Today I was sitting around with not much to do after work, so I decided I wanted to build an intercooler sprayer to kill time.

I had the idea way back, when N.O.S. came out with their N-tercooler Sprayer. I saw the system was going for around $400 or $500 because it used nitrous. From my years of playing paintball, I realized that I could build a similar system using CO2 since it gets very very cold when sprayed.

I looked around everywhere and didn't see anything about a CO2 intercooler sprayer, but I never took the time to make one. Then, today I checked out eBay and found that someone is handmaking systems and selling them for around $80 to $120 each! I decided it was finally time to build a system.

I went to home depot and picked up some parts to build the sprayer. I used some chrome copper pipe (for sinks) got some braided high pressure line (for ice makers) and some various fittings to hook everything together. I got everything for under $20.

I took it all home and put the sprayer together. I first measured the intercooler and found it to be about 5" high and 11.5" wide. Here is how it came out after bending the pipes and fitting them together:


I still have to drill the holes, but I am going to do it tomorrow on my lunch break at work since I have access to a drill press at my company's shop. I am going to drill tiny pin holes along the top and bottom, so the sprayer shoots jets like this:


I went back on ebay and found the rest of the parts I would need:
- 20oz paintball gun CO2 tank ($20)
- CO2 pin valve ($7)
- electronic gas solenoid ($30) (optional)

Here is how I plan to set everything up once I get the rest of the parts:


Pretty much works like this: Bottle mounts in trunk or one of the rear behind seat compartments with the pin valve on it. the pin valve has a braided steel line that runs to the electric solenoid. (the solenoid is hooked up to my fog light switch since I have my fogs removed), then a steel braided line runs from the solenoid to the sprayer. Pretty simple. I could even build in a purge system if I wanted to hook up another valve and a T fitting between the primary solenoid and the tank.

I almost forgot to mention, the ones for sale on ebay DO NOT use electric solenoids...to spray you have to turn a valve to open/close the line. I could cut about $28 off my building supplies to use a manual valve, but I would prefer an electric switch system more.

I'll post updates as it comes along...

 

Looks like someone has some time on their hands. What kind of intercooler are you using? I'd like to see how this turns out...nice job on the Home Depot Racing Club! Keep up the good work

Jack

 

just a stock IC right now....i figured i can upgrade my current IC for under $80 instead of buying a FMIC for $1000+

i hope to get a FMIC eventually, but right now I have about 10 other things that need to come first....

 

oh yah i almost forgot, i think im gonna paint the brass fittings with some metallic red paint when everything is done too...that way it looks a little more professional haha

i alost have plans to make mounts for the bottle so its not just sitting there....

 

you know the problem with that is the C02 can get sucked in your intake....

 

how would it go in my intake?

i doubt it is going to get sucked though the intake filters. i think the exhaust coming out of the other cars around me is going to do more damage than some CO2 getting sprayed onto the intercooler.

dont forget the radiator fan is always on blowing air towords the rear of the car (thus pushing the CO2 from the sprayer away from the intake filters)

 

Wow that would suck. But if that wouldn't happen, and the price is right, you might have a market for it.

 

Cool man!
I would consider powder coating the pipe though.
You should set up a kit, I'm sure you could make a few bucks.

Frank

 

That's freakin awesome man!! Lots of us guys that have too much free time will just sit around and fart all day and drink or something...........

Looks great and let us know how it turns out..


-Dan

 

Don't C02 bottles have a tendancy to explode when left in cars that could get hot?

 

I can't find the thread but aparently someone left the CO2 bottle in their car and it exploded and ripped the headliner and put a hole in the roof...it wasn't an FD though, think it was the daily beater.

However, this is a pretty cool idea. props to you dude! we alwasy need more developers.

 

Just fill the bottle to 15 oz so it has some room to expand. Good job I think I'm taking a trip to Home Depot and get hot in pipe bending since I have lots of time in my hands (I'm in vacation in my in-laws house til July )

 

yes it is possible for a CO2 tank to explode, but only if the bottle has been over filled, and then is heated up. i have see it happen before....and the bottles dont actually explode. most CO2 tanks have a burst disk built in, so instead of blowing up, this 1/4" "burst disk" pops out for the pressure to release. if this happens you pretty much need a new tank though.

the only time i have seen a CO2 tank expode was about a year ago playing paintball. last summer we were at a 24 hour scenario game in Ocala, FL. my friend had his tank over filled, and he just ignored it because he didnt expect any problems. we were running though a field, and suddenly the bottle part of the tank shot straight up into the air about 30 feet and made a huge BOOM so loud it sounded like a bomb going off. he ended up sending the tank back to the manufacturer and they said that there was a defect with the tank's valve and that is why it blew up insdea of the burst disk popping. even with the tank over filled, the burst disk still should pop.

the CO2 tanks are small, $3 to fill, easily installed and removed in under 2 minutes, so if you were going to go park your car in the sun on a hot day, you could take the tank out. i really wouldnt worry about a tank exploding. with all the times of playing paintball i always put my gear in the trunk, and i never had a problem with tanks heating up just from being in the trunk.

the only way i can see a problem is if someone over filled their tank then parked their car in the sun all day long. but its common sense not to do this, i mean, would you leave an aerosol spray can on the seat in your car, then leave the car parked in the sun?

 

Dood, what an awesome ghetto mod.....I was thinking of going with water but this is the ****!

A couple of ideas:

1) Upgrade the tank to one that is more
rugged. You literally have a potential bomb
sitting there and need something that is designed
for industrial use. The maximum fill should be no
more than 85% of capacity. Quality tanks are not
cheap but............You also might want to consider
a Kevlar "sock" that you slip the tank into. If it
ever does blow at least the shrapnel will be confined.
It would be one hell of a marketing attribute and
add a little "bling".

2) Install a UL rated "quick release" fitting at the end of
your hose where it connects to the tank. This would
certainly encourage pulling the tank on a hot day
as well as make it really easy to change.

3) Your hose is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT USE
IT! Seriously - take it back, I guarantee you it will hurt
you.


In your diagram the section between the tank
and the solenoid will be constantly under pressure
when you are not spraying.
You need something that can handle a couple of
thousand psi, not a couple hundred. You will
also need a high pressure solenoid - and they
ain't cheap either.

You can easily get a high pressure hose assembly
built for you (including the fittings) at any place that
builds hydraulic hoses. Probably $30.00 or so.
Have them "pin *****" the outer covering - this way
if it ever does fail it will leak slowly instead of burst.

Of course this all costs mo' money! KA-CHing!

 

everyone i talked to said the hose i bought would handle the pressure from a co2 tank. also, co2 is not a very high pressure system. you can get n2o tanks for paintball, which are high pressure of course...but co2 is not even close to as much pressure. it should be fine, besides, i am going to test the setup many times before i actually install it into the car.

 

Looks like a great idea. Get it hooked up and hit the dyno... I'd be interested in seeing how much one of these would help!

 

If you use the stock intake/IC, it very well COULD get sucked into the intake, since they share and air source (the IC inlet duct).

Data has been out there for a while that, even at speed, the intake can actually suck air BACK THROUGH the IC from the engine compartment under boost. The same could happen here.

 

ok well, i guess we will see.

oh yah, i just finished drilling holes in the pipes for the sprayers. i hooked it up to one of the compressed air lines back in the shop (at my office, we have a manufacturing plant next door that uses compressed air to run the machines that make springs)...i hooked up the sprayer to the hose and used a manual valve button to open/close the line and it worked great! the jets all spray in teh same direction so it can be mounted right on the intercooler and the jets will shoot right at it. when i get hte CO2 tank and valve i will hook those up for a test.

 

Couple of things, average pressure for a lquid C02 system is somewhere around 900 PSI, make sure your hose and fittings are rated for AT LEAST this working pressure. Are those compression fittings? I would be leery of those, between the pressure and tempature changes the fittings may creep apart. At least try some stout flare fittings. As for the C02 can being dangerous in a car, mid 70's GM cars had a collapseable spare tire and that used a C02 canister to fill it from the factory. As long as it is a sturdy tank made for C02, it should be ok, don't mount the tank under the hood though. Ron had a great idea with the ballistic blanket for shrapnel protection. Good luck and let us know how it works.

 

keep us posted..

p.s. for mounting you can use tie wraps that work nicely... stub off one end with a tie wrap clasp if needed as a brace.. Used this approach for my IC fan as shown below.

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/jbg28/vwp...c=ph%26.view=t

http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/jbg28/vwp...c=ph%26.view=t

 

Fujikuro - I have actually been working on a similar CO2 sprayer for the past couple of months. Work has been pretty intense recently though, so I haven't had a lot of spare time, and you are quite further along than I am...


Couple of thoughts -

First, do you have the stock intake temp sensor? If so, be careful when spraying!!! It gets heat soaked really easily, and it won't react fast enough to the quickly changing intake temperature. It'll think the temp is much hotter than it actually is, and you have the potential of running very lean. Someone was testing a nitrous intercooler sprayer and ended up blowing his engine (I believe it was Nocab? Don't quote me on that though).

Second, why is everyone concerned about CO2 being sucked into your intake? It wont harm anything in your engine, because it doesn't burn. The only problem with it being sucked into your intake, is that it will displace oxygen, and will not allow you to utilize your full power potential.

Lastly, what are you using for the solenoid? This was the part that I was stuck on. I tried a couple of different cheap ones, but none of them could handle the temperature, or pressure. It seems the only ones that can actually be used are really expensive (~150). So I was curious if you found something that can work?

Good luck,
Rob

 

You can get solenoids off of N2O systems on ebay. The one I got is off a Nitrous Express kit. The guy said its a 12v solenoid. All you need is a high pressure 12v solenoid to do the trick, which can be found on ebay~!

 

Umm the hose he is using is just fine. that is rated for 3000+ psi He is using paintball braided line which was designed for CO2 and the use of HPA tanks for paintball guns He will be just fine. ALso the tank is also ok as it is designed for CO2 and has a bust disk by the push bing and will blow instead of the tank rupturing. Co2 has an output pressure of around ~800 psi give or take a 100 psi. With the tank he uses I do belive its regulated at 800psi max if My memory servs me right.. I guess several years in NPPL with HPA you forget about co2 =]

Ohh and By the way I also designed the same thing just it was not nosolated the same way and I used a 68cu Inch tank that holds around 4lbs of CO2 vs the 18oz of a 20oz co2 tank. The tank I used also has a on/off valve so its not dependant on a pushpin style adaptor.

Eitherway Nice job and RonKmiller Don't post unless you know what the **** you're talking about. By the way quality tanks you speak of are cheap as **** you can pick up a 20oz tank for 25 dollars and would serve the purpose of a Streat race just fine or you can buy a CarbonWrapped or even a steal 68cu Inch tank for around 50-150 dollars and that would last quite some time on a track day.

P.S. I have a wholesale account with National Paintball Supplys, WarpedSports, ShockTek, & whole bunch of other paintball supply co.s

 

yeah i know exactly what you are taking about with the 68oz tanks. they are very nice and would make for a great system, however i just wanted to have a working semi-cheap system to start out.

what do u think the regulated PSI coming out of the tank, though the sprayer should be? Im guessing around 200 psi? i am going to stick a regulater on when i get the tank i orderd, but i wasnt sure what pressure range i was looking to be in.

i already tested the sprayer with 100psi and it sprayed great but i would like to see more flow. any more input? thanks for the info so far!

 

Once you regulate it below tank pressure, won't that make the C02 come out in vapor form instead of lquid form? The vapor will not remove 1/10th the heat the lquid will upon evaporation.