Liquid to air intercooler maintenance ?

[Simon H]

Hello Chaps,
Collected my M4 over the weekend, and have been having a good nosey around it. The only question i have atm is, do you have to top up the little black plastic tank, that holds the fluid for the top mounted intercooler/Chargecooler at the very back of the engine bay ?. There is nothing at all in the owners manual about it, ive even scrolled through the owners handbook pages in the I Drive, but there is no mention at all, so maybe this is something that will never need any fluid top ups ?, thankyou, regards, SIMON.

[8600RPM]

It's like coolant. It's a closed system and unless a leak occurs you don't add

[Simon H]

Originally Posted by 8600RPM

It's like coolant. It's a closed system and unless a leak occurs you don't add

Cheers buddy, thanks a lot.

[Hobbination]

Same question but phrased differently, I just lost some fluid installing the Stage 1 BMS, what do I add? Distilled water? Antifreeze? Mix of both? Thanks in advance

P.S. The added 50/50 HP/TQ felt amazing

[Hobbination]

Anyone?

[Mandi90TT]

Distilled water is fine. Especially since you are in Hawaii.

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by Hobbination

Same question but phrased differently, I just lost some fluid installing the Stage 1 BMS, what do I add? Distilled water? Antifreeze? Mix of both? Thanks in advance

P.S. The added 50/50 HP/TQ felt amazing

Use BMW recommended coolant. The coolant does more than just preventing from freezing. BMW coolant lubricates seal, reduce corrosion, and has a higher boiling temp compared to water (last thing you want is boiling coolant). Never add distilled water only. Bad idea, unless you're just adding a cup of distilled water.

[Hobbination]

Thanks guys, ended up adding a 50/50 mix, only needed about 10 oz's worth.

[HP Autosport]

Water actually has a higher thermal conductivity than Glycol, which is what most Antifreeze are made of. Straight water with an additive like Redline's Water Wetter will keep your engine cooler than a 50/50 mix all day long, the additive will also give you the lubrication for the water pump and any seals in the system. On the S55 that could also mean lower IAT's. For areas with below freezing temps, you are stuck with the 50/50 mix.

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by JNoSol

Use BMW recommended coolant. The coolant does more than just preventing from freezing. BMW coolant lubricates seal, reduce corrosion, and has a higher boiling temp compared to water (last thing you want is boiling coolant). Never add distilled water only. Bad idea, unless you're just adding a cup of distilled water.

What HP Autosport said.

Also note that the intercooler system will likely never get close to boiling temps; if it does, it means it will have seriously heat soaked

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

What HP Autosport said.

Also note that the intercooler system will likely never get close to boiling temps, if it does, it means it will have seriously heat soaked

Good point LOL

Mike

[Full throttle Moscato]

Wondering if water wetter works?

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by CanAutM3

What HP Autosport said.

Also note that the intercooler system will likely never get close to boiling temps, if it does, it means it will have seriously heat soaked

That is correct.

There is absolutely an advantage switching to distilled water with an additive(Redline or Motul).

[Mandi90TT]

Any of the water wetter type stuff will help. They all work by reducing surface tension (kind of like soap) on the water, allowing it to transfer more heat, also reducing instances of 'micro-boiling' (small spots where air bubbles form) Don't want to overdose on it, though, you still need the base water to actually do the heat transfer.

[Racer20]

But . . . We've seen that even modded cars have absolutely no issue with cooling or heat soak. Why mess with chintzy aftermarket stuff like water wetter when the OEM 50/50 mix works fine and is what BMW intended? All the seals and materials in the cooling system are designed to work with BMW coolant.

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by Racer20

But . . . We've seen that even modded cars have absolutely no issue with cooling or heat soak. Why mess with chintzy aftermarket stuff like water wetter when the OEM 50/50 mix works fine and is what BMW intended? All the seals and materials in the cooling system are designed to work with BMW coolant.

Straight water simply has better thermal conductivity than 50/50 mix. Anytime you can make the cooling system more efficient, it's a no brainer to do it.

[Racer20]

Originally Posted by HP Autosport

Straight water simply has better thermal conductivity than 50/50 mix. Anytime you can make the cooling system more efficient, it's a no brainer to do it.

I understand that. But for what gain? If the car already has excess cooling capacity, why risk sealing and corrosion for a theoretical improvement in efficiency?

[Bowser330]

Has anyone actually switched over to water+wetter in place of bmws oem 50/50 mixture?

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by Bowser330

Has anyone actually switched over to water+wetter in place of bmws oem 50/50 mixture?

That was the first thing we did to the cooling and intercooler system when our shop M3 arrived.

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by HP Autosport

That was the first thing we did to the cooling and intercooler system when our shop M3 arrived.

Did this have a noticeable effect according to the butt dyno?

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

Did this have a noticeable effect according to the butt dyno?

Nothing on the butt dyno but the use of less antifreeze and some good additive has a good track record of keeping things cool better than 50/50 mix.