Part III: An Intercooler Installation Extravaganza!Last issue we covered ripping apart our Grand Prix X-P and installing our ZZPerformance Stage 2 Intercooler Heat Exchanger System, as well as our Stage 2 intercooler pump. In this episode, we will wire up our pump and install the actual intercooler core and LS1 Throttle Body Conversion Kit! The potent X-P has already produced 405 horses prior to this upgrade and we can't wait to see how much more horsepower will be made. But first, we still have plenty of wrenching to do so let's get to it.
Well that's just about all the room we have for this installment, check back next issue when we will tackle the installation of new fuel rails and a new custom exhaust!
Sneak Preview: With the mods...
Sneak Preview: With the mods completed the X-P posted 114 mph trap speeds at the track on street tires. More on the performance improvements will appear in the final installment.
When it came time to wire...
When it came time to wire in the intercooler pump, the instructions only had provisions for powering the pump by tapping off of an ignition hot wire in the fuse box. For the sake of reliability, we decided to wire up a simple SPST relay system to power our pump directly from the battery for consistent results. This schematic shows how to wire up your intercooler pump using a single-pole, single-throw automotive relay to turn the pump on when the key is on.
As you can see, the top of...
As you can see, the top of the coolant overflow bottle was a perfect mounting location for our relay as it is close to the main power distribution area as well as a few choice grounding locations.
We chose to pick up the power...
We chose to pick up the power for the pump from the distribution area on top of the fuse box itself. The "key on" ignition point can be found in the wires running into the fuse box from the back. But you must consult your service manual to find one that will be hot with the key on (most likely pink in color). These appear to have changed slightly from year to year. We grounded both the relay and the pump to the chassis; a good place to do this is at the strut tower bolts. This shot shows the completed assembly.
Now back to our intercooler...
Now back to our intercooler core installation. Using the factory service manual as a guide, we installed the machined intake manifold using new gaskets and torqued the bolts to spec in sequence. Then we placed an intake gasket on the lower intake manifold and trimmed it to fit the new opening as well as the new PCV location.
Using RTV, we traced the area...
Using RTV, we traced the area around the freshly trimmed gasket that is now missing sealer, including the new PCV hole. Then we placed the gasket on the intake manifold.
Windex was sprayed onto the...
Windex was sprayed onto the intercooler core input and output tubes as a quick lubricant, and we slid the two pieces of hose (that will seal the core over the ends) until they bottomed out on the flat part of the tube. We let the Windex dry while working on the bottom side of the core housing.
The supplied gasket maker...
The supplied gasket maker was liberally applied to the bottom side of the intercooler core housing. We were sure not use this gasket maker on the two radiused sections where the core tubes protrude. Next we ran a small bead of RTV into the channel where the intercooler tubes will extend from the core housing. This will seal better on the tubing sections that we just installed onto the core itself. Finally, we set the lower half of the intercooler onto the intake manifold, taking great care to line up the holes and gasket.
Installation of the intercooler...
Installation of the intercooler core into its housing came next, taking care to line up the inlet and outlet tube (the core will ONLY go in one way). We also ran another thin bead of RTV on the top of the hose pieces.