Aluminum is not forgiving when it comes to welding, so it wouldn't surprise me if that were the cause. But I just re read the thread and he said the welds were quality, so... h:

Maybe there's a blockage downstream that's allowing the buildup of pressure? :dunno:

 

BHahhahahaah

snl, will ferrall = the shit.

 

How much pressure is the IC rated for? I'd get something that is proven...you might pay more for it, but it won't separate from the welds...unless there's something causing pressure in the IC to skyrocket.

 

There's no way around it, either the welds are to blame, or you're hitting more than 21 PSI. Those are the only explanations.

 

This thing is rated for 1300hp... which would require about 33PSI on a bulletproof 2.4L with 116 octane. I just have a tiny little 50-trim and a measley 433chp from my 2.0L. My car is running fine, and my BOV is set really soft.

What I think it is... is where I hacked the upper IC pipe to install the 3.5" LS-1 Corvette MAF sensor. I didn't change the pipes much at all to route them to where they originally went, but I think the reducing couplers where it's installed are swelling at 21 PSI and using the lower-half of the upper IC (where the BOV is installed) like a crowbar. I think this is forcing the intercooler's outlet pipe to the side and breaking the welds. It couldn't be doing this from engine movement because I have it all locked down with polyurethane, so I think it's a leverage thing. I think I need to do something to brace the upper IC against the body so that the pipe can't move at all or put any pressure on the IC outlet pipe.

The intercooler is locked down tight. I spent a long time trimming parts and adding structural support so it can't move at all, and nothing rubs on it.




I'm gonna stop pic-whoring for the day now. Does my theory make sense? I have a dyno video with a shot of my engine, and that pipe looks like it moves quite a bit, but the motor doesn't really move. I fixed the intercooler the day before dynoing it. It broke a few days later.

 

Couldn't be that. The LS-1 MAF sensor can flow over 1000CFM without restriction. I have big IC pipes, everything's mandrel bent. The head is ported and polished with HKS 264/272's. The manifold and turbo are ported and polished on the exhaust side, and the exhaust is a brand new 3" Apexi N1 turbo-back. I'm fairly certain it's not a restriction thing. My turbo is only supposed to flow about 620-630 CFM, but I think I have that beat by looking at my dyno sheet. Big 16g's are only supposed to be good for 400 crank hp.

NE1 think my crowbar theory is plausible?

 

Crowbar theory could be possible.

 

so the theory is that the IC pipe is causing a twisting force? that would make some sense to me. Also looking at the burst area, it's nearly even which is what twisting force usually causes.

 

I think it's pushing it, but what's weird is the first place it broke... it was on the other side. EDIT: Now that I look at it, it does make sense because of where the outlet pipe is welded. Pressure there would probably break either side of the tank.

I tried hitting www.adfxracing.com and for some reason their website disappeared some time over the weekend. Last Friday it was up with contact info, and another bit stating that they weren't doing direct sales anymore. They stated that all future business would be conducted through resellers, and they listed their resellers. ADFX has been around for about 4 years. Their DNS name is still registered at GoDaddy, and you can still pull the pages up from Google's cached pages.

I also figured out that if you google "eclipse adfx intercooler" that my GSX page pops up in the top of the results. cool. my car is googleable.

I'm going to go ahead and get this fixed locally to save time. My mission is to run an 8.0 flat this summer in the 1/8th mile. Sending the intercooler back to ADFX in Ohio doesn't fit in with my racing schedule.

 

What I cannot understand is the fact that the weld split instead of failing on either side. A proper weld should be stronger than the surrounding material. The "crowbar theory" sounds sound ( :reechy: ) but it reared its ugly head through the weakest link, the weld. Had the weld been stronger, failure would have happened elsewhere.