KZJ78 Prado 1KZTE DIY intercooler install revisited

[kbushnz]

Thanks Meatc

I don't think any one is perfect. They all have some weak point.
Hopefully the fan will solve some of the problem.
At least I have future proofed my install with enough room under the intercooler to mount the fan I purchased.
I just ran out of time to fit it before this weekends run.

A job for next weekend. After I clean off all the mud.

Calvin

[Heath]

I wonder if some squirters would help too?

[kbushnz]

Squirters? To clean off the mud
More stuff to carry around.
The petrol heads use that sort of thing but remember a petrol only boosts on acceleration.
Where as a diesel runs on some boost most of the time and also boosts on acceleration. So heat is always being produced.....

I think the fan will do enough for now.

Calvin

[kbushnz]

Well finally have fitted the fan.
Had to get a mount kit posted out, forgot to get one when I ordered it some months back.
Made up a loom with a relay and fuse.
Idea is to trigger relay from in the cab via a switch.
Might have it on via a thermostat but keeping it simple this time around.
Fan is grunty and relatively quiet.
I wanted to mount it below intercooler so the fan wouldnt get in the way of the airflow when on the open road.
It pulls the air thru and really sucks!
Here is the fan mounted to the underside before fitting to truck.


Then once on the truck. You can see it sits nicely under there between the rocker cover and intercooler.



All I have to do now is wire in the switch.

Job done and testing time again.

Calvin

[octanepwr]

Cool setup. Get any offroad temp data since fitting the fan?

[kbushnz]

Not done new off road temps....
Might borrow temp unit from work next weekend and wire it up again.
Spending a day in Woodhill on patrol so good time to have a play.

Calvin

[kbushnz]

Oh well I thought I will add / revive this thread...
After much thought and review I have taken the plunge and purchased a water to air inter-cooler to replace the top mount.
So I will throw up some photo's as and when my bits arrive and I start the install.
I have the intercooler part coming in the mail.
It will more than likely be modified to change the inlet and outlet directions to more suit my setup.
I have a pump from a Toyota GT4 Celica and a small used radiator from a Midget sprint car.
So watch this space.....

[kbushnz]

Well here are the bits I plan on using for the water air setup...
The intercooler part has had one end cut off and turned around. Not welded yet.....Will place the inlet / outlets in a better position.

Note: photo is a ref only.... not my actual unit hahahahah
Here is the radiator..
Its was used in a Midget sprint car...
And is 400x300x40, will fit perfectly behind the front grille.

It will have a few bits cut off it and some new tubes welded in place.
Finally here is the Toyota GT4 ST205 inter-cooler pump.
The impeller and seals are mint.. just needed the brushes and commutator tiding up...

Will post more as I go...

[COILY]

You are going to have the fastest Prado in the land

[kbushnz]

You are going to have the fastest Prado in the land

Nah .... I think either Phil at Traxion or there is a dude in Chch would be faster..... I drive a bit like a Sunday driver.. slow and steady....

[kbushnz]

Bit of photo pron.
Been playing with position etc etc...
Fits nicely behind the front grille, had to remove the center supports.. No biggie.
Have positioned the intercooler so the inlet / outlets align with original holes...
Had to cut one end off and swap it around.
Keep the duct work as straight and short as possible.....
Just need to see my alloy welding man (bro) and get it all stuck together.
Onto the photo's

[six2]

Hi all... 1st post. Thanks for reviving this thread your insight is great... I thought I was too late to get info. I'd like to fit an intercooler to my KZJ78... all stock parts from the 95 (rocker cover, intake manifold with throttle body & TPS,IC) I assume it's a straight fit then I add a scoop. pls correct me if i'm wrong

my battery of questions are
1) did you get an increase in power a) before advancing fuel? b) after advancing
2)are the gains, if any, measured
3) what was the effect on your mileage?
4) what real driving benefits did you experience
5) what pitfalls to avoid, problems and/or tips you may have
6) what were results after the fan/

as with any rookie i forgot my intro, sorry

I live in nairobi and drive a manual '96 Kzj78.. mods: SMF, safari snorkel, 41:10 diffs from 95 with rear LSD (Lately Shit Differential), front aussie locker, permanently engaged e-hubs, TJM bullbar & roof rack 11000lb winch, 33" pirelli scorpions ATR (crap in mud)
planned mod: TMIC with perma-fan and waterjet nozzle

[kbushnz]

Welcome aboard six2
Below are some answers however I have done a series of mods before I got to the intercooler. There are a many examples on the forum and the search feature works well....
Like 3" exhaust and dump pipe. Which IMHO was the best mod for a std truck.
Now all my results are seat of the pants.... No dyno results....
Also had an Exhaust gas temp gauge fitted so I could see the temps during testing.
For me the main purpose was to get some more power out of her when off road, used to run out of puff. However some of the side effects of playing with the fuel is increased EGT's which if not controlled can destroy your engine.
There are also people who do it to make the engine more efficient and provide better cooling which I think would be in your best interest.

1) did you get an increase in power,
a) before advancing fuel? Felt smoother and accelerated better.
b) after advancing, Went that bit quicker
2)are the gains, if any, measured Seat of the pants
3) what was the effect on your mileage? Well I tended to push it harder so used more diesel.
4) what real driving benefits did you experience, Aim was to drop temps after tweaking fuel pump, save the motor..
5) what pitfalls to avoid, problems and/or tips you may have I have just done an install like you plan on a friends truck, had to lift bonnet a bit to make it fit, had to make new brackets, His was auto so had to make new attachment for lift cable to auto. Extend wires to TPS. Change throttle cable to a longer one.Had to modify the turbo to inter-cooler pipe as it didn't align
6) what were results after the fan/ It dropped the EGT temp when crawling along in off road situations.

This will probably result in more questions and or debate !

[kbjj]

Subscribed, watching with interest.

[six2]

ha ha more questions than debate at the moment but pretty satisfied. I forgot to mention i put an egt probe and a 2.5" exhaust. however i haven't touched the dump pipe which is probably where all my ambitions are evaporating. I need to find a scrap one guide my fabrication since it is my daily runner and fabricators take days to complete jobs. I'm surprised the turbo and IC didn't align, were you using an LC95 one? somewhere up in my head the smurfs had me thinking the 1KZ-TE's would be identical and therefore plug and play. I had wanted to bring in the said fabricators for the bonnet scoop only.

Anyway not to hijack the water to air IC build. let's get back to that. If i hit a wall, i'll ask.

[kbushnz]

Yes I think the setup came from the surf 1kzte....
I just cut it and rotated it slightly then re-welded it.
As for the dump pipe... I would lend you my old one as a template but hmmm postage would be a bit much.
However it has now been the length of NZ and is currently in Wellington somewhere....
If Ginzu8 is watching this thread.. He may have some better ideas on how his truck is performing pre and post intercooler mods...
As his is the truck that was done......
The intercooler thread will go quiet for a few weeks while my alloy bits get welded up and I need my truck going for various club events and also watch the Manukau winch challenge lads...

[KiwiOilBoiler]

Calvin

Sorry to cover old ground, but as you are a pioneer here i was wondering if i could ask a couple of questions regarding this set-up as i am in the process of attempting same on my KZN130.

I already have a dump pipe, 56mm and 32mm, port-matched to outlets with divider in turbo outlet, a manual radiator with auto trans running through a dedicated pwr/davies craig cooler. Have also cut a third slot in bumper 50mm x 750mm, re-gelled viscous, re-placed water pump and oe thermo. Truck still suffers from gradual heat rise towing or climbing as measured in head with '50 cent improved' factory dash temp guage, followed by a rise minutes later in water outlet as measured at outlet neck to radiator using a digital supercheap guage. Im sure its heat soak from the compressed charge and that an intercooler will help.....but....

The rocker cover hump needs to go to create clearance, i thought it was tig-able, but no its plastic isnt it. What glue/bonder did you use? I am hoping to be able to plastic weld a cap on where the hump was but need a back up plan. To that end, did you have any leak/misting issues?

Rest of system is sorted i hope, have spare cross-over pipe and rocker-cover to prep so truck is not off road too long, core most likely use 280x300x76 with inlet moved to vertical and outlet horizontal. Cable mount will be fiddly though.

I also see you are going water/air, any particular reason?

Sorry for all the q's

Cheers, Adam.

[kbushnz]

Hi Adam Thanks for the kind words however I am just one of many before who have done this...
I just threw it out there for all to see, cringe, comment or laugh....
The rocker cover is plastic and you can cut it off.. Need to do some work on the inside to shorten the vent tube..
I work in aerospace industry and used products that are not on the shelf here in NZ..
But basically glued an alloy plate on it, then laminated a few layers of fibre glass over it using a plastic friendly resin...
Doesn't leak and that was a few years back..
The other option is to try and find an intercooled rocker cover...

I am about to go water air path to see if I can get better cooling while crawling along.. As the top mount even with a fan still heats up slowly....
Normal driving is not an issue....
Time will tell....

Hope yours goes well....

[KiwiOilBoiler]

Cheers,

I wondered about your vocation with all the talk of data loggers and thermocouples, i work in oil distillation so have to deal with such things daily too. Mostly wondering how they work....

You mention a factory i/c cover (KZJ95 and late KZN185?) but i was under the impression that they have a rear hump of same size, dont know how that helps. Anyhoo, spare middle hump cover acquired today thru TM so can procrastinate for ever now.

I will try and take some pics if we ever get started, BOC currently major hold up with restrictive argon supply policies......

Mine is 99% road truck, so should always have some airflow. Probably shoulda bought a 4.2td, but i refuse to give up on this until i win.

Adam

[kbushnz]

Ok Guys and Gals (pick what eva category you like)
Getting close to plumbing in the water lines for the WTA intercooler...
Had a bit of a read on the good old interweb....
But really didn't get the answer I was looking for so thought I had better ask you lot...

Q1 Is it better to put the pump in the radiator out line (cooled water) or in the intercooler out line (heated water) leaning towards the cooler line as it could be easier on the pump (note its a toyota factory WTA pump)

Q2 Whats the better way to run the water line into the intercooler..
Cold water into the turbo side or into the intake end.?
My thinking is putting it into the intake end so the cold water will travel to the hottest end and keep any heat down that end.... Rather than having pre warmed water going to the intake end....

Or for both.... it doesn't matter ???

Thanks in advance

[Dirtydog]

quite interested in these answers too.

but a question for you kbushnz, what resin did you use for the intake?

ive got plenty of polystyrene here, and plently of fiberglass. what sort of stuff to i have to keep in mind to make the fiberglass bit? i have to make a weird turn like that also on my setup.

[kbushnz]

quite interested in these answers too.

but a question for you kbushnz, what resin did you use for the intake?

ive got plenty of polystyrene here, and plently of fiberglass. what sort of stuff to i have to keep in mind to make the fiberglass bit? i have to make a weird turn like that also on my setup.

That was for the air to air one...
I used an epoxy resin for 2 ply's ... 1581 style glass ...Let it cure and washed out the polystyrene with solvent..
Then wrapped it with another 3 ply's of a pre preg epoxy that we use to repair Aircraft parts with... Can't buy it off the shelf in NZ....And vac bagged it and baked it at 121C....
You could get away with a good epoxy... It doesn't get that hot at that end.

[kbjj]

Q1 ...leaning towards the cooler line as it could be easier on the pump

Q2 ...My thinking is putting it into the intake end so the cold water will travel to the hottest end and keep any heat down that end.... Rather than having pre warmed water going to the intake end....

Your theories seem sound to me... but don't quote me

[Dirtydog]

Ive got west system here, and the same sort of cloth.

only thing is i dont have the facilities to vac or bake it.

do you think it would be allright down the turbo end if there is a silicone joiner of decent length inbetween?

[kbushnz]

I don't think the west system likes too much heat according to the specs it deflects at 40 Deg C....Hot end will be way hotter than that...
I used exhaust tube for the hot end... you can get reducers etc etc.

[kbushnz]

Update: WTA fully installed and road testing.
Went for a 40 min blat only a few mins ago....
Put some data loggers on the intercooler inlet v's intercooler outlet.

General around town driving, stop starts from the lights and light to moderate throttle... say max 12psi boost...short squirts..
EGTs in the 300 to 450's
Int inlet ranged from 45C to 90C
Int outlet ranged from 33C to 50C

Heavy throttle (letting it rev) holding max boost 20psi with short hill work
EGT's in the 500 to 580
Int inlet ranged from 100C to 130C
Int outlet ranged from 50C to 65C

So at this time light to medium acceleration general road work drops the temps 10 to 40C.
And when pushing it seems to drop the temps 50%.

This was done after letting everything heat soak to normal temps...
Next test is for some off road stop start low range work....

At this time its working better than the air to air.... especially around town work...
Open road seems better with EGT's not rising as aggressively and peaking lower.

[Big]

Thats great newz.. I have heard water to air is far superior and your data shows this.. thumbs up on the detail..

[Dirtydog]

glad i paid that little bit more for my water to air one then, and end up with a bighorn one.