Front mounted intercooler Full install with instuctions

[guitarguydudeperson34]

just finished the FMIC install. took all day but it was fun. heres a link to my cardomain page with full instructions for anyone who wants to do it.

the only hard part was fitting the piping to the turbo... you can get to it from where you fit your oil filter. good luck!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2499881/5

[Kermit]

Very nice work fella.

[stipud]

That's probably the best job i've seen on these cars. Well done.

[Etrimble]

Very nice job, great to have a pic tutorial!

[guitarguydudeperson34]

yea i've heard a lot of people wanted to do it but needed more info. i think all together the job costs about 330 dollars. everything off ebay.

[Martin_9-5t]

Good work.

Almost exactly the same setup as mine.

[robw]

Excellent write up guitarguy..... (your user name is toooo long )
Thanks for the contribution to the boards.

[Blunny]

Well done, that is inspiring!

[99SAAB9-3]

Where did you get the piping and what's the diameter?

I'll do this same time I replace my turbo next weekend

[guitarguydudeperson34]

i got the piping off ebay. it's 2.5" just search for turbo or intercooler piping

[dudethatsnowboards]

hey! someone already did that to my car

[guitarguydudeperson34]

good for you

[SectorNine50]

Haha christ, what an ending to a thread...

Hey, I have a question for anyone here that might know: Does the TD-04 turbo use bigger piping? If yes, what size? And also, does going from 2" to 2.5" cause any pressure loss problems?

Have you noticed any gains guitarguy?

I have this nervous feeling that putting on a IC that is smaller than the stock one will cause a loss in power and efficiency... Can someone please prove me wrong... please? lol

[j006]

Originally Posted by SectorNine50

I have this nervous feeling that putting on a IC that is smaller than the stock one will cause a loss in power and efficiency... Can someone please prove me wrong... please? lol

I agree with SectorNine50. I desperately want to install a FMIC, but the install seems almost prohibitive to an extent; what I mean is, the ICs that most people are using for this are around 20"x6"x3" or so, which is actually pretty d@mn small as far as surface area goes. I think I may be in the minority by saying this but I WANT my IC to be seen, plus there is a huge benefit in having it ahead of the AC condenser/radiator sandwich where it is now in the stock location. It seems silly to get a big drop in and mount it back behind everything in the stock location. Obviously the best solution would be to take that big ETS IC from genuinesaab and mount it up front, but there's little room without cutting and/or refabbing brackets for pretty much EVERYTHING up there.
I've got the '04 Aero front end, so I've got some room to play with width-wise, but not height-wise really. Oh and BTW I'm not keen on installing a front mount and leaving the stock IC in or even cutting the core out JUST to retain usage of the mounting brackets. If I'm gonna do it I'm gonna do it right. Cheers.

[SectorNine50]

Originally Posted by j006

I agree with SectorNine50. I desperately want to install a FMIC, but the install seems almost prohibitive to an extent; what I mean is, the ICs that most people are using for this are around 20"x6"x3" or so, which is actually pretty d@mn small as far as surface area goes. I think I may be in the minority by saying this but I WANT my IC to be seen, plus there is a huge benefit in having it ahead of the AC condenser/radiator sandwich where it is now in the stock location. It seems silly to get a big drop in and mount it back behind everything in the stock location. Obviously the best solution would be to take that big ETS IC from genuinesaab and mount it up front, but there's little room without cutting and/or refabbing brackets for pretty much EVERYTHING up there.
I've got the '04 Aero front end, so I've got some room to play with width-wise, but not height-wise really. Oh and BTW I'm not keen on installing a front mount and leaving the stock IC in or even cutting the core out JUST to retain usage of the mounting brackets. If I'm gonna do it I'm gonna do it right. Cheers.

That's exactly what I think. However, I really have to wonder, how much of an impact would a huge intercooler in front of the A/C condenser be on the A/C system? I still want to retain the very cool air of the A/C that I love about this car, but I also want the performance, that was part of the reason I really wanted to install an under-the-bumper FMIC. If we did the drop-in replacement, I could see how it would create a much more efficient system that would still allow for the A/C to do it's job. Plus, when I'm demanding power, I never have the A/C on anyway. How much damage to air flow can the A/C condenser really do to the IC?

Sorry if that seemed out of order and confusing, I'm kinda just throwing out points and questions.

[Getmeasaab]

well done dude.. and on behalf of everyone on the forum, thanks for taking the time out to explain all the steps.. awesome!!

[DoctorPhill]

Just like the gauge pod you are very good and precise!
Well done,do you find big difference in performance now?

[Jssaab]

Originally Posted by SectorNine50

That's exactly what I think. However, I really have to wonder, how much of an impact would a huge intercooler in front of the A/C condenser be on the A/C system? .

Not much, the IC really only needs to cool ambient air, the AC compressor makes heat that needs to be removed by the ac cooler

Originally Posted by SectorNine50

If we did the drop-in replacement, I could see how it would create a much more efficient system that would still allow for the A/C to do it's job. Plus, when I'm demanding power, I never have the A/C on anyway. How much damage to air flow can the A/C condenser really do to the IC?
.

I have the drop in and the heat sink is terrible on a hot day around town WITH THE AC ON ONLY! I have to say that loudly because so many peopel can't believe it. My car is set for 21 lbs boost. On a typical 90+ degree day with the AC on, on the highway it looses maybe one lb. On the slow roads/stop and go I have seen about 5 lb loss ( 16 lbs) not more. it takes about 5-7 minuites with the air off to return and less if you hit the highway.

I have seen no major difference with the AC off, no matter how hot ( up to 100) still 1 or 2 lbs less.

The drop-in is huge, so the area to dissipate is large. Oh yeah, I have the 2000 front end so I think that may affect it as well.

[guitarguydudeperson34]

ok first of all i have noticed a big difference after installing this. when i took it out for a test drive and hit the throttle i got an instant kick in power almost like a supercharger, its nice. and it now pulls all the way to redline which my puny lpt didn't really do before. it just snowed last night (damn it) but when it melts i'll do some whp tests, 1/4 mile runs and 0-60 runs and put it up against my numbers i did before and see if theres any changes.

i know the new one is smaller but think of the differences; the stock one is behind a whole bunch of crap thus hindering its ability to disipate heat. it also has a 90 degree turn in the piping goign to the throttle body. not a 90 degree bend like in the new piping. this turn can cause turbulence in the air exiting the IC thus causing a kind of block in the max flow possible through the piping. and we don't want that. the new one is right up front with nothing in front of it so the heat can be dissipated much easier as fresh air passes through it. from the pictures you can see the nice smooth bends in piping thus allowing the air to flow freely through the IC and not slowing down. this size IC, although smaller, is able to keep up with a lot of power. i will upgrade to a bigger size, maybe 11 inch instead of 6, if i go for like 400+ hp eventually (i wish haha).

and as j006 said its ahead of the hot ac compressor now. so no hot air from that is passing over the IC now. also i think that leaving the stock IC in place is a good idea. for one it's a lot easier than taking it out and making new brackets, second this adds to the weight over the front wheels which is good to reduce wheel spin on our FWD babies. the new FMIC system, however, only weighs about 30 pounds total. if you do keep the stock one, shove a towel in the ends so no crap gets in if you want to sell it and/or return to stock (for some crazy reason).

plus it looks bad ars!

[guitarguydudeperson34]

oh yea i have the 2000 fornt end too and it actually comes about an inch below it. can't notice it though once completly installed. i want an 04 or aftermarket one . all donations welcome!