post saying to go to 3". Is there a difference to be had with the extra .5" ??

[Captcol]

If you are looking at the exhuast getting an improved dump pipe is worthwhile, not cheap, I think someone here was selling 2.5 for around 200 aussie plus delivery but supposed to make a marked difference

[98Rodeo]

The price of those dump pipes for 2.5-3" is the same i think? cant recall, but if you are going to intercool it, wind the boost and fuel up I would go for the 3"
at least then you know its big enough, would be bad to find out more could be had if you were restrcited with 2.5"

[manwithav8]

If you are looking at the exhuast getting an improved dump pipe is worthwhile, not cheap, I think someone here was selling 2.5 for around 200 aussie plus delivery but supposed to make a marked difference

I have access to plasma cutter and flange steel so if i could suss out how the flange needs to be and weld a 3" dump pipe on then hopefully the rest should flow on from there.

[manwithav8]

The price of those dump pipes for 2.5-3" is the same i think? cant recall, but if you are going to intercool it, wind the boost and fuel up I would go for the 3"
at least then you know its big enough, would be bad to find out more could be had if you were restrcited with 2.5"

Yeah that was my thought too. It's all about getting that exhaust gas out so by winding up the fuel and getting more air in this stands to reason that there will be more exhaust. The bigger the better in this case.

[98Rodeo]

the same bloke on this forum sells the flanges too, if you are making your own dump then you might want to do that, think they were 20-30 bucks, is in the australia for sale section. There is also a bit of info in that thread about how the dump pipes will fit past the oil filter setup aswell.