I have had my car for about 4 months and i am starting to notice that the intercooler fins are bending. I called Mitsu and they said it was normal is this true?

 

Thats pretty normal. Think about it, your intercooler sitting right in the front of your car (hint: FMIC), its going to catch bugs, rocks, and all manner of road debris that will bend up the fins. In general a few bent fins aren't much to worry about, when they turn into big dents and lots of mashed fins or holes that you should worry.

Is there some type of meshing or grill covering the FMIC to keep out the big stuff?

 

Of course it's normal. Impacting large incects and small rocks will bend the fins out of place. The same thing will happen to your radiator over time.

It's the downfall of driving. Just like a bird will automatically find your freshly washed car in a parking lot of thousands of dirty ones, your radiator and intercooler will bend over time.

 

Use a pair of tweesers to pull them back straight, it works great, it's tedious though .

 

Thanks for the info This is my second turboed car but my other intercooler was on the top and didnt get bent as easily. My other car before this was a wrx

 

My buddies WRX intercooler is bent pretty nicely after the year he's had it. The scoop reduces the number of things that get in, but they still have the same effect.

Bending them back is a pain, but it can be done. Chances are you'll end up just throwing in the towel on that one, though.

 

Did you remove the mesh to try this? If so, how easy is the removal? It looks like you may have to remove the front bumper to remove the mesh.

 

Hasn't happened to me with this car, but it did with my vr6 it sux but it happens. Take it as a compliment, everything from people to other tuners to insect are drawn to your evo!!!!

 

I havn't had to do it on the evo yet but yes i would assume you would have to remove the mesh infront of it.

 

There is a tool to straighten these fins. It works like a comb. Check with a local radiator shop to find out where you can purchase one.

Getting to it is your problem LOL. Hope this helps.

Adios,

Fusoguy

 

The Evo's FMIC cooling fins are made of extremely soft aluminum and are super fragile. Some FMICs use a stronger bar and plate design that seems to be more durable in overall construction. The tube style FMIC used on the EVO seems to be more succeptable to damage. I have over 3600 miles on my car and thanks to Missouri's massive bug population, the fins were really beginning to look pretty bad.

Its funny how nice an FMIC can look new, but inversely how bad it can look with mashed fins creating odd patterns that are clearly visible across the parking lot as you walk towards your car!!

I finally decided to fix mine last week, and spent over 4 hours total getting things straightened out. This is not a fun task at all, but one I am sure will have to be repeated in the future.
Heres some observations:

1) The front grill does not come off...at least not easily. The top of the grill is secured with press fit retainers that look like they might break off if you pryed on them.Maybe not, but I am not willing to take the chance. I suppose pulling off the bumper cap is an option that would provide direct access.

2) Without removing the grill, the distance between the grill and the FMIC is far enough that you will not be able to use tweezers,a regular length screwdriver, or any kind of small needle nose pliers.

3) Having straightened fin after fin, even if you had direct access to the FMIC, I cannot imagine using any kind of needle nose pliers to straighten the EVO's fragile cooling fins. Strong tweezers probably...

4) I used two tools to straighten my fins. The main tool was an extra-long ultra-fine flat blade screwdriver. I found that by inserting the driver blade at a side angle I could get it semi straight and then would re-insert it directly from the front bringing it into alignement. The blade of the screwdriver needs to be small enough that it slides freely into one of the undamaged fin slots. The other tool I used was a long awl which I used to snag the loop of fins that were smashed totally flat.

5)After my 4 hours of torturous work my FMIC looked uniform and clear once again. Not prefect, but much better than before!

I think the only possible way around this continuing issue is to add a second offset black wiremesh panel cut to fit over the factory grill. Before anyone flames this comment, understand that I am no dummy when it comes to turbo intercooled cars, and I am not a huge fan of adding anything in front of the FMIC.

I do think that it is pretty interesting though, that the stock FMIC is pretty tall and extends above the lower FMIC grill, behind the bumpercover(no direct air flow), and then behind the upper FMIC narrow screen panels. The two small rectangular screens above the bumper cover, are actually a finer mesh than that found in the lower opening. I really wish Mitsubishi would have just used the same size wire below as I believe it would have helped minimize the damage the fins incur without really affecting overall performance.

Not sure how much heat adding another layer of big mesh on the lower screen would really create. Perhaps making something that could be removed easily if you were out smokin the locals, but could be reinstalled for commuting, trips, etc...?

I may make one of these just to see how it looks.

 

WOW thank you guys soo much for the information i really appreciate it.

 

Maybe a finer screen in front of the IC would help, but could possibly affect airflow a miniscule amount. Might be worth a try though. Our bug population in Seattle isn't too bad so 2 months worth of driving and I've only got around 5 or 6 bends so far.

 

This exact issue is the only thing making me think twice before buying a Evo. I don't have the patience to spend 4 hours bending fins. When the Evo first came out, this FMIC issue was the first thing that came to mind.

Surely someone out there must make a FMIC screen of some sort. Even if it was about the same thickness as the black mesh, just the fact of having another screen would reduce damage greatly. It might be easier to fasten another screen to the mesh instead of the FMIC itself?

 

Heres an easy way to bend your fins straight:

Go to Sears and get a long, very small flat file. One small enough to fit in between the fins, but long enough to get through the front grill.

Then simply insert the file into one of the bent fins and move it around until you get it straight. You dont need to "file" anything, you just need a long piece of flat metal and a file works real nice...