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Ecoboost intercooler upgrade


Don Ridley
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I attempted to fit a Cobb front mounted intercooler (FMIC) made for a 2016 Fiesta into my 2016 TC 1.6L and it did not come close to fitting. The TC has very limited space and also has the MAP (manifold pressure) sensor and the evap purge line integrated into the outlet end tank.  The only FMIC I found that had the proper dimensions is a Mishmoto Z-Line. This FMIC is a universal fit model. The downside is it is only slightly larger in volume than the stock FMIC.

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I bought a MAP sensor mounting bracket and 1/8 NPT weld bung from ATP Turbo. A local machine shop welded them to the outlet tank. The MAP sensor must be oriented so the electrical connector is opposite the evap connector. The evap line connects use the same connector as 3/8” fuel line. I used a Dorman short length of replacement steel fuel line with integrated connector ring and attached it to the FMIC using a 3/8” tubing connector. I had to bend the fuel line 45 deg to mate it with the stock evap connector.

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The hard part of the install was fabricating mounting brackets. The top of the stock FMIC slips onto two plastic tabs. I cut, drilled and cut, cut, cut some aluminum to make a similar bracket for the Mishi FMIC. The bottom brackets were simply bolted to the frame.

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The stock FMIC has 2” hose connections. The Mishi has 2.5”. I used 90 deg reducing elbow silicone hoses to connect to the stock hoses and pipes (there are 3 different diameter hoses and pipes from the turbo to the intake: some as small 1.75”). Cutting and clamping the elbows was surprisingly time consuming (even though I used the trick of a hose clamp as a cutting guide).

The bottom bolts on the FMIC protruded into the plastic bottom cover. Cutting some ribs and drilling a big hole allowed the cover to be reconnected.

So how does the Mishmoto FMIC work?............Not much better than the stock FMIC

The Stock FMIC produced ambient-vs-intake air temperate differentials of 17 to 35 deg F on the highway (hot days). City driving had differentials of at least 25 deg and higher.

The early results on the Mishi shows it is about 5-10 deg better than stock. But it does NOT hold intake temperatures 5 deg above ambient like a large, performance FMIC would. One reason for this is I left the active grill shutters (AGS) connected. They only open 30% at highway speeds and often partially close when driving around town.  Removing the shutter completely or maybe removing the slats in front of the FMIC would allow better cooling.  Plus the Z-Line is the lowest performing FMIC according to Mishi.

 The Mishimoto probably has slightly less backpressure than the stock unit and this will improve performance. Overall I give myself an "A" for execution and "C" for results.

If anyone wants to try this install, I can provide links to the parts I used. Just let me know.

 

 

Edited by Don Ridley
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I don't notice any obvious performance improvement. But combusting cooler air does increase potential HP. I will experiment with disabling the AGS. I suspect that will set a DTC at minimum.

 

The project was fun and I am already looking for another project that is arguably unnecessary.

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5 hours ago, Don Ridley said:

The project was fun and I am already looking for another project that is arguably unnecessary.

 

Nice write-up. Interesting to read and see what you did. I commend your sense of adventure and mechanical skills.

Next project? hope adding a flux capacitor is on your short list.

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  • 2 weeks later...

No, I have not experimented with disabling the shutters.

 

My immediate problem is the narrower FMIC exposes the MAP sensor to road debris.  First I need to shield it from harm.  I don't think I can try to shutter experiment now because because cool weather is here.  Plus I was thinking about what is more important: 3-5 extra horsepower under certain freeway driving conditions or 2 extra MPG under all freeway driving conditions. The MPG advantage wins.

 

But I will probably get bored next summer and try the shutter experiment.

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