DIY SMIC Intercooler Sprayer

[ultra_joel88]

Has anyone installed an intercooler sprayer on the Fabia VRS similar to that on the Subaru Impreza STi?

Would it be worth it you think?

I'm guessing you could just install the bigger tank, fit an extra pump and use that, then run tubing to the SMIC.

Joel

[devonutopia]

IMO, even a quite small front mount upgrade will have much better thermal cooling properties than even the most amount of water you can spray on the stock side mount. I think somewhere, someone did some research on this, but I don't recall where - might have been TDIclub.

[ultra_joel88]

Indeed, however a DIY front mount = £200 + some expertise

DIY sprayer potentially less than £50?

[Lofty86]

So ... £250 would get you a phat FMIC and a diy sprayer. Haha.

[devonutopia]

A sprayer would be a tricky thing to set up - How would you trigger it? What pump would it use? (not a great deal of room in that offside front wing/bumper area) What reservoir would it use? Washer bottle? What kind of jet? Fabia windscreen jet?

My water methanol is essentially a boost activated spraying device and that was not cheap or easy to do.

[Tech1e]

It has been done, Josh had one set up on his Fabia vRS ages ago, was a waste of time, didnt do squat iirc.

[devonutopia]

yep - I can imagine the metal of the SMIC being a little bit cooler due to being wet is not going to have any real effect on the temperature of the air inside it. It's down to surface area and the way a front mount cools down the air via the fins/narrow tubes, etc? (having never seen inside a front mount I'm not sure on that )

[TokyoPhil]

If you really wanted to try it you could ditch the rear wash wipe system, and use that output from the pump, run a pipe over to the intercooler and put a jet on the end of it to spray onto the intercooler. You'd just have to push the stalk for rear wash wipe to spray the intercooler then . . . only thing is your rear wiper will go every time you do it!! lol. Easy, cost effective way of just trying it before you go to the trouble of actually buying kit etc.

[phil_monk]

my mate had a home made one on his PD130 Ibiza on a fordge FMIC,

Used a Land rover Washer pump and bottol secured in the boot, run the pipe under the car using the hols in the boot, It was activated using a button the dash. Helped his inlet temps loads. Was simple to setup and cost less then £50.

[vindaloo]

Secret of doing it right is to get the right outlet nozzle.

You need a fogger, something which deposits a mist rather than droplets. And ideally, some way upstream from the SMIC, evaporation causing a drop in the ambient temperature of the air passing through is what's needed IMO.

J.

[jonnyvrs]

Joel,

Think you saw my mention on this before?

I've got this set-up on mine. It's there as much for the fun of making the kit up for 30quid as for the actual effect of it. If I ever got a FMIC, I'd use this method on that too. Not sure eaxctly what the methanol is about, but sound like it tweaks up the fuel mixture by being sprayed ino the TB.

I made the system up my self. Maplin and the local motor factors came in handy. I used VW fan type washer jets: 3B0 955 985. I reckoned they give more of a mist than a very directed spray, I tried it once fitted to see what sort of coverage one 'jet' had on the SMIC, and it seemed to cover the full width where I mounted it. I used clear washer hose from Halfords, and a non return valve, otherwise when you need the spray, there is none there, as the water mix has run back into the bottle.

I used the inside of the front crash member to house the wire, hose valve and wahser motor. Some peeps have used the windscreen washer bottle, but I wanted to run it separately, so used a 1 litre bottle fixed between the crash bar and aircon condensor. Seems to work well. if you have soemthing like SPA gauges I'm told you can use a boost pressure trigger point to activate the spray. I just used a push to make switch on the dash.

think it is effective (though it may be placebo) in slightly warmer weather, I don't use it much now it's really cold, but I put about 20ml of meths in the water now, just to stop it freezing.

Some costs are approximate:

Push to make switch £2.29 Illuminated Push-to-Make Switch > Maplin

Power LED £0.39 12V 3mm LEDs > Maplin

Resistor (x2) 48 or 64kOhm 'pence' (maplin)

Isolator switch £2.50 (motor spares)

Washer pump £5 (motor spares)

Washer hose £2.99 (Halfords)

Non return valve £2.50 (Halfords/motor spares)

Water bottle £2 (bike shop or sports shop)

Cable 10amp+ £5 (maplin)

Switch Blank £2 or less (Skoda spares)

Washer Jet £2 or less (VW/SKoda/etc)

[big_dave]

Do what I did and whack a CBR600 radiator fan on the back of it.

[dsmithmobile]

If you really wanted to try it you could ditch the rear wash wipe system, and use that output from the pump, run a pipe over to the intercooler and put a jet on the end of it to spray onto the intercooler. You'd just have to push the stalk for rear wash wipe to spray the intercooler then . . . only thing is your rear wiper will go every time you do it!! lol. Easy, cost effective way of just trying it before you go to the trouble of actually buying kit etc.

mine is done in the same way by the rear washer pump but the wiper is removed anyway so at least the wiper doesn't start going LOL

and if your going to use a nozzle you could use subaru ic mist ones like i did which give a nice even mist and are only cheap from the main dealers

[ultra_joel88]

Do what I did and whack a CBR600 radiator fan on the back of it.

any pics?

[big_dave]

I did, but I think my phone had a mishap before they made it to the PC. The fan is about the same size as the rad and sucks a huge amount of air through. It's activated via a switch on the dash and makes a hell of a difference to heat soak and brings the ambient temperature down as well. Fan was £10 from a bike scrappie.

[ultra_joel88]

Like one of these badboys?

HONDA CBR 600 FV CBR600FV 1997 RADIATOR FAN on eBay, also Honda, Motorcycle Parts, Motorcycle Parts Accessories, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 20-May-09 10:13:36 BST)

Did you mount it on the BACK of the intercooler, and how did you wire it up?

Interested!

[big_dave]

Exactly one of them! I mounted in on the back of the rad with cable ties. It fits in with no problems and the arch liner still fits as it should.

As for wiring. I took a switched feed from the fuse box into a switch on the dash board. This runs out into the engine bay and into a relay which powers the fan.

[jonnyvrs]

Do what I did and whack a CBR600 radiator fan on the back of it.

now that i like, a lot!!!

[vRS Dovit]

Dave, get some pics up bud or at least a guide