I got a new intercooler the other day and decided to install it myself. Ive have some mechanical skill but never installed a part myself ,etc. It didnt seem like to much more than some bolts and some hose fittings. Its one of the ebay ones and it was somewhat difficult to fit but I got everything back on. I took it for a test drive to make sure everything was on properly and as the car started to produce boost I got a high somewhat whistling/squeel kind of noise. I assume it is a leak somewhere along the line but I cant figure out from where. I still spool the same and can produce and maintain around 14-15 psi and the vaccum is normal. On another note.... I removed what I believe to be an A/C line that runs in front of the intercooler and during the test drive I started to leak antifreeze from a different hose right above the turbo. Was this caused by removing that pipe?
You put that pipe back on, right? I know that for my ebay intercooler I had to bend that pipe out of the way a little bit for fitment. Also, you NEED to make sure there is at least a half inch of clearance on the AC pipe behind the intercooler - it will rub on the IC and the line will leak shortly!
thanks for the advice on the a/c lines...Im going to get some foam to protect it. Does anyone know of a trick to find a leak?
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html you can make one of these. It saved my life on my dsm. it should work for a wrx but will probable need a different size tester. plus it will probably be more of a pain than a dsm. but hey couldn't hurt
Update: Well a couple of days ago I was driving and the check engine light came on. I took it to the shop across the street and got it tested and it came up with misfires in all 4 cylinders. I assume this is because of the leak. I bought a new gasket but Im going to try some RTV gasket maker before I double up on the gaskets. If that doesnt work then I guess the leak isnt at my BOV and Ill try that tester. Wish me luck.