A common cause of turbo failure is oil in the intercooler pipe. The intercooler is a device fixed for cooling intake air on your engine, fitted with either a supercharger or a turbocharger system.

This means the oil gathers in the bottom of the intercooler, reducing the performance of the intercooler itself. It also introduces oil vapours to the boosted air, so will have a negative affect on engine performance too. Also, many specialists now offer various ‘stages’ of upgraded intercooler for the same model, depending on the level of tune. There may be no need to go to the expense of a huge core and big-bore pipework for a mildly tuned application. However, for highly-tuned cars it may be essential for the engine’s health. What causes factory intercoolers to fail?Then you might experience oil in intercooler symptoms as the oil amount increases, and these are definitely not favorable. In addition, many aftermarket intercoolers also increase the inlet and outlet diameters. This aids in keeping charge air cooled by permitting a larger mass flow of air to enter and exit the intercooler.

In automotive engines where multiple stages of forced-induction are used (e.g. a sequential twin-turbo or twin-charged engine), the intercooling usually takes place after the last turbocharger/supercharger. However it is also possible to use separate intercoolers for each stage of the turbocharging/supercharging, such as in the JCB Dieselmax land speed record racing car. Some aircraft engines also use an intercooler for each stage of the forced induction. [ citation needed] In engines with two-stage turbocharging, the term intercooler can specifically refer to the cooler between the two turbochargers and the term aftercooler is used for the cooler located between the second-stage turbo and the engine. However, the terms intercooler and charge-air cooler are also often used regardless of the location in the intake system. [2] Method of heat transfer [ edit ] Internal combustion engines [ edit ] Cooling fins inside an air-to-air intercooler Air-to-liquid intercooler for a marine engineIf you are approaching tuning your engine from the perspective of a power goal, finding the parts you need to get that power goal and then having a company remap the car with the parts fitted. Oil might get accumulated in the intercooler as your car covers more distance, but this is not a frequent occurrence. And most times, it is due to a leak from your car’s turbo oil seals, which causes a restriction. The responsibility of your intercooler is to reduce the temperature of the compressed air from the supercharger or turbocharger. While cooling, that air increases the air density transferred to your engine. This can damage the delicate cooling fins, reducing the cooling efficiency of the intercooler, and is extreme cases and also damage the tubes through which the boosted air passes through.

The most common effect is an underperforming intercooler, resulting in increased inlet air temperatures, but in the worst cases the intercooler can puncture and you can end up with a boost leak. It’s the same as when purchasing any aftermarket product; look for a well-tested product from a reputable company. Thankfully, there are a number of trusted specialists producing intercoolers for modified cars, catering for all budgets and all levels of performance; from stage tuning to bespoke motorsport installations. If you want to DIY your wheel alignment you will be measuring distances in mm. This calculator converts the distance measurements into degrees. Toe, Caster and Camber calculators included. Fuel Economy Calculator

Engine tuning/remaps can put other parts under stress. With these remap calculators you can get an idea of the weak links on your engine.