If you are confused about intercoolers and radiators and what they do, then you should know that they both work as heat exchangers. This means that they work similarly to cool down the engine temperature.
The intercooler is a component of your car’s cooling system that cools the air/fuel mixture before it enters the intake manifold.
It absorbs the heat from compresses that come from turbochargers so you would find the intercooler in cars with turbo engines.
On a radiator, on the other hand, unwanted heat is removed from your engine by water through a series of tubes and fins that are attached to some form of condenser.
This device forces cool liquid through its pipes and into a radiator core where heat can be dissipated outside. If you’re still confused about the differences between intercoolers and radiators, this guide is for you. Below are some of how the two devices differ from one another.
A radiator is one of the cooling components of the car that act as a heat exchanger. A radiator is essential as it helps to cool down the temperature of the engine and helps to prevent it from getting overheated. This ensures that the engine keeps running fine so that there is no issue in your car.
It is also important to keep the radiator clean and find out any problem before it causes any damage.
The exhaust gas from the engine is exposed on one side of the radiator, which gets cool by absorbing surrounding air and, in return, cools down the engine temperature. It works when hot coolant travel from the radiator, the metal fins absorb the heat and release it into the air.
This way radiator ensures constant temperature inside the engine so that it does not get overheated or overcooled depending on weather conditions. The fan at the back of the car also helps by adding an air circulation process for a better cooling system for your vehicle.
The intercoolers are found in the vehicle with turbochargers or turbo engines. They work in cooling down the compressed air released from the turbocharger, making it rich in oxygen, and further enhancing the car’s efficiency.
It also works similarly to a radiator, where it cools down the coolant by absorbing the heat from it and dissipating it in the air. The intercooler is mounted in between the turbocharger and the engine.
There are two types of intercoolers liquid-to-air and air-to-air. Liquid-to-air is most common among the two because they have a relatively small size from air to air.
The hot compressed air released from the turbocharger can not be used to run the engine because it will cause engine damage since it has a higher temperature and pressure than usual.
This will also burn the pistons and valves within a short time and damage your catalytic converter. To prevent such things, the air must first be cooled down before entering the engine by passing through an intercooler.
No, you cannot use an intercooler as a radiator as an intercooler is used to lower the temperature of compressed air. It absorbs the heat released by turbochargers, so you cannot use an intercooler as a radiator as it will block the air intake and will not be efficient.
So a radiator works as a heat exchanger that helps lower the engine temperature, which intercoolers cannot do efficiently alone.
Cooling down the compressed air, the intercooler also makes the air a little denser, making the richer air to fuel mix while entering the engine’s cylinders. Thus in this way, they also help in increasing the horsepower of the car.
So using an intercooler will give more efficiency to the engine, which will result in more power, thus increasing fuel efficiency and horsepower.
Intercoolers, and expected power gains [Measured results]Yes, all turbo cars have and need the intercooler to install the turbocharger; as you know, that intercooler is a component that reduces the heat from the compressed air coming out of turbochargers, preventing overheating of the engine.
Apart from this, it also has some other benefits that are listed below:
Keeps the intake cool: The air entering the engine turns into hot air once it is compressed; the intercooler helps the hot air cool down by sending cold intake air.
Reduce engine temperature: The pressure in the intercooler is enough to reduce the temperature of the heated air inside it, thus reducing overheating and boosting horsepower.
Improves power output: When air intake is heated, oxygen content decreases, increasing combustion temperatures while lowering efficiency and the output level of a car’s engine. An intercooler can affect a car’s horsepower output by increasing airflow.
Keeps consistent ignition timing: It also has a major role in ignition timing. An intercooler can keep the fuel mixed with air consistently and simultaneously, which allows your engine to get the required amount of fuel mixed with oxygen at a given moment.
So, these points are enough to say that the intercooler is an important part of the turbocharged vehicle.
Yes, it would be best if you cleaned your intercooler from time to time to prevent the blockage in the intercooler, which eventually can lead to issues in your car’s engine.
Thus, if your car is not performing up to the mark, it might require a good intercooler cleaning. In addition, there are some more signs and symptoms which can hint you to shift your attention toward the intercooler, such as:
You have a wide range of options to take your car to clean the intercooler either you can do it on your own, or you can take the professional help of an expert who would do the cleaning work efficiently.
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