Condenser in the way of intercooler?

1FSTBRD

Registered User
After looking at it a bit and pondering some things with an intercooled/ double intercooler setup, it looks like the A/C condenser is in front of the intercooler. If the condenser was removed, wouldn't this improve airflow through the intercooler, as well as the radiator? My A/C doesn't work, and i'm not an A/C guy anyways, so would there be any downsides to removing the condenser, other than for A/C purposes?

I'd taken out the A/C on my Stang before, since it didn't work, and the condenser looked like it was pretty thrashed....I had no adverse issues with anything on the car.
 
One of the vendors here, either Spinning Wheels or SCP offers a Chin Spoiler that appears will work for improved air flow.
The stock IC setup is decent but the factory plumbing makes it a nightmare to work on.
I personally would leave the AC intact and get it working, and look for other ways to improve air flow through the IC.
 
Several of us have done it - I think it's a great mod. You can also use it as an chance to move up to a modern parallel flow condenser that supposedly aids 134a performance.

See these existing threads for info:

Info: http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthread.php?105458-Shorter-Condenser&highlight=narrow+condenser

Install: http://www.sccoa.com/forums/showthr...-shorter-Condenser&highlight=narrow+condenser

That looks like a great idea--thanks! Did you or anyone else notice any significant drop in IC or DIC temps with it?
 
I credit part of the overall stock IC efficiency in my example to the narrow condenser but I don't have before/after stats to back that up. See this link for a write up on using an IC fan by Charles Warner that does have some stock stats, I believe: http://www.sccoa.com/articles/cwintercooler.php (also note that he uses a raised top in that article - I installed one of his current raised tops right after I added dual temp senders, so my temps listed below reflect a similar configuration for reference).

I have since added dual temp probes/dual needle gauge for the IC, so I can watch those temps now.

I also run a 7" 1100 cfm IC puller fan. The idea with the fan is to run it all the time in hot weather, as it can take approx. 10+ minutes to bring it down otherwise, so pre-need air flow seems best to avoid/delay heat soaking the IC (soaks well when parked hot, of course). 90º weather just cruising around stop/go I see a max of 105º in with 90º out. That is a typically minimum offset that is of course wider with a cooler outlet temp, in cooler weather.

Cruising on the freeway, I see around 105º in & 80º out or lower depending on speed, hills, etc. The max outlet temps in all examples are well below the 150º intake air temp where the computer will start pulling timing. The highest IC outlet temp I've seen during a WOT 14# pull to 3-digit speed was 125º while the outside air temp was 85º. Inlet temp hit 205º in that example.
 
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I'd decided to take out my condenser as well as put my double intercooler in, and wow! The engine seems like it's not pulling timing when the air temps used to get hot. After driving the car for about 30 minutes, I could put my hand on the DIC and leave it there, as it was mildly warm. The rest of the engine's metal components were too hot to even touch for a split second. Despite the loss of 2 psi to my totally shot belt tensioners (ordered some heavy duty tensioner springs from SCP), the car feels basically as fast as with that full 12 psi. Can't wait to get an IC fan installed.

Even the coolant temps seem a bit lower without the condenser in front. Before, fairly often, the water temps would be around the "m" mark of the "norm", whereas now they seem to usually be in between the "o" and the "r". I wonder if the rad isn't breathing better from not having the condenser in front of it, as well as having that normally hot intercooler having some residual effect on it. Not sure if this has the same effect as the chin spoiler, but with the chin spoiler, I wonder if the air drag that it creates would outweigh the benefits of the cooling performance gains. Needless to say, the engine bay isn't as heat soaked, and I've been looking for ways to reduce heat and this is a big drop in the temps so far.
 
Drag? The factory chin spoiler creates a negative pressure zone behind it, under the engine, increasing/encouraging air flow thru the nose, into the radiator, across the engine and down, under the car, where it exits at the rear.
 
Drag? The factory chin spoiler creates a negative pressure zone behind it, under the engine, increasing/encouraging air flow thru the nose, into the radiator, across the engine and down, under the car, where it exits at the rear.

I was using the wrong terminology....someone else mentioned a chin spoiler in this thread, and I was actually thinking of that piece of metal that someone sells that diverts airflow up into the rad/ intercooler area.
 
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