intercooler swap,,is it possible ???????
 

hi guys/gals
ok,,heres one for you
i am currently building a my 94 L reg import rally car.
i want to get rid of my crappy little tmic and replace it with a newer larger tmic as per standard on new shape cars.

before we go there,,no i am not fitting a fmic as they are too much hastle for the power gains that you get from it,,people may disagree on this but i know of several people that have fitted and removed them as they where disapointed with them,,one chap managed to even get power loss !!!!:(

i have got 2 top mount intercoolers here,,one has the dv built on the side,, the other has just a bent pipe(off a my 97/98).

i also am lucky enough(thanks to my sponsor) to have several inlets here too.
including a,
my 96/97 red top sti inlet
my97/98 sti inlet,,not red for some reason?? does this make a difference ???
my 94/95 wrx inlet + others.

right then,,
can i swop the sti red top for the 94/95 wrx inlet ????
the only thing i can find different on the wiring loom is the throttle position sensor,,the my 94/95 has 4 wires,,while the 97/97 sti one has just 3 wires.

has this ever been done before on here ?????????

hope one of you can help
cheers

roy;)

oh,,and also i have a set of yellow injectors,,can i just leave these on the fuel rail of the sti inlet and use them or will i have to get a remap ??

ta

roy

I've just done this and......... There are a few things to note:

You need to modify the fuel lines as they don't fit. (I done the parallel fuel mod to overcome this).
The power steering reservoir needs replacing with the sti one or moving (see in projects section)
The throttle cable needs changing or the inlet manifold bracket needs modifying.
The water header tank needs moving/replacing. (I used the sti one).
The scoop/underneath plate from the 94 bonnet isn't suitable.
The STi throttle position sensor doesn't have a idle switch which either needs to be sorted, or as I done, use a ecu which doesn't require one.

This afternoon job (so I thought), took nearly a week by the time I had sourced the extra parts.

Throttle cables can be hard to get hold of too. (and expensive)

Apart from the above, I found I had to mess around with a lot of breather hose relocation, and water hose modifications.

It may be easier to use spacers to lift the original manifold instead ;)

All in all it seems a good mod, but I'm yet to get on the rolling road to prove it.

P.S. I've also changed the turbo to front entry.

Roy

You interested in selling the tmic with remote dv?

Rob

carman,

its not mine to sell mate,its my sponsors.
i think he may have one in stock,,try them,,,

http://www.centralsubaru.co.uk/

I too have started to look at TMICs.

I have a V4 STI car which has the Intercooler with a bent tube type with the recirculating value underneath. The later one, with the value mounted on the front is from a V5, but on the V5 they moved the position of the idle stablisation value??? on the inlet manifold which meant the V5 intercooler won't fit on a V4 car.

On the earlier cars the output from the intercooler turns slightly, and the intercooler is mounted at an angle. This might mean the V5 might fit on a V2, and V3 if it's not straight like V4 but unsure about this.

A V6 intercooler is the same as a V5

A V7/8 intercoolers are bigger and will interfer with the top of the turbo and manifold on V4 - V6's, and it wont fit between the manifold and bulk head.
May fit on the early car but unsure.
Oh, on V4 to V6 I think the STI intercooler is same as standard but silver. Can anyone confirm this?
hope that helps

highlander,

this sounds very interesting !!!
thanks for your reply.
ive just measured it all up,,wont the newer intercooler fit in place of my old one,,it looks as if it maybe tight but will fit in.

roy

cheers mikey f,
i am going to try both types of ic tomorow afternoon(thats if i get chance)
but i think you are right,,the newer ic(with a dv on the side) looks as if it will foul the carb,,but the ic with just a bent pipe (leading to the dv) will fit the older inlet.

cheers again

roy

Keeping the original manifold, you need to modify either the intercooler outlet, or the throttle body inlet to get it to fit. It may be even more of a tight fit depending on your strut brace (if you have one)

...............
Jon

jon

i dunno what to do now !!!! hehehe

i want to fit the v4 sti inlet but am concerned about the throttle position sensor.
this inlet also has all the pipework to it,including yellow injectors.

how did you find out about the wiring to the throttle position sensor ???
i am a electrician and know my fair share of wiring,but this has thrown me,,,even though its just three wires on the sti,,,,4 wires on my car.

the pipework isnt a problem,,i can get round that bit(i think hehehe).

For the TPS, the wiring wasn't a problem.

If you know someone with a STi you can just go by the colour of the wiring. I did have to extend some of the wiring on the loom with a suitable plug, for it to fit - especially the TPS.

The TPS wiring might be:
postive voltage 5 volts (I think) - RED
One ground - BR/B???? not sure which one off hand
one signal - WHITE

cheers mate;)

i can get hold of an sti quite easily and i have looms a lordy as my sponsor is a subaru breaker (usefull !!!!!)
do you know what the 4th wire is on my car ? can it just be taken out ?

thanks for your help
roy

You can't just take the 4th wire (idle switch) out using a 94 ECU.

I think you can put a different ECU in, but I'm not sure if the wiring is the same or if you have to swap a few wires around.

Fortunately, I have the Power FC which doesn't require an idle switch.

I don't have the time at the moment to give you a full rundown on the procedure of the swap, sorry. Best of luck though

i appreciate your help matey,i am justlooking at the pinouts and wiring diagrams for it

cheers again

roy:)

has anyone else tackled an intercooler swap ??

hopefully i will manage to atack it this weekend but i think i am going to have problems ,
i will keep you all updated onhow it goes just in case anyone else fancies a go !!

roy:)

done it !!!!!!!!
 

ok i have done it,,and believe me its a tight job with a fair bit of work involved.

in basic terms,

if you keep the old inlet on,,as i have done,its very very tight with mods needed to the intercooler(new age),, the throttle inlet,,dump valve brackets/pipework/flange.

if you want a newer inlet,,well best of luck as i wanted one on but could not change the throttle position sensor as its different ,,the thottle is different,,the wiring is different,,,but it was only the throttle that i had problems with,,,everything else would have fitted.

gains,
well its faster,,,more mid to high range power

cons,
its a bloody pain in the neck to fit:( but hey,,i like a challenge !!!!!

thanks for everyones help on this,,its well appreciated

pics are avalable if needed

cheers

roy

Sounds easier to fit a front mount.

i agree mate, a fmic is much easyer to fit(fitted one last month to a friends car).

to do what i have done ,you need workshop facilities.

roy