need some general info.

i am considering putting one on my idi, but i was wondering if thats safe. the reason why i am wondering is because i don't have headstuds or anything on the engine. (you know, those kick *** ones from dps-performance.com)
what kind of power gains will i see?
what happens to my boost psi? will i be able to obtain the same boost? probably takes longer to get there.
is it worth it?

can i just fab up any intercooler, or do i need a certain size or anything? i am just looking around for a stock take off from a current diesel motor.

let me know, thanks.

 

Actually the intercooler lowers the intake air temp which reduces the pressure on the head gaskets and helps lower EGT's as well.
As far as boost pressure goes, I have seen several people report lower boost pressure, but increased power output. I guess that would depend on the intake and exhaust mods that you have done.

I would try to find one off a 7.3 Power Stroke, the displacement is the same and the air flow requirements would also be the same even though the Power Stroke does run about 18 PSI more than an IDI does.

I think it will be about 10 to 15 percent increase over what you have now. That looks like a small gain, but small increases do tend to add up and a little is usually a big difference on a diesel.
If you have 240 HP now which is not out of the question and you add 24 HP at the low end of the guesstimate, you will be running 264 HP with the intercooler.
Hard call, the intercooler install is a lot of work, and some dollars for parts.
I think the best location is near the bottom of the radiator so little of it is in front of the AC condensor for better air flow. This means cutting holes in the bumper like the Power Strokes have to increase the air flow.

 

somehow, i knew you would come through....

thanks.

now sell me your intercooler.

 

I wanted one, but my snow plow bracket goes across the frame horns and drops down from the top of the frame rails to about 8" below my bumper with a 1/2" thick steel plate. Since I have broken it before, there was no way I was going to cut holes in it.
Since the intercooler would get no air, I never got one.
I looked at mounting it up higher, but once the air went through the intercooler, then the AC condensor, then through the radiator I figured my AC would not work well any more and I would probably have all kinds of overheating issues. So when the EGT's start climbing, I just back out of the throttle. No use spending money on something that will cause more problems that you don't have without it.

When you have a truck for 20 years, you have a lot of time to look at things to see how to make it work better. I have also been through enough different trades and classes that I can look at something like three radiators stacked in front of each other and realize that the effeciency of the last one will suffer the most from all the heat being put into the air in front of it as well as the restriction in air flow that the intercooler will induce.

Mods have to be looked at from all different angles and lines of thought. You have to be carefull that even though you are making something better, you don't want to hurt something else that may be more important. This was a lesson I learned the hard way when I was younger.

 

I don't know what its going to do for these small engines since I just started toying with them, but on big engines we always figured it would gain you ten to twelve percent. We used to see a gain in boost pressure.

Biggest thing you have to watch is keep your turns to a minimum. and use as large a radius turn as you can to help reduce back pressure.