Why We Leak Test Each Intercooler! and HOW!
Hopefully this doesn't start more bickering, but how significant is a 4 PSI leak over 15 seconds? would anyone ever notice a leak this small? Obviously less leaks are better than more, but Would this type of leak even add up to 1 load point error in a standard MAF equipped car? I guess I'm just stirring the pot. But I am curious.
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Hopefully this doesn't start more bickering, but how significant is a 4 PSI leak over 15 seconds? would anyone ever notice a leak this small? Obviously less leaks are better than more, but Would this type of leak even add up to 1 load point error in a standard MAF equipped car? I guess I'm just stirring the pot. But I am curious.
It also matters what the pressure was initially... a 4 PSIG drop out of a volume pressurized to 1000 PSIG is pretty insignificant, but 4 PSIG out of 20 PSIG is a 20% loss of air mass in 15 seconds, or an 80% loss over 1 minute if the leak continues at the same rate (the relationship is linear assuming ideal)
Thinking about it relatively though... this loss equates to some volume/time as well (at atmospheric pressure once it's leaked out of the system) The thing to do would be to compare that volume flow (leak) rate to the flow rate your system (engine) is seeing at a given RPM.
Hard to tell mathematically without knowing volumes and flow rates!! Only real way for sure is to test it. Which requires someone with experience (a tuner!!!)
Ooops, I definitely didn't answer your question. Just a bunch of techno-babble. And for that, I apologize.
Garrett glues the sections together. So long as the glue at the end of the core seals across the width of the core seams, from weld to weld, it's ok. It seems that with some expansion/contraction due to changes in pressure/temp, that can compromise these joints, allowing pressure to work its way from the end tank, through the core seams, to the outside.
I had Drifto remove an end tank, where the slight seams in the end were visible. I carefully sealed them with JB Weld, but it is something of which to be aware.
The Garrett Race core is a very efficient piece, but apparently, isn't without potential faults. In my case, the leaks were small, but several small leaks is like one larger one.
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I have a Garrett Race core, which is used by at least a few popular vendors here. I have also isolated a couple of small leaks, which appear to be originating at the end (inside the end tank), and have worked their way around the end tank weld.
Garrett glues the sections together. So long as the glue at the end of the core seals across the width of the core seams, from weld to weld, it's ok. It seems that with some expansion/contraction due to changes in pressure/temp, that can compromise these joints, allowing pressure to work its way from the end tank, through the core seams, to the outside.
I had Drifto remove an end tank, where the slight seams in the end were visible. I carefully sealed them with JB Weld, but it is something of which to be aware.
The Garrett Race core is a very efficient piece, but apparently, isn't without potential faults. In my case, the leaks were small, but several small leaks is like one larger one.
Garrett glues the sections together. So long as the glue at the end of the core seals across the width of the core seams, from weld to weld, it's ok. It seems that with some expansion/contraction due to changes in pressure/temp, that can compromise these joints, allowing pressure to work its way from the end tank, through the core seams, to the outside.
I had Drifto remove an end tank, where the slight seams in the end were visible. I carefully sealed them with JB Weld, but it is something of which to be aware.
The Garrett Race core is a very efficient piece, but apparently, isn't without potential faults. In my case, the leaks were small, but several small leaks is like one larger one.
Michael
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Perrin test their intercoolers at 120PSI!
http://www.perrinperformance.com/pro...ory=39&model=3
Its always nice to have the insurance of quality when buying a product
. I never thought Garret has such a problem with their intercoolers.
http://www.perrinperformance.com/pro...ory=39&model=3
Its always nice to have the insurance of quality when buying a product
. I never thought Garret has such a problem with their intercoolers.
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This is interesting. I used to be a mfg engineer at a company that made heater cores, radiators, AC condensers and evaporators. They were all made of clad aluminum. The clad layers were designed to melt at a slightly lower temp than the core material.
So these various heat exchangers were mechanically assembled and sent through a braze oven which would melt the clad layers forming the seals at joints and final mechanical rigidity.
For condensers and evaporators, our final leak test was to place them in a vacuum chamber, pull hard vacuum, pressurize them with 300 psi helium and activate a mass-spec leak detector looking literally for molecules of helium escaping.
I'm surprised any modern mfg of this type of unit would have any kind of noticable leak rate issue.
So these various heat exchangers were mechanically assembled and sent through a braze oven which would melt the clad layers forming the seals at joints and final mechanical rigidity.
For condensers and evaporators, our final leak test was to place them in a vacuum chamber, pull hard vacuum, pressurize them with 300 psi helium and activate a mass-spec leak detector looking literally for molecules of helium escaping.
I'm surprised any modern mfg of this type of unit would have any kind of noticable leak rate issue.
This is interesting. I used to be a mfg engineer at a company that made heater cores, radiators, AC condensers and evaporators. They were all made of clad aluminum. The clad layers were designed to melt at a slightly lower temp than the core material.
So these various heat exchangers were mechanically assembled and sent through a braze oven which would melt the clad layers forming the seals at joints and final mechanical rigidity.
For condensers and evaporators, our final leak test was to place them in a vacuum chamber, pull hard vacuum, pressurize them with 300 psi helium and activate a mass-spec leak detector looking literally for molecules of helium escaping.
I'm surprised any modern mfg of this type of unit would have any kind of noticable leak rate issue.
So these various heat exchangers were mechanically assembled and sent through a braze oven which would melt the clad layers forming the seals at joints and final mechanical rigidity.
For condensers and evaporators, our final leak test was to place them in a vacuum chamber, pull hard vacuum, pressurize them with 300 psi helium and activate a mass-spec leak detector looking literally for molecules of helium escaping.
I'm surprised any modern mfg of this type of unit would have any kind of noticable leak rate issue.
A small leak in an intercooler is really non-critical to someones health, and if it's small enough, it probably isn't critical for the engine either. If an AC condenser has a small leak, it can be harmful to someones health.
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