2 years ago a piece of metal about the size of a softball was skipping around I-5 and slammed into my FMIC on my EVO IX, breaking through the cage and putting a nickel-sized dent in the fins and rails. I then put the FMIC on my Eagle Talon for only a few miles and decided that it was not fitting very well.

My question is, looking at this picture, notice the darker large diameter area around the damaged area? Why is it darker there? Seems suspicious.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/...6269a444_o.jpg

 

this looks like you have a leak in the intercooler and the black area is oil leakage to me. for various reasons unknown to me you may have oil in your IC piping on the hot side. take a look at your IC pipe going from your turbo to your IC if there is oil in there you may have bigger problems than an intercooler. Also if you are looking for another IC I have the same one for sale with 30,000 miles on it.

 

if you dont run a catch can. oil is sucked through the turbo, comes out the licp and goes into the intercooler and can gum it up..... what your seeing is the oil in the intercooler being pushed out the hole

 

I used gasoline to clean out my IC and piping when I first got my DSM years ago. If you don't have a catch can, you may want to buy one soon to keep it from getting worse.

 

Interesting , thanks for the info.

Now that I look closer, I only have the breather hose going straight to a filter, I probably should make some sort of catch can.

 

once you put the catch can on make sure you clean out your pipes and IC.

 

I've had to do that too with my other Evo. Catch can is very helpful and I can relate to the same "cleaning method" haha