Drivetrain Alta intercooler install (no pics, though)
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Alta intercooler install (no pics, though)
Bought a used Alta intercooler with the diverter plate from a member of NAM. Got a good deal on a lightly used intercooler in perfect shape, so I'm a happy guy.
Installed it today, and it's a piece of cake. I didn't take pics cuz, well, I pretty much don't think to do that. But everything you have to touch is right in front of you and it's purpose and attachment is obvious, so I'll just kind of talk you through it.
Removing the stock intercooler is a snap. You'll need the correct size Torx bit, but the same bit fits the four screws on the plastic air diverter and the intercooler boots.
Four obvious Torx screws to remove in the plastic air diverter plate.
Remove the plastic air diverter plate.
There are two black steel brackets that kind of loop over the front of the factory intercooler. These are attached with 8mm bolts and must be removed. The one on the right hand side has another black metal bracket colocated with it that holds part of a wiring loom. Reuse the bolt and reattach the wire loom bracket in the original hole. The hole is deep enough so the bolt won't bottom.
On each end of the intercooler are two clamps that attach the bellows. The ones on the left are marked 1 and 2 on top of the two-piece bracket. The other ones are not marked. Loosen and remove the two Torx screws on each clamp and remove the top piece of each of the clamps, setting them and the screws aside for reuse.
It's usually possible to gorilla the bottom half of the clamps out from under the bellows, but I don't usually do it because if you don't jar things a lot they won't go anywhere. (Having said that, don't write me nasy e-mails if you manage to drop one into the intake snout, OK? Just be careful.)
Push the bellows off the intercooler end tanks onto the intake snouts as far as you're able and the intercooler with lift right out. This is a good opportunity to look into the snouts and the bellows and decide if you need a oil catch can.
The Alta intercooler is freaking huge by comparison. It looks like you could grill steaks on it for the entire neighborhood. The larger opening goes on the left side facing the car to match the intake snout. Drop it into place and slide the bellows off the intake snouts onto the end tanks of the intercooler. Make sure that you've got the bellows all the way on both the intercooler and the snouts. The ends of the factory bellows have a handy flat flap area that you can grab to help do this. Other bellows don't, to my knowledge.
Reinstall the bellows clamps and tighten them evenly. Remember that the clamp with the 1 embossed on it is the one on the left side snout, the one with the 2 is on the left side intercooler tank. The other two are identical, so it doesn't matter which goes where. Tighten the clamps up evenly. There's a positive stop on the clamps, so you know when you've got it right.
If you're like me, you'll be tempted to close your hood to see if the new intercooler sticks up into the scoop. Don't do it. Trust me on this. If you close your hood now to see if your new intercooler stick up you'll break your hood scoop and have to buy another one. Honest. Even if you haven't installed the diverter plate yet. It made me say bad words, it did.
The diverter plate installs with four supplied Phillips head screws. The position is obvious.
Before closing the hood, you need to remove the factory bottom plate from the hood scoop. There are two Phillips head screws at the back and two 9mm (IIRC) nuts on the front. The big plastic bottom plate falls right off, no big deal.
Reinstall the two nuts that you removed to take off the scoop bottom plate, 'cuz they hold the scoop on. Don't overtighten them; they're held in place by plastic tabs molded to the bottom of the scoop and if they break you get to buy a new scoop.
Get all your tools out from under the hood.
Start the car and listen for hissing, whistling, graunching, clanking, or screaming of the cat. None of those noises? Cool. Close the hood; you're done.
Go for a ride after to gather up all the bits you're not going to reuse and putting them aside for later sale/donation to somebody that needs them.
Smile.
Oh, yeah.
Anybody got a dark silver hood scoop they don't need? Some idiot closed my hood on the new intercooler and broke mine.
Addendum: When I closed the hood I realized that the intercooler was high enough to nearly block the hole in the hood scoop. I pulled it off and saw that there are four cast posts on the intake manifold with threaded holes that are used to hold the black steel clamps for the stock intercooler. I ground all four of them nearly level with the surface of the intake manifold and reinstalled the intercooler. This time the top edge of the intercooler was dead flush with the bottom of the hood scoop. You might be able to just grind the two innermost posts down and get away with it, but I did all four and had plenty of room.
Installed it today, and it's a piece of cake. I didn't take pics cuz, well, I pretty much don't think to do that. But everything you have to touch is right in front of you and it's purpose and attachment is obvious, so I'll just kind of talk you through it.
Removing the stock intercooler is a snap. You'll need the correct size Torx bit, but the same bit fits the four screws on the plastic air diverter and the intercooler boots.
Four obvious Torx screws to remove in the plastic air diverter plate.
Remove the plastic air diverter plate.
There are two black steel brackets that kind of loop over the front of the factory intercooler. These are attached with 8mm bolts and must be removed. The one on the right hand side has another black metal bracket colocated with it that holds part of a wiring loom. Reuse the bolt and reattach the wire loom bracket in the original hole. The hole is deep enough so the bolt won't bottom.
On each end of the intercooler are two clamps that attach the bellows. The ones on the left are marked 1 and 2 on top of the two-piece bracket. The other ones are not marked. Loosen and remove the two Torx screws on each clamp and remove the top piece of each of the clamps, setting them and the screws aside for reuse.
It's usually possible to gorilla the bottom half of the clamps out from under the bellows, but I don't usually do it because if you don't jar things a lot they won't go anywhere. (Having said that, don't write me nasy e-mails if you manage to drop one into the intake snout, OK? Just be careful.)
Push the bellows off the intercooler end tanks onto the intake snouts as far as you're able and the intercooler with lift right out. This is a good opportunity to look into the snouts and the bellows and decide if you need a oil catch can.
The Alta intercooler is freaking huge by comparison. It looks like you could grill steaks on it for the entire neighborhood. The larger opening goes on the left side facing the car to match the intake snout. Drop it into place and slide the bellows off the intake snouts onto the end tanks of the intercooler. Make sure that you've got the bellows all the way on both the intercooler and the snouts. The ends of the factory bellows have a handy flat flap area that you can grab to help do this. Other bellows don't, to my knowledge.
Reinstall the bellows clamps and tighten them evenly. Remember that the clamp with the 1 embossed on it is the one on the left side snout, the one with the 2 is on the left side intercooler tank. The other two are identical, so it doesn't matter which goes where. Tighten the clamps up evenly. There's a positive stop on the clamps, so you know when you've got it right.
If you're like me, you'll be tempted to close your hood to see if the new intercooler sticks up into the scoop. Don't do it. Trust me on this. If you close your hood now to see if your new intercooler stick up you'll break your hood scoop and have to buy another one. Honest. Even if you haven't installed the diverter plate yet. It made me say bad words, it did.
The diverter plate installs with four supplied Phillips head screws. The position is obvious.
Before closing the hood, you need to remove the factory bottom plate from the hood scoop. There are two Phillips head screws at the back and two 9mm (IIRC) nuts on the front. The big plastic bottom plate falls right off, no big deal.
Reinstall the two nuts that you removed to take off the scoop bottom plate, 'cuz they hold the scoop on. Don't overtighten them; they're held in place by plastic tabs molded to the bottom of the scoop and if they break you get to buy a new scoop.
Get all your tools out from under the hood.
Start the car and listen for hissing, whistling, graunching, clanking, or screaming of the cat. None of those noises? Cool. Close the hood; you're done.
Go for a ride after to gather up all the bits you're not going to reuse and putting them aside for later sale/donation to somebody that needs them.
Smile.
Oh, yeah.
Anybody got a dark silver hood scoop they don't need? Some idiot closed my hood on the new intercooler and broke mine.
Addendum: When I closed the hood I realized that the intercooler was high enough to nearly block the hole in the hood scoop. I pulled it off and saw that there are four cast posts on the intake manifold with threaded holes that are used to hold the black steel clamps for the stock intercooler. I ground all four of them nearly level with the surface of the intake manifold and reinstalled the intercooler. This time the top edge of the intercooler was dead flush with the bottom of the hood scoop. You might be able to just grind the two innermost posts down and get away with it, but I did all four and had plenty of room.
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