Intercooler problem.

V

vader87gn

New Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Hey guys, sorry if I am posting in the wrong thread, wasn't sure where this fit in. I recently bought a 87 Buick Grand National and i'm having a little problem with the intercooler on my car and need some advice advice on things. I bought the car about about a month ago from a guy who said he bought the car maybe 9 years ago from a guy in California(I'm in Georgia) and the guy I got it from didn't really do much as far as upgrades and stuff beside change oil and spark plugs. He gave me a couple of catalogs 1 from Kirban performance from 2005 and one from ATR performace which the original owner of the car went through and highlighted what all he has ordered and put on the car. The parts he ordered from ATR i've been searching Google for more information and all on them but can't find much about them and I don't really know much about cars and the only thing I know it has is a TA49 turbo. So I took photos of all the parts he highlighted in the magazine(if anyone actually time to look at the 21 images) here http://sav87gn.imgur.com/all/ . The only thing I have done to the car so far is ordered and put in a chip from turbotweakstore.com

Ok so now on to my intercooler problem. When I notice there was no coolant inside the intercooler I went out and bought some and begin to fill it in the intercooler seen here http://i.imgur.com/WIGsPJy.jpg and as I got about half way to the jug I heard/noticed it flowing out of the radiator and noticed the hole seen here http://i.imgur.com/iWCHmAU.jpg?1 . So I went out and bought some JB water weld and patched up the small hole and after that proceeded to fill it with coolant again with no signs of it leaking out the hole or anywhere else. So I take it for a test run to see how it runs and get maybe 50ft and the car shuts off and starts smoking lol. Well come to find out all that coolant went inside of my engine. My brother removed the plugs and did all the steps to get the coolant out like removed the plugs, change the oil, vacuum out all the rest of the coolant in the intercooler etc and the car is running fine now. So my question, is this obviously a intercooler problem? Is it time to buy a new one or could I take this one to a local repair shop and maybe have it tested and fixed?

Last question boost is at 14psi at the moment, how much higher could I go with it and be safe without causing any damage.

Also plan on getting a Scanmaster soon.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Liquid to air intercooler. Pretty much useless on the street. Time to start shopping for a new intercooler.
 
It's not worth fooling with that thing...Either pick up a used stock intercool or buy a new one from a vendor such as TR Custom Parts....You need to access your speed goals and determine how fast you want to go...In a nut shell that should dictate what intercooler you need....
 
Thanks guys. Any recommendations on a intercooler? As far as a speed goal I'm not really sure. My boss has a 2001 roush Mustang and is always bragging about it. So maybe get it somewhere to shut him up.

Posted from the TurboBuick.Com mobile app
 
I have a stock intercooler, shroud, brackets, IC fan etc you can have for $100. I would like your broken IC, just for sh!ts and giggles. I like garage art like that. ;)
 
http://buickgn.com/Intercoolers.htm

cordesicpic.jpg
 
If you want to keep a stock type look go with a stretched intercooler like the one pictured above...Get Razors alky kit turn the boost up somewhere in the 20's whatever makes you comfortable...Then go after the boss!! But,you might want to list all your mods in your signature so others can help you with making sure your car is up to par and ready for mods....
 
3.8L V-8 eater said:
If you want to keep a stock type look go with a stretched intercooler like the one pictured above...Get Razors alky kit turn the boost up somewhere in the 20's whatever makes you comfortable...Then go after the boss!! ..............
Click to expand...

Comments and thinking like this usually leads to expensive damage?

I have no issue with alky injection, but just to install one and crank up the boost may give you some instant HP, but if other items like the fuel system and tune are not able to handle that HP level, bad stuff will happen even if is as "minor" as a head gasket.

The simple fact is fuel and air make HP, so for more HP both need to be increased.

Since 3 times the amount of pure alky is needed to make the same HP as race gas, just injecting alky will not get you there w/o adding more fuel.

Alky injection can get you to a level to kill the Mustang, but you need to plan and build your combination with the proper parts and mods to reliably get you to the HP level where you, and your budget can enjoy a reliable ride! :)
 
TR Custom Parts said:
Liquid to air intercooler. Pretty much useless on the street. Time to start shopping for a new intercooler.
Click to expand...


Dang ! ... I guess all the commonly seen 10 second Cobra's / Shelby's are gonna be in the market for new intercoolers huh ?? :)
 
3.8L V-8 eater said:
If you want to keep a stock type look go with a stretched intercooler like the one pictured above...Get Razors alky kit turn the boost up somewhere in the 20's whatever makes you comfortable...Then go after the boss!! But,you might want to list all your mods in your signature so others can help you with making sure your car is up to par and ready for mods....
Click to expand...

I didn't notice my image gallery was private so I just made it public, but all the mods the original owner highlighted in a magazine and I wasn't really sure how to list the mods so I just took pictures of the mods he highlighted seen here http://sav87gn.imgur.com/all/ . So i'll get around to listing them in my signature.
 
Last edited:
Nick Micale said:
Comments and thinking like this usually leads to expensive damage?

I have no issue with alky injection, but just to install one and crank up the boost may give you some instant HP, but if other items like the fuel system and tune are not able to handle that HP level, bad stuff will happen even if is as "minor" as a head gasket.

The simple fact is fuel and air make HP, so for more HP both need to be increased.

Since 3 times the amount of pure alky is needed to make the same HP as race gas, just injecting alky will not get you there w/o adding more fuel.

Alky injection can get you to a level to kill the Mustang, but you need to plan and build your combination with the proper parts and mods to reliably get you to the HP level where you, and your budget can enjoy a reliable ride! :)
Click to expand...
That's why in the last sentence I suggested listing the mods and making sure the car is ready to be modded....Alky is not all that complicated if you choose the right system and use a good chip maker such as Bob or Eric...These chips are plug and play if you give them the correct info and don't get to greedy with the boost...
 
3.8L V-8 eater said:
That's why in the last sentence I suggested listing the mods and making sure the car is ready to be modded....Alky is not all that complicated if you choose the right system and use a good chip maker such as Bob or Eric...These chips are plug and play if you give them the correct info and don't get to greedy with the boost...
Click to expand...


E85 or ALKY CONTROL if you don't have E85 near you ... Julio's kit is plug and play and works ! these are the 2 biggest game changers to turbo buicks ... both solutions are simple and yield results
 
turbo89 said:
E85 or ALKY CONTROL if you don't have E85 near you ... Julio's kit is plug and play and works ! these are the 2 biggest game changers to turbo buicks ... both solutions are simple and yield results
Click to expand...
I agree Alky Control all the way!! E-85 is another good option as well just more of a cost up front and limited availability for me....
 
3.8L V-8 eater said:
Well for me I would need new injectors, new chip, lines and fittings, would need to go to a bigger pump...
Click to expand...


That price does include a chip , injectors, fuel pump.. you don't need lines unless you are intending to go faster then mid 10's .. as stock lines have already been there on E85 ..

but to address the OP's original post.. he has some nice parts and can easily go mid 11's as long as he has fuel quality
 
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