I think the intercooler that I picked up from the wrecking yard is sort of dirty inside. How do you guys clean it? Or do I have to take it to the radiator shop.

 

I would slosh around some kerosene if there were oily residue else, some stiff regular detergent and a thorough flushing.

 

Would diesel be a good substitute for kerosene?

 

It may take slightly longer to evaporate (they are closely related). I would still chase the solvent (kero/diesel) with a stiff detergent.

 

'Dawn' brand dishwashing liquid soap is one of the best degreasers ever, and it's ok on the environment too. Pour a little of that in with some water, and as BC said slosh it around some. Make sure and rinse ALL the suds out!

 

Mmmmm! Black bubbles out the exhaust.

 

I'm sure at the least it'll keep the kids amused!

 

When I got my Powerstroke intercooler it was full of oil(stinkin powerjokes) I just let it sit on its side a few days so the oil would all flow to one side and and then dumpe it out once or twice, then I got a can of carb cleaner and sprayed it out along with the help of an air compressor and flushed it all out, I think it worked pretty good.

 

CLEANING
CAUTION: Do not use caustic or acid based cleaners to clean the charge air cooler. Damage to the charge air cooler will result.




NOTE: If internal debris cannot be removed from the cooler, the charge air cooler MUST be replaced.

NOTE: Charge air cooler must be a room temperature for this procedure.
1. If the engine experiences a turbocharger failure or any other situation where oil or debris get into the charge air cooler, the charge air cooler must be cleaned internally.
2. Remove charge air cooler (Refer to 09 - Engine/Turbocharger System/COOLER and HOSES, Charge Air - Removal)
3. Position the charge air cooler so the inlet and outlet tubes are vertical.
4. Thoroughly clean the charger air cooler cooler internally with a non-caustic solvent (i.e. dish soap or laundry detergent / water mixture) in the direction opposite of the normal air flow.

WARNING: DO NOT use mineral spirits, combustion cleaners or equivalents to clean the charge air cooler and hoses. Residue from these chemicals may enter the engine combustion chamber, enabling the engine to over rev and could possibly cause damage to the engine.


5. Shake the cooler and lightly tap on the end tanks with a rubber mallet to dislodge trapped debris.
6. Continue flushing until all debris or oil are removed.
7. Rinse the cooler with hot soapy water to remove any remaining solvent.
8. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and blow dry with compressed air.

 

i use a quart of light flush solvent 1/3 at a time, pour it in, slosh around, high pressure compressed air to finish each sequence, the solvent breaks down any thicker oil, carries it out. it really cleans to a dry finish. its meant to break down mineral oil, for conversions to pag or ester oils in r134 system upgrades. ive had really dirty p.s. coolers, filthy with blow by black .... and sucessfully cleaned for operation. it evaporates off quick.

 

The warmer it is the better it will work no mater what you use. Thin, aromatic solvents work best on oil.

 

How about boiling watermixed with Dawn detergent?

 

Took 2 applications to get mine cleaned up....

 

I tried Dawn and hot tap water and just let it sit for 10-15 min. And the water leaking out of it told me that there were some holes in it. So now I'm looking for another

 

Sorry to hear that.

Cleaning my intercooler before installing it was a good idea. I couldn't believe how dark the soap water became. And there were small pieces of debris and dirt, I'm sure they were from where it was waiting to be bought at the junkyard.