Intercooler - Explained

[@JohnnyGiddingsCubed]

I don't remember Blue's Clues being this complicated...

[@michaelpederson8030]

Johnny Giddings this is the adult version.

[@tedd.g1636]

Johnny Giddings just about to comment that

[@Licensedbeast]

We just got a letter, we just got a letter, we just got a letter, wonder who it's from?!

[@xMarasx]

LMAOOO

[@michael7324]

STEVE!!!!

[@JustinTylerVames]

SO are you a college professor yet? You're so detailed and meticulous but allow even non car people to understand what you're talking about. Keep it up! You're fucking great!

[@Imaculet]

Here Here!

[@boxadmiral]

Hear hear* but still true

[@asdfghjklzxcvbnm6874]

thank you steve, you make me smarter when I was a kid and now you make me even smarter when l grow up, you are my hero.

[@EngineeringExplained]

I don't know who Steve is by I'm glad you enjoy the videos!

[@asdfghjklzxcvbnm6874]

Engineering Explained thank you not for thinking me as a jerk, (I'm referring to blues clues anyway), but seriously I'm glad your channel is exist, it was really helping me so much with my college stuff, so thank you very much bro.

[@Eddy9lives]

blues clues guy

[@byFrayms]

exactly what I was thinking when i seen his shirt haha, blues clues

[@PriMaLSunrise]

asdfghjkl zxcvbnm lmfaoooooooooo

[@EngineeringExplained]

I have videos on both, but radiators are for engine cooling, where as intercoolers are for intake charge cooling.

[@Asimo44]

Wow Blue's Clues has gotten a lot more complicated since I was a kid.

[@AuroraPhoeniixx]

Steve had to find a new passion after Blue died xD

[@coleviney4740]

I literally just thought of before i look at the comments

[@jerrygonzales3408]

Hahahahahabah

[@Alex3lizondo]

This is gold

[@zachcalvert6999]

Legit as soon as I saw his shirt I immediately thought of that show😂

[@EngineeringExplained]

Bigger turbos will typically be used for higher boost, yes the correlation is there, but of course they are not all created equal. You want to match the turbo to the power you'd like to make, so that it doesn't have much lag, and spools up quick enough.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Correct, there are several solutions to this however. Vacuum brakes will also have a 1 way valve to hold the vacuum in the chamber to use for braking, so when the car idles or loses boost, it will create the vacuum again. A vacuum pump or hydraulic booster could also be used.

[@goutvols103]

Great video. It would be great to include some temperature data and the drop in temperature that could be expected. Thanks.

[@snowy5299]

#1. It is not just restricted air flow that drops the outtake pressure of an intercooler, it is also the drop in temperature, as almost any gas cools it will also decrease in the amount of volume it tends to use. for example, A pressure cooker does not pump air into itself to heat up the contents (as you all know), it heats up the liquid, creating steam (expanding gasses) and thus the rise in pressure, and with a rise in pressure you get a rise in temperature, like in a diesel engine, but once you turn off the pressure cooker... the pressurized chamber will begin to condense until the humidity and pressure return to normal and now your left with cool air again. #2. What about the condensation from hot to cold, will it get into the engine?

[@watsit432]

Dude you are like a car dictionary. You're just so good at explaining it you should become a teacher

[@EngineeringExplained]

Thanks, cheers.

[@SuperWesty177]

Agreed I've never had to do follow up research I understand first time :)

[@Superstuffed]

Hahaha blues clues

[@chandlerkelley2812]

Superstuffed Yesssss hahahaahah

[@mrapexunicornhunter661]

+Superstuffed i noticed too :)

[@firedude2106]

+Superstuffed lol thats what i thought

[@slimhardaway8]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Mail Time

[@zachsnow4947]

Superstuffed i was going to say the same thing

[@EngineeringExplained]

I hope to eventually!

[@EngineeringExplained]

There's not really any reason to in a road car, as the frontal area is big enough that you can use a rectangle. Ultimately, a big thin rectangle will yield the best results, provided that the space is there.

[@1InfinityShade]

HAHA! I've been watching your channel for years. Now that I have my first turbocharged car, I wanted to learn more about forced induction. Enter Engineering Explained's baby face from 10 years ago XD. I would really like to see an updated version of this video, which delves deeper into the correlation between air temperatures, CFM at given RPMs, and intercooler size.

[@alexT80418]

so this is where steve ended up after he went to college.

[@jorgedominguez2256]

Alex Tillman lol

[@gtrlover4527]

And it is worth it

[@Gatorguy997]

You look like steve from Blue's Clues. Great videos man, really helps!

[@fightingfalconfan]

water intercooler is interesting and was wondering about how they made that possible. Now that I know, I don't think I will ever get one. Way to complex and I would have to do more maintenance in the long run then I really want to. Keep up the great video's as usual :)

[@EngineeringExplained]

It's been requested many times, so yes I'll need to get around to it eventually! :)

[@CenobiteBeldar]

*taps cowbell 4 times* 🎶We just got a intercooler We just got a intercooler We just got a intercooler Wonder how it works! 🎶

[@EngineeringExplained]

Depends of course, but it could easily be 50-100 deg F. Higher or lower depending on boost levels and intercooler size.

[@BanditoCGET]

Love your videos man. Great job at explaining things and making it easy for other people who don't know what this parts do.

[@EngineeringExplained]

more* of a pressure loss, but I think that's what you meant. And yes, TMIC often do have the advantage of less piping (and less pressure loss).

[@rogerlaing4405]

Dude you deserve more subs and views YOU GO OVER EVERYTHING!! P.S. I think if you mentioned your sponsors more then you would get better sponsorship. But keep it up man!!

[@SimplyGheju]

Your comment made me realize that I was not subscribed. Thanks buddy!

[@EngineeringExplained]

^ Haha thanks for subscribing!

[@liveandletlive2894]

Lol hes got the subs now!!!

[@pradeeppeter5068]

Very good & educative explanation . Its to the point, crisp and clear.

[@denzelw9664]

Been doing a lot of reading about IC recently and the one of the huge difference between tube and fin and bar and plate is. Tube and fin is really restrictive and does nothing for air flow even though it’s a force induction system. The fact that those tubes protrude in the tank doesn’t help air flow. Bar and plate on the other hand doesn’t have that protrusion in the tank so it doesn’t slow down air flow but actually speed up the flow of air.

[@09fatbobmike]

have you done a video on explaining how to select the size intercooler you need and how other sizes might affect your system.

[@dakkan5433]

I know this is an old video but knowing very little about engines and the different components you explained the basic principle really well :P

[@donaldkhogan]

Thank you for saying "everyone"!! Like every single KZbinr says "Hey guys" and I'm like wtf? That's only a portion of the audience!

[@dham99]

lol glad I'm not the only one who thought instantly of Blue's Clues when I saw this haha... On a side note...the reason I was weary of my heat exchanger (water to air) on my supercharged Cavalier was because of the reliance on a pump. My pump failed during a very spirited run and then on some heavy highway pulls. Well I wasn't monitoring my IAT's at the time and the motor went (piston literally splintered). You wont have that with an air to air, the worse that happens is a charge pipe blows off which you'll know right away. But I've had both and having a sufficient intercooler is definitely key.. my stock Focus ST intercooler is basically useless except for daily driving. Its the only part I need to go stage 3 but it should have been the first part I upgraded to for peace of mind! thanks for another good video! the car community is definitely a better place with people like you taking the time to help others understand how things work!

[@MEZ92]

Don't do it unless you are going with forged internals, MLS headgasket, and ARP head studs. Boost with that high compression=boom. You know what I'm talking about, but keep up the good work.

[@MisunderstoodKid101]

These videos are amazing. I learn so much. I'm in auto and I have a air to water intercooler and I wasn't sure how it works. Thanks!

[@kierenalvarez5114]

put the pump on the cold side for longevity. nice vid bro

[@geraldfordman7474]

Thank you Steve. I never took auto shop in high school so you're educating me about engine mechanics. After all, nobody wants to look like a dummy when dealing with auto mechanics.

[@EngineeringExplained]

Not necessarily, but it does improve efficiency. At 1.1 bar you'd probably see a healthy gain with an intercooler.

[@llv32_yere64]

Hey man, greetings from diesel enthusiast from Finland! I'd like to suggest a video topic: Make video about pro's and con's about water-to-air-intercooler vs. (normal) air-to-air-intercooler. Many vehicles that i've been working on have small engine bay, and it would be super great if you could do a video, where you put both water-to-air and air-to-air intercoolers on test. Just a suggestion thou! But i've seen lots of drag cars that use water-to-air intercooler method, and it would be cool if a wise guy like you could explain in a video about the differences of these two! I hope you read this message and even reconsider doing that kind of video! Thumbs up people if you agree with me!

[@gwho]

does the intercooler use the same body of coolant/antifreeze as the regular engine cooling system? Or do they have separate working fluids / coolants that never mix with each other?

[@skatecrete8813]

It would be off of the outlet hose of your radiator so youre basically just adding the intercooler in the middle of the outlet line to the engine.

[@Hotdog80085]

With this shirt you look like the dude from Blue's Clues

[@joshwatts849]

OMFG HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[@RealKaiserBelial]

miss that show

[@CoffeeMadeMeSay]

Lol

[@oj2314]

loool you beat me to it lol

[@kadespade5774]

He totally does

[@dnm25]

Your channel should be Car Technology Explained. There is a lot more to engineering than car applications. Still, great explanations and videos!

[@sarahmarshall6599]

you look like the guy from Blues Clues

[@jpain97_]

That was his part time job

[@thatvolvoguy6565]

Steve for sureee

[@reggie7653]

Very well done video. Crazy amount of information to fit into 8 minutes.

[@NaughtyGoatFarm]

I have a small 2.8L Turbo diesel engine in a small truck. In stop start heavy traffic the temperature climbs. The intercooler fins (air to air) are a bit beat up from stones etc. Would replacing the intercooler help with temperature in stop start heavy traffic?

[@transporter1transporter332]

Cooling the pressurized fuel/ air mixture increases the mass of fuel /air mixture that can be crammed into the cylinder. Intercooling has the added advantage of allowing the charge to be compressed further before it reaches combustion temperature. It is possible to 'supercharge' an engine by using an intercooler on its own.

[@duskojovanovic4372]

mercedes c class diesel w203 has air to water intercooler or?

[@kendall280z]

Where's blue Steve?

[@chunkymunkey153]

super well explained also the reason sometime you don't want a taller or thicker intercooler is because if you are not running that much boost it will take a longer time for you to hit the boost level your set at aka lag a turbo will lag harder trying to fill the system at 15psi of boost with a big intercooler vs a smaller one

[@EngineeringExplained]

Correct.

[@Sawboyjr]

Can you do a video of what's more beneficial having a intercooler on top of the engine with a scoop on the hood sucking in the air or the intercooler on the lower front end of the car sucking in the air as a typical radiator set up?

[@ivangarcia800]

Jesus dude, I literally was so confused on how the air went through them without just leaving immediately at the fins. I had seen boosted boiz weld up the inlet and outlet to one and didn’t understand how it worked, so thanks for this video

[@bikboi8768]

Hello Everyone and Welcome!!!! Love this guy :)

[@EngineeringExplained]

It wouldn't serve any purpose, but you could do it if you wanted to add weight.

[@stanleywender8159]

There is something you didn't go into that almost nobody talks about but is greatly effected by the hight of the intercooler. The size and shape of the end tanks make a big difference on air flow and pressure drop through the core of the intercooler. If you have skinny end tanks there will be turbulence trying to fill the upper section of the intercooler and make it less effective. The larger the end tanks and the smoother the transition, the better for air flow. Check this out in practice by looking at the end tanks on the intercooler of a Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32, R33, or R34) with the bumper off..

[@cirotrinchese4926]

My congratulations for the explaination. Very cleaner and friendly. A curosity, what is the flowrate and velocity (average value) of ambient air that crosses the intercooler to cool the compressed air? Thank you.

[@EngineeringExplained]

PV=nRT, everyone! :)

[@turtlemann14]

is there an easy way to figure out about how much the temp will rise per lb of boost? and or how to size a ic to remove x amount of heat?

[@slomogoslowvideos7017]

I have to admit I tried drawing these pictures explaining them to my friend but I am way more jealous of your drawings

[@frederickwilson1397]

how'd you get Steve shirt from blues clues ? :) great video!

[@atuldabak1131]

Any chance that when the hot air having more moisture cools down in intercooler can change the form moisture to water

[@shawnstylez3523]

if you leave the stock oem intercooler on and put a Neuspeed MKVI FMIC & FID for example would it help to have a twin intercooler on a 2012 Volkswagen Golf R or GTI

[@jayfulf]

I've never actually heard of Yonaka before your videos and after a quick google search they're apparently located in my city

[@lowereastsideastrologist7769]

But does the additional combustion power from adding and intercooler, increase the cylinder temperatures?

[@geordanwilliamson5069]

Is there any set up of taking the AC and fixing an intercooler behind the evaporator to have just that much more cooling? Or would the power being taken up by the AC compressor negate the power gained?

[@TheSquidgie1]

As the turbocharger supplies positive pressure to the engine does the intake manifold no longer have a vacuum? Thus can a turbocharged car still have vacuum assisted brakes?

[@EngineeringExplained]

I did indeed!

[@Spaghetti989]

How do you balance the pressure drop vs extra cooling in the two types of intercoolers? Are there specifications when you buy an intercooler to decide between bar&plate vs tube&fin to allow you to see what will give you the greatest molar flow of oxygen?

[@MuhammadIkhwan95]

How aboutif we add extra fan in-front of the intercooler acting as Forced Air cooler,will it effective to reduce the temperature?

[@EngineeringExplained]

Only if it's capable of blowing more air than their is "wind," which won't be the case at speed (hence why you typically never see fans on intercoolers, only radiators which need to keep the engine cool even while stopped and idling).

[@OddTimeMan]

+Engineering Explained *there :)

[@CoffeeMadeMeSay]

+Engineering Explained the blues clues guy

[@zulfaqarolie]

Engineering Explained many said it's blues clues but i see a Sandman in Spiderman 3..btw ur videos r so helpful and i'm learning a lot from it.. Keep goingand never give up

[@vinny1028]

If I put a intercooler on my mustang EcoBoost with a 25% increase in internal core size will the map sensor be able to compensate with extra fuel

[@JustinBekkerCanada]

PV=nRT. Pressure and volume are inversely proportional, but pressure and temperature are directly proportional.

[@s4060]

I would like you to get together with your mechanic mate and test response rate of larger vs smaller intercooler. I cannot find a study on it

[@guillaume6119]

hi, I'd like to put a turbo on my "motorbike" but a intercooler is a little bit to wide and weight. What happen if I do not put intercooler? Guillaume

[@mistgate]

Might want to also do the difference between front mount intercoolers and top mount intercoolers.

[@coreyaddis1]

What if the fins on my stock Honda intercooler looks like it’s absorbed a good bit of bugs and road debris? Any cause for concern?

[@EVAN-re2yo]

nice video chris

[@dfqnexxus3710]

So here is my question , I have a 2014 Volkswagen passat 1.8L I'm going to upgrade the intercooler, I use the car for driving daily ...which one should i use ?front mount intercooler similar to the one you holding on this video or just an upgrade that comes between the radiator and ac condenser ?

[@adamswartz7670]

If you install a large bar and plate intercooler, is it normal to see lower boost psi without a tune?

[@hellraisingc7]

what if i add a front air to air intercooler combined with the air to water? so hot compressed air from the turbo passes first through the front mount intercooler(bar and plate) ,then goes out towards the water intercooler and the towards the engine. that should work just fine and i should have much better cooling, correct?

[@iJinKs]

I have a question if I'm adding power to my car Volvo polestar should I get better intercooler n air intake?

[@HollywoodF1]

The spokesman for the engineers of the Ford Focus RS said that the intercooler had to be dialed back. He said that it was necessary to put a plate covering the far end of the intercooler to prevent any further cooing at the end. He said that without the plate, there was condensation. I know that compressors have dewaterers for this reason. I live in a climate where the dewpoint is usually around 50 degrees, and rarely exceeds 65 degrees. Positive and negative-- what are the consequences of removing the plate?

[@EngineeringExplained]

New ideas are always welcome, thanks! No promises of course.

[@a2dc2]

I own a boosted B18B and its fun to drive. You should consider boosting yours

[@07AGAB]

Hi ., I'm very happy to be the first to commnet, your work is amazing man, I love watching your videos. You make everything sound simpler. Thank you very very much, please keep it up...

[@loganknudsen246]

If you have a cold air intake with a heat shield do u recommend having one of these because cold air intakes are meant to keep the air cold right.

[@mechanicalanimal8397]

They tearing you up bro! I love your channel.

[@DONUTSKIE]

Does the cold side always have to be connected on the right side of the core and hotside is on the left? Or it can be reversed?

[@Badxperiment]

Any chance you could do a video on how a dyno works. i know i could learn else where but i think you'd do a great job with the video.

[@journeyreuma6990]

Do I need to re-tune my engine after an intercooler upgrade? Say 5.5 Depo Beast(stock turbo) on a Focus ST. Stock turbo for at least another year or two. I am running the Ford Racing Performance calibration at the moment. I was hoping that I didn't need to get a tune.

[@drizzlybadboy]

Your blues clues costume didn’t let me concentrate on today’s topic...good job steve

[@MT4LYF]

sorry did you say thicker intercooler is worst than a thinner one ? i just bought a 600mmx300mmx75mm intercooler bar n plate

[@JPcostarica27]

Hi. How cool air from turbo affects diesel compression temperature inside chamber/power stroke?

[@labassproject2897]

you need to do some repro when u change the intercooler for one bigger?

[@MrChacha2011]

I think if you started making your owm animation of what your to to explain that would be even better. But i still think your video are great and I learned a lot.

[@EngineeringExplained]

We will see, I'll probably leave it up to everyone to see what they'd like to see most. Turbo, Vtec, k-swap. All in good time!

[@GnarlyBlade]

How do I pick the correct size of intercooler for my application? I know I need a 3" inlet/outlet for piping. I'm shooting for ~800HP max. I used flow rates to determine my piping size.

[@ItsRandomStan]

If I just install aftermarket intercooler piping do I need to get a tune?

[@kalbi777]

Can you please give me a quick update about why modern VAG diesel engines all use water cooled intercoolers but all gasoline perormance cars don't have them ? Cooler air not always better ?

[@quan22777]

What about the geometry of the cross-section of the intercooler, allows for cooling ?

[@timvines7944]

Thanks! You are very good at explaining how things work!

[@overviewhd4370]

I have a 6.6 duramax my turbo intercooler been out for like a month now how bad is it to drive without it ?

[@royk6320]

Ok my question is that I have a 07 to 09 Acura rdx in they run a top mount air to air intercooler. Do u think a water to air intercooler would work better

[@yanickchateauvert4189]

Can I put an air to air intercooler if I don't even have a turbo or supercharger? What would it do? I have everything stock exepted I have a cold air intake