How To Clean Intercooler? 6 Easy Steps To Flush Intercooler

An intercooler is a mechanical heat exchanger that is used in turbocharged and supercharged engines to cool down hot compressed air. In this way, the temperature of your vehicle is controlled.

If you have a turbocharged/supercharged car and want to know how to clean intercooler, continue reading. We have arranged six basic steps that you can perform to clean intercooler/aftercooler at home.

6 Simple Steps To Clean and Flush Intercooler

There are mainly air-to-air and air-to-water intercoolers in the market. The most common question asked from drivers is how to clean intercooler from oil? These steps will help you to clean the intercooler without a mechanic.

1. Intercooler Cleaning Tools

The process of intercooler cleaning starts, when you gather all needed tools and materials. Mainly, you will need a socket spanner set, plastic bag, rubber bands, gloves, mask and bucket. Moreover, you need a cleaning liquid like acetone, kerosene, brake cleaner or degreaser.

2. Remove Intercooler

The process of removing intercooler is slightly different in various car models. Therefore, you need to read the user manual first. Because it is written according to type of aftercooler and specific car edition. But a general way to remove the intercooler or charge air cooler is almost same in all cars and heavy vehicles.

• Remove bumper: First of all, you should search for the screws and pins which hold the bumper. Remove the pins and slide the bumper forward to remove it.
• Pull out pipes: After removal of the bumper, you can easily see intercooler pipes. Now, wear gloves so your hands get protected from harsh chemicals. After complete protection, pull the pipes and place a pot under the pipes to collect the engine oil.

There are 2-4 pipes which are connected with air filters so you have to remove them. Mostly, these pipes are located on either side of the bottom. You can use a flatheaded screw to remove the clamps of pipes.

• Take out intercooler: So, now you can take out the intercooler with the help of a wrench or socket spanner. You should hold it from the bottom and then push it out carefully, if there is any connected hardware and nuts/bolts remove them and store in a separate box or pot.

3. Then Seal Open Ends

Before you start to clean intercooler, you can wear glasses and a mask to protect yourself from any dangerous chemical splash or fumes. After that, you need to seal one of the open sides of the intercooler. For this purpose, you require rubber bands and a plastic bag.

Make 2 layers of plastic bag and then put it on the open end and then wrap the rubber around it. This will stop the wastage of cleaning liquid. If you see any wrinkle in the plastic cover, remove it. You should prepare the plastic bag for the second opening as well.

4. Finally Clean Intercooler

So now you place the aftercooler in an open bucket (bigger than the size of intercooler). Choose the cleaning liquid from acetone, kerosene, degreaser or petrol. Fill the cleaner with liquid from open side of the intercooler and close it with the plastic bag to seal it. Pick up the intercooler and shake it in such a way that the liquid reaches at each point.

When you see that the aftercooler is cleaned you should open one side and remove the dirty liquid. If the cleaner is in very bad condition then you must put in more chemical and repeat the same process. You can repeat it 4 to 5 times if the intercooler is muddy. 

5. Dry Intercooler

Next, flush out even a single drop of chemical from the charge air cooler. After finishing this procedure, put the charge air cooler on a clean place where it does not get dirty.

During this time, you can clean intercooler pipes/hoses by following the same process. Although the acetone can evaporate fastly, you should still wait for 2 to 5 hours to make it completely dry. You can also use a blow dryer if you are in a hurry. Always remember to dispose of the cleaner in a proper way.

6. Fixation of Intercooler

After cleaning, pop the hood of car. If you see any dirt or grease, clean it with a wet piece of cloth. Mount the aftercooler bracket in place, hold the charge air cooler and fix it back on the mounted bracket in front of your car’s engine. Now you can attach intercooler hoses on their connecting points. At last, check all fixing points and place the bumper back. 

Benefits of Cleaning Intercooler

There are many intercooler cleaning benefits, some of the major benefits are briefly explained in this section.

• If you clean the inter cooler, air passes through fins more easily. Therefore, it cools down the compressed air in a better way.
• This cleaning process increases the density of oxygen, it means the process of combustion is enhanced.
• A cleaned intercooler reduces operating stress therefore, it maximizes service life of engine and turbo of your car.
• When the outer surface of dirt is removed then the harmful emissions are minimized from exhaust pipes.
• Charge air cooler cleaning saves your money, because when the process of combustion works completely, the consumption of fuel is lowered.
• A neat and clean aftercooler protects the engine of your car from overheating.

Intercooler Cleaning Cost

If you are a new driver and do not want to take the risk of cleaning the aftercooler by yourself then you can contact the cleaning company. The price to clean an intercooler depends on your city and your specific cleaning shop.

But a general price for a one piece car unit can be more than $110. In case of a large 4WD and commercial vehicle, rate can be $130+. Furthermore, it may charge you higher than $200 if you have a heavy vehicle and machinery.

How to Clean Intercooler Without Removing?

If you want to clean the external fins of intercooler without detaching it from your car you can follow these steps. These guidelines will protect the soft aluminum fins of a charge air cooler.

• Firstly, you should take a vacuum cleaner or a soft brush.
• We advise you to clean the delicate fins very carefully. Move brush in the direction of fins which is generally from top to bottom and clean the first with a moderate air pressure.
• If you see any pebble or piece of rock stuck in foils, use a tweezer or any other similar tool to remove it.
• After all this process, if you still find grease on the surface of the intercooler then you can use a mild cleaner.
• Spray the cleaner on the fins and leave it for 2 to 3 minutes. When you think it is cleaned, remove it with a low-pressure garden hose.

Important Note: Do not use any hard tool, pressure washer & corrosive cleaner. Because these things will bend or deshape fins of an intercooler.

Cleaning of Intercooler With Petrol or Water

Clean intercooler with Petrol: As you know, petrol/gasoline are highly flammable and they can damage many rubber seals. Therefore, petrol is not recommended to clean a charge air cooler. But still if you do not have any other option, you must follow these precautionary measures before using petrol;

• Clean intercooler in a well ventilated outdoor area.
• Place the intercooler away from spark and any kind of flame to avoid sudden fire.

Intercooler cleaning with water: Water is not a good option to clean intercooler, because it does not remove grease and stubborn signs. Furthermore, in case water gets mixed with residual oil then it can trap the moisture in the inner core. This condition can lead to rusting of material parts.

You are allowed to use water mixed with detergent and degreaser to finally rinse the cleaner or dirt from intercooler.

Intercooler Cleaning After Turbo Failure

In case turbocharger of your car gets damaged or you install a new one, you must clean the intercooler. Actually, in old or uncleaned air intercoolers there are many metal pieces, dirt and debris stuck in fins. These materials can be transferred into your new turbo and harm it badly. That’s why, when you install a new turbocharger in your car, clean the charge air cooler too.

When I Should Replace Intercooler Instead of Cleaning?

Sometimes, cleaning of intercooler is not enough for its proper working. Instead, you need to exchange your vehicle’s intercooler. In these listed scenarios, you have to replace intercooler.

• You see any crack, deep puncture, corrosion or broken part in its core.
• You find highly damaged and bent fins in the intercooler. Because in this condition, the airflow gets affected.
• Highly sludge and muddy charge air coolers which are not able to be cleaned by any degreaser should be changed.
• You must immediately install a new intercooler if any metal part, nut or bolt is trapped in it.

Intercooler Replacement Cost​

The replacement cost of intercooler can slightly change according to your specific area. But its average value is $1395 and $1563. Furthermore, its parts can charge you more than $1035. Generally, labor prices are $360 and $528.

In addition, the prices can vary with the type of your vehicle. You can check out this table to make an estimate of your car’s aftercooler installation.

Conclusion

Hence, we recommend you to clean intercooler if you really want to enhance performance of your car. You can easily clean this tool at home after reading our instructions.

Moreover, if you need to replace and buy any type of intercooler hose, rubber or silicone hose, you can contact our team. Because our company RONTEIX manufactures a complete variety of automotive hoses. In case you want to order a single piece or in bulk, we offer you direct factory prices without compromising quality.