Okay so I've ordered everything on your list for my intercooler. I also have a machine shop making the throttle body manifold based on your diagram. Once it's all installed, is there some tuning I can do with what is currently under the hood? As far as increasing boost etc.Look at post #28 in this thread. I've attached the drawing file. Just click it!
LJ78 Air/water intercooler working!
- Thread starter GTSSportCoupe
- Start date
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Sorry didnt add the pic in my last postFinally found some time to install the air/water intercooler setup I'd been planning for a while.
Was a fair amount of work, but the results are as good as I could ever have hoped. It has dropped my max EGT down by 250F at least!It is very consistent and has no problem dumping the heat. It probably has substantialy more capacity than my engine requires.
Recently I also replaced the abismal factory exhaust with 2.5" mandrel from the turbo back with an Aeroturbine muffler and ported dump pipe. This modification dropped my EGT's by 150F and increased economy by 1l/100km. I'm hoping the intercooler will further increase economy.
Running 1bar boost with the factory fueling going up a 2lte killing hill (Malahat summit Vancouver Island) full throttle I cannot get the post turbo EGT's above 700F. I can do most of the mountain at 100km/h+ in overdrive!
Power is much more consistent. Before it was very evident when heat soak set in from periods of high boost. Now the power is always there, and there is more of it. I'm going to turn the fuel up with the spill control valve adjustment screw and run my max EGT's about 200F more. I expect this will make a lot more power.
The system uses a Bosch pump, 5/8" hose, a ebay 26"x7"x2" intercooler radiator, a ebay a/w intercooler with a 9"x4"x3.5" core (overall size 9.25"x6"x3.5"), 2" aluminum piping with silicone couplers, and a custom throttle inlet.
I had to modify the grill bracketry a bit to fit the intercooler radiator in the front. But all in all it fit well. I also installed a transmission oil cooler at the same time.
I removed my bullbar and fog lights to get better air flow to the intercooler radiator. I do plan on installing a winch and custom bumper which will likely reduce airflow to the intercooler radiator again, but based on the performance i've seen, I think it'll be fine now.
I HIGHLY recommend a setup like this if you have a LJ7x or KZJ7x and want to avoid head problems and be able to tow etc.
EDIT! Thought I'd follow up on the work I did here:
Following all the work I've done, I started playing around a bit with the tuning. I turned up (in) the screw on top of the fuel pump spill control valve just under half a turn. What a difference!! This made a big increase in power. At full throttle from stop, there is a little puff of black smoke to begin, but once the boost hits the truck pulls good with no black smoke!
I also increase the boost to 15psi. I wanted more but my cheap ebay MBC seems unable to hold more boost (spring weak maybe?). I used my bleed off valve on the boost sensor to reduce the boost that the ECU see's by half a psi. This keeps the computer from going into error mode from an over boost condition (factory 14.7psi limit).
For some reason, turning up the fuel this much only raised the EGT's about 100F. A small price to pay for so much more power. Booting it around town (short hard acceleration) I still only see 600F post turbine (stock would have been 1000F easy). Long periods of full throttle high boost up a mountain towing produces a maximum of 800F post turbine (stock setup this would have been way way into the danger zone and a cracked head for sure).
Pictures:
GTSSportCoupe
2LTE abuser
- Thread starter
- #63
No, that's not right. I replied in your other thread with pictures etc.
How did you "Port" your dump-pipe?Finally found some time to install the air/water intercooler setup I'd been planning for a while.
Was a fair amount of work, but the results are as good as I could ever have hoped. It has dropped my max EGT down by 250F at least!
Recently I also replaced the abismal factory exhaust with 2.5" mandrel from the turbo back with an Aeroturbine muffler and ported dump pipe. This modification dropped my EGT's by 150F and increased economy by 1l/100km. I'm hoping the intercooler will further increase economy.
Running 1bar boost with the factory fueling going up a 2lte killing hill (Malahat summit Vancouver Island) full throttle I cannot get the post turbo EGT's above 700F. I can do most of the mountain at 100km/h+ in overdrive!
Power is much more consistent. Before it was very evident when heat soak set in from periods of high boost. Now the power is always there, and there is more of it. I'm going to turn the fuel up with the spill control valve adjustment screw and run my max EGT's about 200F more. I expect this will make a lot more power.
The system uses a Bosch pump, 5/8" hose, a ebay 26"x7"x2" intercooler radiator, a ebay a/w intercooler with a 9"x4"x3.5" core (overall size 9.25"x6"x3.5"), 2" aluminum piping with silicone couplers, and a custom throttle inlet.
I had to modify the grill bracketry a bit to fit the intercooler radiator in the front. But all in all it fit well. I also installed a transmission oil cooler at the same time.
I removed my bullbar and fog lights to get better air flow to the intercooler radiator. I do plan on installing a winch and custom bumper which will likely reduce airflow to the intercooler radiator again, but based on the performance i've seen, I think it'll be fine now.
I HIGHLY recommend a setup like this if you have a LJ7x or KZJ7x and want to avoid head problems and be able to tow etc.
EDIT! Thought I'd follow up on the work I did here:
Following all the work I've done, I started playing around a bit with the tuning. I turned up (in) the screw on top of the fuel pump spill control valve just under half a turn. What a difference!! This made a big increase in power. At full throttle from stop, there is a little puff of black smoke to begin, but once the boost hits the truck pulls good with no black smoke!
I also increase the boost to 15psi. I wanted more but my cheap ebay MBC seems unable to hold more boost (spring weak maybe?). I used my bleed off valve on the boost sensor to reduce the boost that the ECU see's by half a psi. This keeps the computer from going into error mode from an over boost condition (factory 14.7psi limit).
For some reason, turning up the fuel this much only raised the EGT's about 100F. A small price to pay for so much more power. Booting it around town (short hard acceleration) I still only see 600F post turbine (stock would have been 1000F easy). Long periods of full throttle high boost up a mountain towing produces a maximum of 800F post turbine (stock setup this would have been way way into the danger zone and a cracked head for sure).
Pictures:
GTSSportCoupe
2LTE abuser
- Thread starter
- #65
I used a died grinder. Making a new dump pipe from scratch would be a better way to go though. Using the die grinder I think I was only able to get another 1/4" diameter or so.
Apologies for reviving an old thread, @GTSSportCoupe , but I hope you don't mind me asking your thoughts on air/air vs air/water intercoolers?
Considerations of cost and complexity aside, in my application I am thinking of how effective air/air might need at lower speeds. For example, pulling a trailer loaded with atv or firewood down forest service roads and trails, or else driving in mild weather through wet heavy snow.
Is an air/air intercooler still effective at lower vehicle speeds? I'm thinking there will still be significant demand on the engine and from the turbo pulling hard in these situations.
Thanks for all the great information you have made available!
Considerations of cost and complexity aside, in my application I am thinking of how effective air/air might need at lower speeds. For example, pulling a trailer loaded with atv or firewood down forest service roads and trails, or else driving in mild weather through wet heavy snow.
Is an air/air intercooler still effective at lower vehicle speeds? I'm thinking there will still be significant demand on the engine and from the turbo pulling hard in these situations.
Thanks for all the great information you have made available!
this reason is why i did an air to water on my 3b bj70, the core is cooled at all speeds, you still need air flow to cool the water through the aftercooler of course though, but it gives you more of a buffer zone before the water starts to heat up some, and by then you would have more air flow
This makes sense to me, but I have so little experience with both diesels and trubos that I'm trying to decide if the extra cost, effort, and complexity is really worth it for these low speed applications. Placement of the core would make a difference, as would having electric pusher or puller fans on it. However then you are either adding to the heat load of the coolant system or else adding extra complexity again with the electric.
I wonder if anybody that has installed an air/air intercooler on a 2LTE would jump in with some real world experience. I feel like air/water is ideal but may be overkill, but air/air could end up being money and effort ill spent if I end up going air/water in the long run.
@bj70bc , what has your experience been with your intercooler to date in terms of adequacy? Do you feel that yours is comfortably overkill at all times, or does it still seem to strain at times to effectively cool your intake air?
Living in northwestern Ontario, my climate is cooler than BC and vastly less precipitous, lol, so I may be putting less load on the engine in most driving conditions.
Living in northwestern Ontario, my climate is cooler than BC and vastly less precipitous, lol, so I may be putting less load on the engine in most driving conditions.
I have an air/water system. It works great all the time. Or at least it worked all the time till my $50 pump failed. That being the down side of air to water. You have a pump that must run all the time for it to work. The reason I chose air /water over air/air it was the simplest to mount and plumb. No drilling or cutting the fire wall or working around air conditioning parts. EZ PEZE. Also you wont need a fan when you are driving slow. When you drive slow the turbo wont be making much if any boost. And lastly, pay the extra money for a Bosch coolant pump. They work much better and last longer.
yes, one bonus is running 3/4 water lines is easier than 2+" pipe to the front
) on the trail. In this scenario it beats an air/air for sure as it doesnt heat soak the core ever as the water is flowing.
At highway speeds an air/air would be better as air moving that fast has an equal or better cooling capacity than the smaller water core would and at speed heat soak concerns are gone competely.
My truck spends its life at low speeds so thats what it got built to deal with....and for the highway the water intercooler is still working good too... even better than it would at slower speeds as the aftercooler is cooling the water more efficiently.
I find when its less then 60F out the intercooler has a very noticeable bump in performance and I cannot get the egts anywhere near too hot
Yes bosch pump (or better).... no bilge pump bs
The number 1 reason for the air to water for me, is full boost in low gear at low speeds (or no speed
) on the trail. In this scenario it beats an air/air for sure as it doesnt heat soak the core ever as the water is flowing.At highway speeds an air/air would be better as air moving that fast has an equal or better cooling capacity than the smaller water core would and at speed heat soak concerns are gone competely.
My truck spends its life at low speeds so thats what it got built to deal with....and for the highway the water intercooler is still working good too... even better than it would at slower speeds as the aftercooler is cooling the water more efficiently.
I find when its less then 60F out the intercooler has a very noticeable bump in performance and I cannot get the egts anywhere near too hot
Yes bosch pump (or better).... no bilge pump bs
GTSSportCoupe
2LTE abuser
- Thread starter
- #72
Sorry, missed all this, not on here as much anymore. But yes, what the guys are saying above are my thoughts too.
