Best way to flush intercooler

[lariat 7.3]

Thinking i may have a blockage, what's the recommended way to back flush it

 

[JSchuricht]

If the IC is blocked then something really bad has happened like a rag or filter getting sucked in and shredded by the turbo. If that's the case look for a new IC. If it's just oil from the CCV that your worried about then pull it out and fill with simple green or some other degreaser, rinse and repeat as necessary. Then give it a day or two to dry or rig up a leaf blower if your in a hurry.

 

[lariat 7.3]

Thinking a paper towel may have gotten left in the intake

 

[JSchuricht]

That's not quite as bad, at least a paper towel is soft and can burn up easily. The thing is you will never get 100% of it out. I would pull the IC out, run a leaf blower through it in both directions then flush it with water a few dozen times. Hopefully that will clear 90% of the blockage and anything left over will get burned up in the cylinders. I would also pull the compressor wheel off the turbo to make sure nothing is wrapped around it. Also pull the spyder, some trucks have a metal grate over the intake plenums that may have caught any large pieces.

 

[Arisley]

All good points. Never heard of the leaf blower trick. Well, except for CatRebel talking about rigging one up to use as a turbo on an old IDI.

 

[Radioflyer]

All good points. Never heard of the leaf blower trick. Well, except for CatRebel talking about rigging one up to use as a turbo on an old IDI.

Turbo-on-the-fly eh? LOL

X2 for Simple green, works great.

 

[JSchuricht]

I have never heard of a leaf blower trick either but it's the best thing I can think of to get decent air flow through the IC.

 

[gnxtc2]

Either a leaf blower or shop vac.

Billy T.
[email protected]

 

[DEEZUZ]

shop vac. hook the one side up to blow and the other to suck....

 

[TARM]

I run a degreaser flush with boiling hot water thru ones that are pull off after testing or any that have been run for there life with the CCV running into the intake. This is to get oil out not large foreign matter like rags etc..

I would be careful in using Simple Green as the cleaner on anything alum unless you can be very sure you get it all out. I would chose not to use it at all on alum just to be safe. I use to use it for everything and its my number one choice for engine and drive-train cleaning. Now as long as there is no alum its still my first choice but alum not so much.

"It has been brought to the attention of the U.S. Army Aviation Missile Command (AMCOM) Depot Maintenance Engineering Team that numerous units are using the commercial product SIMPLE GREEN as an aircraft wash. STOP! This product has been through Department of Defense (DOD) testing and was determined to be highly corrosive on aircraft aluminum and also a catalyst for Hydrogen Embrittlement. Hydrogen Embrittlement brought down Chinook Aircraft on 10 October 1992, near Fort Richardson Alaska...

The Army actually lost a Chinhook (crashed) from rivets breaking from embrittlement/corrosion that was believed caused from use of simple green for cleaning as part of gen maint.

I doubt it would do much of anything, harm wise, used one time but why chance it as a hole in the IC is not a good thing.

I pull the IC and flush it with hose water. Then get some boiling hot water and fill it up with that and let sit for 10 min. Flush then add the degreaser with more boiling water. Flush with more and then finally flush with hose water again. Blow it out with air ( leaf blower works) for a few mins. Let sit and reinstall the next day. Yes I tend to go overboard but how often are you really going to do this? Once you pull the CCV from the inlet it should never need it again under normal conditions.