Ok, I love cars but am pretty stupid about the details. Now I see people putting on aftermarket intakes and they talk about the air coming in from the driver side cowl. But we have a supposedly functional hood scoop. If the air going into the engine is coming from the cowl area where does the hood scoop air go?

I read about how a supercharged engine works on howstuffworks.com but it didn't mention hood scoops.

Appreciate someone enlightening me. Thanks

Matt

 

The air that goes into the hood scoop is for the intercooler, people are putting vents in the cowl area to try to get more air for the air intake.

 

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f..._faq_intakes_s

This possibly help you.

 

Ok, quoting from MINI2...

"The stock air intake draws air in through the duct in the the front grille. This air is passed into the lower portion of the air box where it is pulled through the air filter and into the throttle body. Once in the supercharger the air is compressed through the intercooler and into the motor. [Air through the left-side cowl vent also flows into the air box through a small inlet]"

This makes it sound to me like the air goes through the intake into the intercooler. So why would a hood scoop be necessary for air into the intercooler if its getting air from the intake?

 

Not trying to be a smartass (really...) but maybe you should open the hood and stare at the engine for a couple of minutes.

Some air goes into the intake - through the supercharger - and through the inside of the intercooler. This is the air that powers the engine.

Most of the air coming in via the hood scoop passes over and through the outside of the intercooler to cool the above air that's passing through the inside of it.

 

Nope. The air going to the intercooler from the hood scoop is to cool the warm air (that just came from the supercharger) flowing through the intercooler. Two seperate air flows basically.

 

I will on Friday when I pick up my MCS.

 

Look at the picture above the MINI2 quote

 

Umm, yeah did that.

 

so by having the alta or any open CAI, then we are sucking in hot air from the engine? Wondered by the bmp is closed. If so then why would M7 design an open air box?

 

I think I understand PassatDoTd's confusion (okay, I give, what does the name mean?)

You're talking about 2 separate air flows. The one that would appear to be obvious is the one from the hood air scoop. That's NOT pictured in the schematic from MINI2.

See the blue arrow going into the rectangle like thingee? That's the air that's ultimately going to go in the engine after it goes through the air filter and through the intercooler. It's just getting the air that's available in the engine compartment. That's why there are many different threads about different air intakes. Their purpose is to collect more air and to try to get it from a cooler part of the engine compartment area.

The air that comes in through the scoop is going to go through the intercooler. This outside air is directed by the scoop and that little fence thing on the intercooler. After it's done there, it may just end up going into the engine as well. But, it ain't going to be all that "cool" is it?

This help?

Hunter

 

Hunter,


Your explanation helps out a lot, but one more remains. Why does the intercooler need that second shot of air?

This userid I use is the same one I used on ClubB5, a VW Passat forum. I registered here before I was sure I was going to get a MINI and then I didn't feel like getting it changed to something else. The dotd stands for Department of Transportation and Development...where I work.

 

um

What second shot?

It comes in through the scoop, goes through the intercooler, then I have no idea where it goes.

 

Todd, think of the intercooler as a radiator. Only, instead of cooling water, it's cooling air.

So, the air flowing through the intercooler into the engine is cooled as it passes through the intercooler.

The air that passes over the intercooler cools the "radiator" (intercooler), thereby cooling the air that is passing through the intercooler.

The opening on the hood is for the air that cools the intercooler, not the air that passes through the intercooler into the engine. Does that help?

 

I said second shot because the intercooler is already getting air from the intake. So where does this second channel of air go to in the intercooler and why is it necessary?


I swear whenever I ask questions they never get answered by the experts. Others ask retarded questions and they get explained for 5 pages.

Thanks for your responses though Hunter.

 

Think of the intercooler as a radiator just for the supercharger. It helps cool the intake air before it hits the supercharger. The scoop doesn't pass air to the supercharger, just over the fins of the intercooler.

 

The picture I posted previously indicates the intercooler cools the air coming out of the supercharger.

 

Tell me if this sounds right:


The air goes into the intake then down into the supercharger where it gets compressed and heated. This same air then continues into the intercooler. Cool air passes into the hood scoop and over the intercooler fins helping to cool the air inside the intercooler. The air inside the intercooler then goes into the engine cooler than when it came out of the supercharger.

Whatcha think?

 

correct

for purposes of this discussion, you need to think of the airflow that ultimately goes into the engine as separate and distinct from the airflow that goes over the intercooler. I tried to draw a picture in Microsoft Paint, but it didn't work.