Intercooler Hose

So it begins. Discounting the replacement of the driver-side window regulator, this is my first repair. There is no better way to begin than with something this simple.

The intercooler hose is prone to cracking. Well, all hoses are prone to cracking, as I have come to understand. In my case, it cracked along the bottom so a visual inspection was useless.

I had brought the car into the repair shop I always brought it to due to idling issues and was told I could either replace the hose for ~$100 plus labor or they'd simple "patch it up" as a short-term fix for free. The guy in charge explained to me his concern over diminishing returns for the car and yada yada, so I went with the patch job.

Initially things worked well-er than normal. After a few days the "patch job" started to become a "spotty patch job", as the car would howl when I stepped on the gas. At this time, a friend began to call the car "Casper". It's a good name. It stuck.

However, the howling bothered me to no end, and I figured it must not be good for air from the engine compartment to be drawn straight into the intake manifold (of which, until recently, I did not know the name). All I had to work with was my mechanic referring to the part as an "intercooler hose," and that would have to be enough.

Some short Googling later, I found the part I needed for a whopping $33 shipped. Knowing what the part looked like made locating it under the bonnet much simpler. The great news: the part sits at the very front of the engine compartment.

It is helpful to know what role this part plays. It sits between the intercooler and the intake manifold for the turbocharger. The short story: the intercooler cools air coming from the exhaust as it heads to the turbocharger's turbine. With a cracked intercooler hose, air from the engine compartment is being drawn in instead of the air from the intercooler. It is also possible the air from the intercooler is exiting into the engine compartment, which would also not be desirable.

There are two hose clamps which hold the intercooler hose in place, and both can be easily loosened with a flat-head screwdriver. After they are loosened, the old hose can be removed by tugging or twisting from side to side. Upon removal, attaching the new hose should be a no-brainer. Once the new hose is firmly in place, tighten the hose clamps down to the same tightness as before.

Not so difficult, eh? This got me thinking: I saved $70 plus whatever I would have been charged for labor to perform a repair which ultimately took ~10 minutes of my time. I trust the mechanics who have been working on my car, but perhaps I should be taking a more active role in repair? It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn how engines work, or how the electronics works as well.

Now I am here. I have made a promise to myself: this vehicle will not go back to a mechanic unless it needs to be fully lifted off the ground, fitted with parts too heavy for me to lift, or repaired with tools which I simply cannot afford. In sticking to this promise I know I will learn new things which will be very useful down the road. Join me, if you desire.