Front mount cooler COMPLETE but water rad air flow prob

[jwfcms]

Done front mount intercooler, but its obviously blocking air flow to the radiator. i noticed when i took it out it was fine but when i left it to tick over the fan came on quite quickly compared to before. has anybody else had this from fitting the front mount cooler? is there any way to keep the temp down or wire into the fan to turn it on when i want it.

i have removed the fog lights so i was thinking of using the loom with a plug in to fit which is connected to the fan so when i turn the fog light switch on for the front, the fan would come on. any ideas?

 

[Muttley]

Fan is worked by a thermoswitch in the radiator, so responds to actual rad temperature. No need to fit extra switches. Rad fan fuses are 40A and 30A, so fog light wiring isn't going to be man enough.

 

[Deleted member 20376]

thats not a forge kit is it?

 

[jwfcms]

no its not a forge kit and in my opinion, id prefer the alloy hoses i have rather than the forge silicone ones. it is also bigger than the forge cooler. and a quarter of the cost!!

 

[Richie-LCR]

no its not a forge kit and in my opinion, id prefer the alloy hoses i have rather than the forge silicone ones. it is also bigger than the forge cooler. and a quarter of the cost!!

any links to where you bought it? is the pipe work all separate parts or a kit?

cheers
Richie

 

[Pabs]

maybe because it's so big it's causing the issues in the first place?
just kidding! hehe. Remember tho, bigger is not always better!

Looks nice though, fits well

 

[Fl@pper]

if it's ticking over sat still there isn't any airflow at all going through the rad wether the cooler is on or not

 

[Pabs]

yep - i must admit i had a few temp issues with my LC and an FMIC.. especially when stuck in traffic.
Some have fitted a neuspeed (I think) thermostat that operates at a higher temp - thus negating any issues.

 

[jwfcms]

i know theres no air getting through when its ticking over obviously , but the cooler is blocking the air flow more from even fresh air from entering from by the bumper grilles because the cooler is in the way. and in traffic sometimes the fan can cut in and drop the temp straight down again it only goes over a tiny bit after 90. It defiantly has restricted the air because it would take a long time before untill the fan came on. i think i will look into the neuspeed thermostat then.

it is quite big your right, probably the biggest i could have fitted in. i ordered two coolers one slightly smaller which i sold on here when i decided which one i was going to use. the other cooler was large aswell and would have done the job but i thought if i go down the big turbo route or anything like that its always there if needed.

The pipe work came as a kit, with 2 x 90 2 x 45 and 75 i think and 2 x straight. didnt have to use the straights. used a 45 from cooler, to a 90 then to a 75. they come in lenghts and just cut them to size, easy to cut with a good new hacksaw blade. it takes a bit of time to cut them to get them right, just cut a bit off at a time. better to take less of than too much, then join them together with the couplers and clips. mount the cooler and line everything up. get some good stong brackets from b and q heavy duty ones. fabricate them to shape, you may have to cut tiny parts of the front panel to allow the outlets of the cooler to sit and the cooler sit level. straight forward stuff, get a good disc cutter. then primer and blow the panel over in black again. make sure the bumper will go on with some trial fits and cutting away near the foglight plastic parts on the R bumper.

pipework and cooler was from ebay, a guide on here i followed and got the idea was from NEV LCR guide. if you search for "FMIC TESTED" you will see the thread. cooler this size cost me £ 80. pipework £ 60, clamps etc £ 25, forge map sensor pipe £ 30 so around the £200 mark you got yourself a cooler like the forge one but for a third of the price and alloy pipework and you can say its been done yourself.

 

[Willie]

Have you tried refitting your bumper yet?

The cooler sits well low, not too sure you won't have to butcher the bumper/splitter/undertray to get it to fit

 

[GREY 225]

Ive got the pro alloy cooler on and it covers about 90% of the engine rad,it is one big intercooler,considering that it covers a big area of the rad ive had no issues with engine temps,fans cut in just same as before and only run for a couple of minutes when they do switch in.

 

[traumapat]

Ive got the pro alloy cooler on and it covers about 90% of the engine rad,it is one big intercooler,considering that it covers a big area of the rad ive had no issues with engine temps,fans cut in just same as before and only run for a couple of minutes when they do switch in.

same here.

 

[RobDon]

Bar and plate intercoolers block more airflow than tube and fin, which is what Pro Alloy and Forge both use. I have the big Pro Alloy tube and fin intercooler and never had any heat issues.

 

[lofer]

Ive got the pro alloy cooler on and it covers about 90% of the engine rad,it is one big intercooler,considering that it covers a big area of the rad ive had no issues with engine temps,fans cut in just same as before and only run for a couple of minutes when they do switch in.

Snap!


Jwfcms I see you’ve removed the two slam panel supports but in your pictures it doesn’t show any alternative support? Have you just left it without?

 

[jwfcms]

ok, in answer to the questions, the bumper fits fine. no need to touch the undertray at all sits well above it. i removed the supports and have shorted them and put them back in slightly above where they used to be to allow room for the it.

i dont see how there cant be any heat issues because it is still blocking flow to the rad, and the air con rad is behind that also blocking it slightly. there is no problem when on the move but i noticed in traffic it heats up more because there is less air getting to it from the bumper grilles as before there was nothing in the way.

yes fans cut in for only a short time, sometimes less than a minute just as before and brings temp right down but it is getting to this stage faster, where before i could sit in traffic for 10 mins and have no problem with fan cutting in but now say 5 mins before. thats all i have noticed.