In an attempt to help mitigate air intake temps in traffic...
 

I am going to piece together an IC water sprayer kit. I am looking to install a 3-Way Direct-Acting Normally-Closed 12V Solenoid Valve between the water tank and the hood mounted washer jets with a control switch on the dash. One way would allow washer jets to activate as normal, the other way would pump water to a 3rd washer jet mounted on the inside of the SMIC duct facing the IC (when the wiper arm on the dash is pulled).

In order to purchase the right valve I need to know: what is the diameter of the washer fluid sprayer hose the goes out of the washer fluid tank? (I would measure myself but the car is at the body shop for some very minor body work)

So far this is the valve I think would be appropriate (pending matching the tube diameter): http://www.flowfactor.com/Merchant2/...egory_Code=PV3
And I would probably need a couple of these: http://www.aquaticeco.com/subcategor...1-2-NPT-x-Barb

Thanks!

I'm having difficulty trying to picture what you are saying.

Here are some good numbers on intake temps with different intakes:
http://fd3s.net/intake.html

Air intake temps Post-Turbo... (ie air passing through the IC on it's way into the motor)

Similar to the OEM Subaru STi system and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-SA64uVSzY&NR=1

Cool idea. I'll try to remember to measure the hose tonight and report back.
I'll be in the garage working on the FD, so I *should* remember.

Thank you sir!

Interesting idea. I like the concept behind the setup you are thinking about and hope you are able to make it work.

My only question is what you are really trying to accomplish and why? You mentioned in the subject heading that you wanted to cool the intake temps in traffic. I'm wondering why it would be important to lower intake temps while in heavy traffic or typical city driving? I would think that engine temps would be more important than intake temps and I'm not sure how effective lowering intake temps would be on lowering engine temps? If that is what you are after.

Engine temps (ie coolant temps) seem to be fine. They hover between 180-200 Degree F on the hottest summer days (w/ a black hood too). If I run the AC temps creep up to 210 degrees F. All and all, fairly safe engine temps.

What I am worried about is the risk of detonation when my air intake temps (AIT) climb. When driving around NYC without traffic everywhere, AIT can creep above 60 Degree C. In bad traffic I have seen AIT over 90 Degrees C!!! This is very high. I am afraid of detonation during these high AIT periods. Even under relatively low boost, at 90 Degrees C AIT, I think detonation is very possible.

I few sprays of the IC during bumper to bumper might do wonders in mitigating heat soak and lowering AIT.

You can spray it into your intake pre-turbo and get the benefits of cooling the whole intake tract along with steam cleaning the insides of your engine and supressing detonation... instead of just cooling the IC

Since you can't accelerate hard in heavy traffic, high intake temps don't make any difference.

I'm not completely sold on this being good for the turbos. Don't most traditional water/meth injection systems use a special atomization nozel post turbo and special high pressure pumps to make sure that the water is inserted with enough force into the turbo-pressurized part of the intake? Not to mention all the electronics that need to go with this, since you would never want to do this at idle. You would need something to meter the flow based on your driving conditions. Even if it is just a simple tps related switch. What he is proposing is much simple, easier, and safer.

I have also seen some pretty sweet nitrous/co2 fogger kits to go in front of intercoolers to help cool them down.

FYI I already have water injection that initiates at 10PSI (post turbo).

60 Degrees C is the threshold on the ECU to start pulling timing in self defense against detonation. I see these temps when driving around NYC without traffic (between 15-30mph & frequent traffic light stops). Between red lights there are opportunities to accelerate in boost <10psi.

Even with heavy traffic, eventually the road will open a little. When it does I would need to be very careful not to fall into boost after 90 Degree C AIT heat soak.

These are effective but not practical for my purposes (refilling would be an ordeal). Also, I like everything to look stock/oem/clean/sleeper.

I thought the final concensus for ic sprayers were that they were a waste of time,money, space...Especially ones using the windshield sprayers. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall that unless you had a nozzle to properly atomize the water it would actually "clog" up the fins on the ic and actually hinder performance.

I could be totally wrong, and I cant find the thread Im thinking of by searching. Maybe somebody else has better knowledge. Anyways, if im totally mistaken, good luck with the project.

Oh, and why not just just fun a small fan on the back of the ic like many others have done to counteract traffic conditions

Have you relocatd your air intake sensor? I believe a big part of what you are seeing is it heat soaking in the UIM. With the radiator fan blowing directly on the intercooler, there's no much you can do. Water I wouldn't be too concerned in traffic, just resist the temptation to boost once traffic clears until the temps come down.

I'd be more worried about the plastics and wiring under the hood cooking. Hopefully when you park, you can raise the hood to let the engine bay air out for a while.

Jack

How about using CO2?
http://www.designengineering.com/pro...asp?m=sc&cid=1

Also what you're referring to as spraying water on the IC, is similar on how a "Swamp Cooler" works, and this works great in a Low Humidity Situation Like Arizona, California, or New Mexico. But NYC ? Humidity in summer can be worse than Florida at times... which means there's nothing that water will do just make things more humid...

Actually, it will still help, even if the ambient relative humidity is 100% - the IC is way above the ambient temperature, so the RH will be locally much lower, and the water will still quickly evaporate, cooling the IC.

That being said, however, IMO (I have no direct experience with this), water injection will work better, as mentioned previously.

There is a simple solution to this: Don't boost when your charge temps are that high. Just FYI, people have beat their cars on a road course with some very high charge temps without exploding their motors:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/hottest-air-water-temp-track-241815/

Granted, the stock ECU adjusted for it but honestly; if this was that big of any issue everyone would be grenading their motors everyday in traffic situations. I do agree with DCrosby that water will probably not be effective for this application. You'd be better off looking for one of those N-ter Cooler Chiller systems:

http://www.jegs.com/p/Nitrous+Expres...10002/-1/12031

Still, IMO, just use your brain. Just don't romp on the gas if your charge temps are higher than you would like. If you wanted something like this for drag racing (i.e. the car isn't moving as you get up to the line so you want to remove any heak soak before your run), then something like that would be money/time well spent.

quit using water and run 100% methanol.......the ignition compensation should be lowered in the tune...the Meth will zap the heat right out of the charge air and detonation will go with it.. ;)

P.S.- i assume this is injecting after the intercooler?

Just for the record, the heat dissipation that can be realized through the phase change of liquid water to water vapor is immense. If you all think this idea is flawed, fine. I have had great success in cooling an FD motor between autox runs by spraying water on the IC (also the rad, oil coolers, and intake piping). This cooling is all attributable to the evaporative cooling of the water. After 5 mins in the grid spraying down the IC, I have made the IC the same temp as ambient (touchable). Without water this could take hours.

Back to the issue I am having: Can someone please verify the diameter of the washer sprayer hose?

Also, can anyone recommend where I can buy a nozzle that could spray a fairly large area (rather than a stream). I am thinking about maybe sourcing a Subaru STi IC sprayer jet.

Is that water sitting inside your engine bay with high temps waiting for you to use it? Probably not. ;)

Umm. Yes. The water would be coming from the washer sprayer tank under the driver side headlight. The temp of the water is not really material (the difference between 70 degree F water and 95 degree F water is immaterial - I guess 200 Degree F water would be a problem, idk). The evaporative cooling is where most of the cooling benefits come from, though.

Anyone have the diameter of this washer tube?

A 1/8" drill bit fit in the line, but not really snugly.

Could be metric. If so I would guess it is 4mm line, which is 0.158 inch while 1/8" is 0.125 inch.

Just wanted to mention, I've seen 101C intake temps before at the track running full 16 pounds of boost and did not detonate with pump Sunoco 94 fuel. I don't think your gonna detonate on the street with 90C intake temps where you barely put any load on the engine.

Having said that though, 90C is still hot. Do you have a pic of your engine bay?

thewird

I could probably use 1/8" and just clamp it over the tube with something.

None recent. What particularly are you looking for?

Just wanted to see how it was setup. Nothing in particular.

thewird