Project: intercooler to 7.3

[TomsBeast]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!


I'm getting to that part in the project where you work an entire day and make seemingly small gains.

[TomsBeast]

I've been wrestling with the idea of insulating and rustproofing my steel intercooler charge pipes. In hindsight, I should have just started with stainless steel mandrel bends and tube $$$, instead of cheaping out with reclaimed IC tubes from Craigslist, and mandrel bent exhaust 90's from Summit, but it is what it is at this point.



I want to keep the underhood heat from warming up the 'cold side' air as it exits the intercooler, and heads back into the intake manifolds (plenems). Heat runs to cold, so all I need is a barrier to keep the underhood heat off the IC pipes.



I came up with this spray-n-bake stuff in a can from Eastwood. The hose I'm holding in the pic, has a brass tip with (3) 45deg spray tips, for coating the inside of header tubes. The stuff is supposed to act as a heat barrier.



I hit the outside with their header paint. I might also wrap some of the tubes with header tape.

[TomsBeast]

I completed the fresh air intake as well.


I considered one of the universal hoses and canister style filter set ups. But I've got no place to put it, unless I move the battery(s), which is looking like I get to avoid.



For my situation, the factory air box is in the perfect location. I can get factory style paper filters at just about any auto parts store, as a bonus.


I was able to reuse a section of the Ford rubber snorkel, and the factory air filter box. I gave the tube the same inside outside insulating treatment as the IC charge pipes. Repainted the brackets and cleaned up the clamps.

[arctictraveller]

Internal exhaust coating?j Who knew.........

[TomsBeast]

Stealing ideas from wherever I can, Chris at UJOR mentioned he had to change the factory breather system around,



Word is, with an intercooler, you don't want to reintroduce engine crankcase oily vapors, back into the intake stream. I found a deal on a Moroso breather at a car swapmeet, that would fit the bill. $20 and I took it home. Moroso sells about 20 different models, different size bungs mostly, but this one with a single -12 AN bung will work.



I found a good spot for it, near the t-case off the frame rail, so I designed a saddle style bracket to hold it, and broke out the fab tools again.


















Another piece to the puzzle, solved.

[TomsBeast]

Fortunately, I have a box of miscellaneous AN fittings, and happened to have a steel -12 male.



I modified the fitting by carefully opening up the hole in the drill press, to snugly fit the factory breather hose nipple, and brazed the two pieces together.





As soon as the -12 hose and ends come in, assemble, and one more puzzle piece will be snapped into place

[JWA]

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

Stealing ideas from wherever I can, Chris at UJOR mentioned he had to change the factory breather system around,

Word is, with an intercooler, you don't want to reintroduce engine crankcase oily vapors, back into the intake stream. I found a deal on a Moroso breather at a car swapmeet, that would fit the bill. $20 and I took it home. Moroso sells about 20 different models, different size bungs mostly, but this one with a single -12 AN bung will work.

Loving your progress so far---and I'm pretty much clueless about diesel's in general.

Recently I stumbled across PCV-related oil catch cans----your intercooler trap with breather cap reminds me of that system. I'm considering adding on to a reman'd 5.4 engine if only to reduce the minuscule oil that gets past the PCV and into the intake air flow.

Just curious do you have a time to complete in mind or is this (hopefully) just something that'll get done when it's done?

[bet on black]

I used a dual (in series, probably overkill) catch can setup on my Lightning. It can work well and still evacuate crank case gasses and not gum up the inter cooler. The stock L PCV setup would suck oil so bad it would totally gum up the IC core without some sort of oil separator. Not all catch cans are the same. Some work much better than others due to internal construction.

[TomsBeast]

Originally Posted by JWA

Loving your progress so far---and I'm pretty much clueless about diesel's in general.

Thanks, I'm feeling pretty good about it at this point, too. The breather was one of that last things to 'figure out'. Well, the list is significantly shorter now I've had to really 'come up to speed' on Diesels since I started working on my van. I love to learn, and there's a lot of difference between Diesels and gas burners.

Originally Posted by JWA

Recently I stumbled across PCV-related oil catch cans----your intercooler trap with breather cap reminds me of that system. I'm considering adding on to a reman'd 5.4 engine if only to reduce the minuscule oil that gets past the PCV and into the intake air flow.

Most gas cars and Diesels use a 'closed system', which is what the 7.3 had. I just converted to an open system, w/oil catchment.


I found myself trying to make an oil burning Toyota get through California Emissions testing n 2011 I think. I got to learn all about thes sytems, trying to pass emissions testing in my daily driver (I was commuting 140 mi/day back then) Excessive crankcase pressure from the blow by and oil vapor was clogging the PCV, flooding the intake with oily air, high NOX (failing testing) and fouling spark plugs. I add a larger PCV valve, and robbed a smaller oil separator from a small air compressor set I had, plumbed it in-line w/the Toyoto closed breather tube, and it worked!



Now, I found myself draining the oil separator cup every 3000 miles, until I rebuilt the engine, but it worked like a champ! It ran better, clean enough to pass SF Bay Area emissions testing (most stringent in the country I think), better mpgs, no more fouled plugs. The oil consumption was still high, but a good band-aid for a worn out engine in my daily driver, until I rebuilt it 2 yrs later. I later discovered those 'boy racer catch cans'. The principle is sound, and they really do work.

Originally Posted by JWA

Just curious do you have a time to complete in mind or is this (hopefully) just something that'll get done when it's done?

I have to stay on a schedule, or I'll let it sit. My 'pushed out' schedule is late July to be back on the road.

[arctictraveller]

I had no idea that California had diesel emissions testing. I guess I've been gone longer than I realized.