Intercooler change DIY

[brad]

I fitted my Golf R intercooler today.

The whole job was relatively painless & plug'n'play. It helps to have an extra pair of hands to get the bumper var on/off & change out the IC.

All up it took me about 4 hours working of instructions for a Golf GTI - which bore almost no correlation to the Octavia. eg: Golf has 6 bolts holding the top of the radiator housing to the body, Octavia has 2.

Assembly would have been easier if I'd taken some photos & put screws in labelled bags (2nd pair of hands again) but there wasn't anything left over at the end.

I also took the opportunity to put some mesh behind the lower grille as the AC evaporator (?) had obviously copped a few rocks over the past 6 years.

Car feels no different, which I expected but I think the IC will prove itself as the weather warms up.

[zei20t]

You put a standard golf R intercooler into an Octavia?

Was there a core thickness difference? Price?

and yeah, you wont notice a difference in performance until the weather warms up and your car goes the same

[brad]

You put a standard golf R intercooler into an Octavia?

Was there a core thickness difference? Price?

and yeah, you wont notice a difference in performance until the weather warms up and your car goes the same

Indeed I did. Straight in, plug'n'play if you get it with the Golf R hoses. I didn't bother looking to see if removing the metal fittings off the original hoses would make them fit.

Look at post 12 for all the tech details & sizing. basically it went from 32mm thick to 38mm thick but the inlet & outlet is bigger & apparently the flow is cleaner & there are more bars, etc.

Bought it 2nd hand. Going rate appears to be $100 - $150 but there are a few outside that range

[Lucas_R]

Good to hear you finally installed the intercooler Brad - and nice to hear that it went it without any fuss.

It was about as good as new as you would find, having been removed from my car at approx 10,000km. I think if anyone is asking more than $120-150 for one of these intercoolers then they are dreaming a bit.

[brad]

Family matters, work & study got in the way & I lost momentum on the car for a while there.

I was at a loose end on Saturday arvo & decided to fit the GFB DV+ I bought ages back. That was a surprisingly trouble free install & the car was up in the air so i decided to do the IC. Luckily Dad dropped by to drop off some of my old workshop manuals he'd found in his garage (Holden Torana & Ford capri) and despite being 86 years old the extra pair of hands were of great benefit.

Now I've done all the hardware i want to do I can go and get my tune checked to work out why 105kmh = 6.5L/100 & 110kmh = 7.5L/100.

[zei20t]

ahh ok for the price I was hoping you didn't pay more than that. glad you did a budget factory upgrade

I rekon 2 people doing the FMIC install would be great. its a shame I was alone, and in my driveway haha

its pretty easy once you work out what needs to be removed etc

did you get the headlights lined up properly when you put it back together?

[brad]

did you get the headlights lined up properly when you put it back together?

Yes. They are near enough the same as before - right slightly lower than the left, 100mm at 6m from a wall. I should adjust it one day.

[zei20t]

hahah one day. took me a week before I realised. don't drive often at night really

[NOO63N]

I just picked up a golf r cooler with pipe, the bloke I spoke to was 100% sure it was a 2 person job and was advised to start early morning. Everyone concur?

[brad]

You could struggle through with one person but you'd probably swear a bit during R&R of the bumper bar & R&R of the IC. As I said, my dad is 86 & he helped with the bumper removal & the IC. My 13yo daughter helped with putting the bumper back on.

If it takes all day (8 hours) then there's either a lack of appropriate tools or too much faffing about.

What's your toolbox / garage like? What suburb are you again?

[NOO63N]

Okay I might just go this in parts - mostly in the evening as I don't use the car for work. I'll have the gf help haha. Based near Lidcombe. Tools are what my dad has horded over the years.

Did you need longer screws/bolts to compensate for the additional thickness?

[brad]

Did you need longer screws/bolts to compensate for the additional thickness?

no substitution of any of the original fasteners required.
it's handy to have a temporary long bolt on the slam panel. I didn't have the correct size (the japanese use a different pitch than the Euros) so I used a size smaller & put a nut on the bolts to stop the slam panel hitting the deck.

D/L a few of the Golf instructions & use them as a guide. The Octavia is somewhat different but you get a rough idea where to look.

[NOO63N]

no substitution of any of the original fasteners required.
it's handy to have a temporary long bolt on the slam panel. I didn't have the correct size (the japanese use a different pitch than the Euros) so I used a size smaller & put a nut on the bolts to stop the slam panel hitting the deck.

D/L a few of the Golf instructions & use them as a guide. The Octavia is somewhat different but you get a rough idea where to look.

Will do! Do you think it's worthwhile doing the discharge pipes at the same time?

I found some on fleabay for $149 delivered...

EDIT: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...589868&alt=web

[brad]

I'm on the fence regarding the pipes either side of the turbo. I really couldn't say if they helped or not

[zei20t]

I cant comment either. but keeping the air flowing at the same diameter can only assist efficiency.

squash a maccas straw and try to breathe through it.