Intercooler Sprayer Install (STI / SPT parts)
Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 11:35 pm
IC sprayer install write up - now with more detail because it's memorial day and I have nothing to do.
** Difficulty **
Super easy, but time consuming
** Rating **
Very effective. Especially useful for any amateur motorsports in which you drive little and idle a lot (e.g. rallycross, autocross, drag, etc...) Without an IC sprayer, that TMIC was an interheater – I dunno but I'd wager the TMIC was actually worse than no intercooler in rallycross situations because the idle heat soak made it burning hot to the touch. The IC spray cools it down to luke-warm pretty rapidly.
** The parts **
I used a real STI IC sprayer system. More specifically: the tank (which includes the pump), the button, and 2 nozzles. I also used about 20 feet of aquarium tubing from Home Depot (1/4” OD I think. An employee to accused me of making a Meth lab). Also, tube fittings (at least one straight coupler and at least one y-fitting) maybe 20 feet each of 4 different colors of wire, a gabillion long zip ties, 5 minute epoxy, and some plastic cable mounts (sized to fit around the aquarium tube). Eventually, to do things right, I will probably add the relay and 1 or 2 more nozzles.
Are the genuine Subaru parts worth it?
Tank+pump - NOT worth getting from Subaru because it is like $100 and it's a goofy, OEM-specific shape (unless it's free b/c you have the Subaru credit card like me - which you should have!!!).
Nozzles - maybe. They are semi-affordable ($10 ea) and they perform very differently from junkyard washer sprayer nozzles. They create a real-wide angle pattern (which you will find is necessary in the cramped under-hood space) and it creates a fine mist so it doesn't just stream out the bottom of the IC.
Button - maybe. It's semi-affordable, it gives you the OEM look, it's connector is identical to our defroster button, and I was able to install it without drilling or cutting.
** Install **
1) Tank
Ironically, I put it exactly where it goes in an STI without even knowing it! The advantage of the trunk is that it doesn’t get greenhoused on summer days like the passenger cabin, and it doesn’t get heat-soaked like the engine compartment, and I guess putting it back there helps the weight distribution a little bit.
I had to delete the trunk liner on the passenger side of the trunk, which involves pulling out all those stupid plastic pins (user a pair of needle nose pliers to grab the central disc). The Subaru tank is a bizarre goofy shape with mounting holes in completely useless places. So, I just went crazy with zipties (which actually holds it pretty well!). One of the zip ties wraps around a stud that protrudes from the back side of the tail light.
2) Switch
The STI switch won’t fit in the spot for the defroster or cruise buttons. But, it does fit pretty snug in the pocket just below them (although you can see the sides of the switch so it’s not like perfectly OEM look). I drilled out the back of the pocket (for the wires) and epoxyed the button into the front of the pocket (after spray painting the sides of the switch black). The electrical connector is identical to the defroster button (or maybe the cruise, I have to double check). I got BlackBart to cut and send me a pigtail from another BCBF.
3) Nozzles
Finding the place to mount the nozzles for good spray pattern is one of the more “finesse” parts of this. You should jury rig the pump so that you can fire test sprays while holding the nozzles in various places to see what works best. You might have to mount one at each end spraying towards the opposite end. To mount the nozzles, what I did was epoxy the plastic cable tie to the top of the hood right next to where I wanted the nozzle to be. Then, with the tie in place, the aquarium tube + nozzle could be snapped into it. I have one of David Carter’s aftermarket fiberglass hoods that leaves a lot more space under there, so your experience may be different.
4) The tube
I unscrewed the rear seat (just the bench, not the seat backs, which only requires removing two bolts near the ankles of rear passengers). The tube runs from the tank towards the front of the trunk, under the rear seat back to where the rear passenger’s feet would go, then out the bottom crack of the rear passenger door. From there, the tube runs along the foot jam of the rear passenger door and then the front passenger door. The foot jam is a pretty good route if you’re lazy like me, because it is hidden inside the door of the car yet it basically stays in outside air temperature – not indoor greenhouse temperature. I epoxied cable ties to the foot jam to keep the tube from wandering. It then runs vertically up inside the front passenger fender just behind the door hinges and pops outside near the corner of the windshield. From there, it’s easy enough to get it under the hood wherever you want to go.
5) The wires
The STI tank has 4 wires. Two are for the pump, and two are a switch that indicates when the tank is empty. I bundled and twisted 4 wires, ran all 4 to the front of the trunk, under the rear passenger seat, under the rear floor mat, under the center console (by popping out the panel that has the stick shift boot), then out from behind the radio, over the steering column, and over to the left side of the dash where the switch is mounted. Like I said, I used a stock stock defroster or cruise pigtail to connect to the switch. You can get 12V accessory power and ground from the power mirror switch, which is right there. You should probably use a relay, since that’s what Subaru did, but I just directly wired pump ground to the mirror ground, then used the switch to connect pump power to the mirror power. I haven’t connected the level switch wires to anything yet.
** Difficulty **
Super easy, but time consuming
** Rating **
Very effective. Especially useful for any amateur motorsports in which you drive little and idle a lot (e.g. rallycross, autocross, drag, etc...) Without an IC sprayer, that TMIC was an interheater – I dunno but I'd wager the TMIC was actually worse than no intercooler in rallycross situations because the idle heat soak made it burning hot to the touch. The IC spray cools it down to luke-warm pretty rapidly.
** The parts **
I used a real STI IC sprayer system. More specifically: the tank (which includes the pump), the button, and 2 nozzles. I also used about 20 feet of aquarium tubing from Home Depot (1/4” OD I think. An employee to accused me of making a Meth lab). Also, tube fittings (at least one straight coupler and at least one y-fitting) maybe 20 feet each of 4 different colors of wire, a gabillion long zip ties, 5 minute epoxy, and some plastic cable mounts (sized to fit around the aquarium tube). Eventually, to do things right, I will probably add the relay and 1 or 2 more nozzles.
Are the genuine Subaru parts worth it?
Tank+pump - NOT worth getting from Subaru because it is like $100 and it's a goofy, OEM-specific shape (unless it's free b/c you have the Subaru credit card like me - which you should have!!!).
Nozzles - maybe. They are semi-affordable ($10 ea) and they perform very differently from junkyard washer sprayer nozzles. They create a real-wide angle pattern (which you will find is necessary in the cramped under-hood space) and it creates a fine mist so it doesn't just stream out the bottom of the IC.
Button - maybe. It's semi-affordable, it gives you the OEM look, it's connector is identical to our defroster button, and I was able to install it without drilling or cutting.
** Install **
1) Tank
Ironically, I put it exactly where it goes in an STI without even knowing it! The advantage of the trunk is that it doesn’t get greenhoused on summer days like the passenger cabin, and it doesn’t get heat-soaked like the engine compartment, and I guess putting it back there helps the weight distribution a little bit.
I had to delete the trunk liner on the passenger side of the trunk, which involves pulling out all those stupid plastic pins (user a pair of needle nose pliers to grab the central disc). The Subaru tank is a bizarre goofy shape with mounting holes in completely useless places. So, I just went crazy with zipties (which actually holds it pretty well!). One of the zip ties wraps around a stud that protrudes from the back side of the tail light.
2) Switch
The STI switch won’t fit in the spot for the defroster or cruise buttons. But, it does fit pretty snug in the pocket just below them (although you can see the sides of the switch so it’s not like perfectly OEM look). I drilled out the back of the pocket (for the wires) and epoxyed the button into the front of the pocket (after spray painting the sides of the switch black). The electrical connector is identical to the defroster button (or maybe the cruise, I have to double check). I got BlackBart to cut and send me a pigtail from another BCBF.
3) Nozzles
Finding the place to mount the nozzles for good spray pattern is one of the more “finesse” parts of this. You should jury rig the pump so that you can fire test sprays while holding the nozzles in various places to see what works best. You might have to mount one at each end spraying towards the opposite end. To mount the nozzles, what I did was epoxy the plastic cable tie to the top of the hood right next to where I wanted the nozzle to be. Then, with the tie in place, the aquarium tube + nozzle could be snapped into it. I have one of David Carter’s aftermarket fiberglass hoods that leaves a lot more space under there, so your experience may be different.
4) The tube
I unscrewed the rear seat (just the bench, not the seat backs, which only requires removing two bolts near the ankles of rear passengers). The tube runs from the tank towards the front of the trunk, under the rear seat back to where the rear passenger’s feet would go, then out the bottom crack of the rear passenger door. From there, the tube runs along the foot jam of the rear passenger door and then the front passenger door. The foot jam is a pretty good route if you’re lazy like me, because it is hidden inside the door of the car yet it basically stays in outside air temperature – not indoor greenhouse temperature. I epoxied cable ties to the foot jam to keep the tube from wandering. It then runs vertically up inside the front passenger fender just behind the door hinges and pops outside near the corner of the windshield. From there, it’s easy enough to get it under the hood wherever you want to go.
5) The wires
The STI tank has 4 wires. Two are for the pump, and two are a switch that indicates when the tank is empty. I bundled and twisted 4 wires, ran all 4 to the front of the trunk, under the rear passenger seat, under the rear floor mat, under the center console (by popping out the panel that has the stick shift boot), then out from behind the radio, over the steering column, and over to the left side of the dash where the switch is mounted. Like I said, I used a stock stock defroster or cruise pigtail to connect to the switch. You can get 12V accessory power and ground from the power mirror switch, which is right there. You should probably use a relay, since that’s what Subaru did, but I just directly wired pump ground to the mirror ground, then used the switch to connect pump power to the mirror power. I haven’t connected the level switch wires to anything yet.