It's a tedious task no matter what you use, I've always used a small screwdriver. If I were you though, I would pressure test them FIRST... otherwise you may find that you spent hours straightening intercooler fins only to have them leak horribly.
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It's a tedious task no matter what you use, I've always used a small screwdriver. If I were you though, I would pressure test them FIRST... otherwise you may find that you spent hours straightening intercooler fins only to have them leak horribly.
Just to test with the intercoolers still mounted I clipped the end of a plastic zip tie and rounded it off a bit which I then poked through the fins from the back side. It looks as though it will work quite well to get the basic shape back to them so they can be straightened properly. The last set of fin rakes shown looks like it may be the solution for a final form. I will likely lose the front row of fins on 50% of the coolers because the damage is so severe, but the plates seem to have suffered no apparent physical damage. I am planning on pressure testing before and after straightening and barring any serious damage I have repaired radiators in the past and should have the required skill to repair these as well.
I'm not sure what direction I will be going if these turn out to be complete garbage, My Y pipe is junk and my factory intercooler hoses aren't in fantastic shape and I believe that a hard pipe kit and new side mounts would run a similar price to the CXracing FMIC setup. I'm not to the point yet where I need to upgrade as a support modification and would like to make the SMIC's last a little longer so as to be able to spend my money elsewhere.
Damn, looks like one of the previous owners had a fender bender and didn't replace the intercooler he bent when he wrecked it. I think I'm just going to try to replace the passenger SMIC for now, I'll be taking the driver side off to pressure test in a couple hours and I'll probably pressure test the passenger side just for fun. There is no way that thing is leak free, it's not even close to square.
Please disregard the dirty car, I haven't been driving it because it needs oil cooler lines.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/DSC00062.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/DSC00072.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/DSC00071.jpg
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/DSC00069.jpg
Pulled the passenger side intercooler off and pressure tested it. No leaks at all, I pressurized it to 25 psi and put it underwater and not a single bubble. I'm in total disbelief that it held any pressure at all let alone be leak free.
As you can see the damage even extends into the piping, the upper pipe must have slammed into the abs pump. It's getting replaced, but I was really hoping to see it leak in the water tank.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/DSC00079.jpg
I use a large pin(the thick pin that is a T), that radiator tool has ZERO chance... its fine if you want to destroy the intercooler...
A pin is thin enough to break the fins apart but not destroy them, i find a screw driver will rip the fin. Maybe a very small phillips.
flat head edge tears the fin