2nd Gen R56 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Intercooler Cleaning

I clean mine in the spring. I seal off one end really well with plastic and hold it in place with rubber bands and some duct tape.

Next I turn it on its end and pour in a 2-3 cups ( I don't measure ) of acetone or spray a whole can of good brake cleaner in it, cover the other end and shake the hell out of it and pour out. You can rise it with water if you want but everything is going to dry so it does not matter.

Then I unseal the other end, blow air in it with an air gun or leaf blower and sit it in the sun to dry.

Its that simple.

 

I saw a guy fill his up with soap and water once. I thought he was crazy/stupid!

 

I don't know about crazy or stupid, but there are better ways...

 

always struck me as a "feel good" procedure...its not gonna do much good as the pvc condensate will coat it again in seconds...but a once a year cleaning when you check the boots (on a gen1) or clamps and connectors (gen2)..not gonna hurt if done right....but not help much...
one tip...if an excessive amount of oil is found in the inter-cooler in a gen2, then the seals in the turbo are failing....on a gen1...not so much of an issue....

 

I soaked mine for several days in a Simple Green solution, rinsed real well, done. will do it again this spring when I change the SC oil again. Normal annual maintenance for me.

 

There are also sensors in the pressurized track that can get gummed up with oil and can mess with the readings going to the ECU... A clean track is a healthy track...

 

"A clean track is a healthy track." I do believe the FruitCake Lady espoused that same message several years ago on Jay Leno. [ame="http://youtu.be/zLLDkY5hcxw"]Miss Puss - YouTube[/ame]

 

I use Dave's method only with starting fluid.

 

Would the pressure sensor on the intake manifold be one of them? We had to have the clubby's replaced last fall due to a bogus 2C57 fault code.

 

Oh yeah, I plan on switching mine out this year, b/c I looked at my MAP sensor and it was horrible on the inside.

 

Yup

Part #5

 

That one too. The one that was really bad on mine was on the actual intake manifold that bolts up to the head.

 

Denatured alcohol displaces and absorbs water. Even though I don't have enough miles to warrant cleaning, when I do...

I will first use Dave O's method of using Acetone (a great solvent).
Next a rinse with a 10% solution of Simple green.
Next, a bath in denatured alcohol to remove any residue and water.

It's just my plan...what do you think?

 

We had replaced the one that metalman pointed out and the one on the manifold. Unfortunately a check engine light came on yesterday. I hope it's not the same code. I really need to invest in a good reader...

 

Keep us posted!

 

I have 113,000 miles on my 2008 S and this seems like a good idea. But....I don't hear anybody saying what they've found when they clean the intercooler. Does anybody find quite a bit of oil, only a little? I have an oil catch can which I get quite a bit of condensate but virtually no oil. I guess I'll have to check it out when the weather warms up. Thanks for the comments!