DIY - Intercooler Spray

johnsonlam

DIY King
Senior Member
Nov 17, 2003
1,182
313
3,183
Balik Pulau, KL
Holla... Been a while since I posted DIY stuff here. Been kinda busy with 101 things since the New Year. Those who have seen it in ZTH Mag, here is the Forum page to discuss... Those have not, grab one! This round's issue had loads of good stuff in there... kekeke.. (And my not so happening TimeToAttack Sepang results... hahha.. Yes, I am scared of Rain. Period)

DIY INTERCOOLER WATER SPRAY SYSTEM

Intercooler Sprayer, a simple mechanism that is proven to significantly cool an intercooler, thus lowering charged intake air for increased air density and equating to improved power. Available as standard on cars like the WRX, intercooler water spraying systems can also be purchased off-the-shelves, but why buy when you can make one. Let me show you how easily I made one for my faifthful EVO X.

Also inspired by "mamak" outlets, where on a hot day, you sit under a fan that blows atomized water through pressurized water lines, making the air so much cooler. There are many ways to build a simple yet effective water spraying kit. The trick here is in the spraying nozzle. This simply is the secret ingredient that makes this DIY project possible. I took the donor nozzle from a hand pump gardening spraying can. This article will feature the cheapest and easiest way to DIY a sprayer system that utilize a car’s stock wind shield washer pump.

I specifically started making my own kit when I was preparing for ZTH’s TIMETOATTACK circuit event at Sepang last Nov 30th. I will also include the other options at the end of the article.

So, items needed for Version 1 of this DIY System are :

2 x water spray nozzles from hand-held gardening pump action flasks
* 5 meters of Aquarium air hose
*2 x L-shaped air hose connectors
1 x T or Y-shaped air hose connectors
*Silicone or Acrylic epoxy glue.
All available from most Aquarium supply shops.


Firstly, extract the metal nozzle from the sprayer can. It costs only RM 5.80 from local DIY shops. You need a minimum of 2 units. However, most modern windscreen washer pump can support up to 4 sprayers with no issues at all.


Next, glue the L-shape connector into the nozzles, making sure the ends of the L shaped connectors are not sealed but at the same time, is air tight around the joints. As the nozzles come in various sizes, you can make the fitting more secure by adding a pieces of the said hose onto the end of the L-shaped connector that goes into the nozzle. Let it dry and harden fully before continuing.


A little test to ensure it's working...


The rest of the steps are quick and simple. Just locate where the car’s windscreen water sprayer hose is, disconnect where the connector is and connect it to your newly acquired 5m air hose. find the most practical route to your intercooler (avoiding pulleys, extractors or any mechanical items that may damage the hose).


Connect the hose to the T-connector and position the nozzles apart to have it spray water mists in an evenly fashion onto the intercooler. Cable tie everything securely but do make sure you don’t choke the water hose.


Finally, for cars with automatic wiper action when you spray the windscreen wiper, you may want to remove the relay that controls that. However, for ETACS equiped cars like Mitsubishis, Peugeots and Citreons (lucky people), just go to your ETACS menu and disable Auto Wiper when activating the windshield washer stalk. Wah la... It is done!


From my personal data logging on a hot day, I noticed the air temperature readings from my Evo's intake manifold hits 45 degrees to 50 degrees when driving on the highways with boost on. Upon initiating the spray, it brings the said temp down by at least 2 to * 3 degrees almost instantly.

These are just conservative readings with the inherent warmish water from the stock windshield washer reservoir. Results would differ if you opt to implement a stand alone reservoir that could potentially contain ice cold water! Imagine how cool this could be. Literally! Try it!

You will need an extra tank... and if you want the spraying action to be automated, you can find one of these rare Pressure activated switch to hook on to the motor...


And as a special bonus since we are working on the intercooler and waiting for the nozzle glue to dry up, you can spend time straightening the fins in the intercooler. You will notice over the years, many of the fins will bend or collapse, almost sealing off passageways for air to cool through the intercooler. Most of all they look ugly.Carefully, using a thin flat headed screw driver or forceps to straighten out the fins. This will improve the efficiency of the air flow. Although this may only help in 0.001HP per fin, at the end of the day it’s satisfying to know you did something extra!




Happy DIYing!
 

Izso

NA NA NA NA NA
Helmet Clan
Moderator
Mar 28, 2004
15,389
6,411
5,213
KL
Johnson, does this mean everytime you spray the intercooler you are wiping your windscreen as well?
 

johnsonlam

DIY King
Senior Member
Thread starter
Nov 17, 2003
1,182
313
3,183
Balik Pulau, KL
Johnson, does this mean everytime you spray the intercooler you are wiping your windscreen as well?


JohnsonLam said:
for cars with automatic wiper action when you spray the windscreen wiper, you may want to remove the relay that controls that. However, for ETACS equiped cars like Mitsubishis, Peugeots and Citreons (lucky people), just go to your ETACS menu and disable Auto Wiper when activating the windshield washer stalk. Wah la... It is done!
Nope. I deactivate auto Wiper when spraying in the ETACS customization.

For cars without ETACS or available settings on board to disable it, Need to remove the wiper relay or rewire it temporarily.

or.. another lazy trick is.. Do a 1 Second burst of spray and pause 1 second and another second burst of spray :rofl:
 

^pomen_GTR^

7,000 RPM
Senior Member
May 13, 2010
7,509
1,690
1,713
The Mines
alternatively one can hook up another wiper motor pump to the wiper tank....i noticed several car model have 2point for wiper spray pump which 1 was used and another was originally block left unused...so just add a working pump to the readily available place (probably need to re-drill the hole for the pump/water supply) and add separate switch for it... :adore:


http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_112690/article.html
 
Last edited:

johnsonlam

DIY King
Senior Member
Thread starter
Nov 17, 2003
1,182
313
3,183
Balik Pulau, KL
alternatively one can hook up another wiper motor pump to the wiper tank....i noticed several car model have 2point for wiper spray pump which 1 was used and another was originally block left unused...so just add a working pump to the readily available place (probably need to re-drill the hole for the pump/water supply) and add separate switch for it... :adore:


AutoSpeed - Installing an Intercooler Water Spray


Yeah, originally wanted to add another tank with pressure sensing switch that will activate the circuit at 1.0 Bar boost and above... But sadly.. EvoX got no more space in engine bay.
 

^pomen_GTR^

7,000 RPM
Senior Member
May 13, 2010
7,509
1,690
1,713
The Mines
btw..nice mod to suits our hot weather...but dont forget to topup the wiper bottle :adore:
 

Random Post Every 5 Minutes


Today, we are all the way at Melaka, the historical city of Malaysia. We have no prejudice on what car we work on, as long you love your car, we are always here to give your car our best.

Upon arrival, we inspected the car for surface...
Ask a question, start a discussion or post something for sale!
Post thread

Online now

Enjoying Zerotohundred?

Log-in for an ad-less experience