Leaking SOS Laminova Inter cooler/options for different Inter cooler

[Dang94]

Hi Guys, I've got a coolant leak from my Laminova inter cooler i purchased through SOS.
It seems to be leaking between the gasket of the supercharger and inter cooler.
I know SOS stopped selling these inter coolers, probably due to this issue.
Can anybody tell me what other options are available to me regarding different inter coolers.
Or should i just delete the inter cooler all together?
I only use my car for street use and I'm running a 96cm pulley.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Jinks]

Driving ambition sells one. I have it in my car. NOT cheap though. People will argue the core is too small but at 10psi of boost in south Florida my intake temp never goes above 112 degrees.

 

[Old Guy]

I don't know the specifics of the SOS intercooler. However, my recollection is that Laminova does not make interccolers, they just supply the cores / heat transfer surfaces and others fabricate the headers and other bits to make a complete cooler. The Laminova cores that I have seen all used rubber O ring seals at each end. Perhaps, all that has failed on your cooler is the end seals. I believe that if you go to the Laminova web site, you can find the replacement O rings. It might be worthwhile pulling the intercooler apart to examine it as the fix may be just a couple of $ for a new O ring or 2, 3 , ...?

If whoever fabricated the intercooler messed up on the dimensions where the cores insert, then there may be a perpetual weakness. If you remove the cores you can check the dimensions and then compare to Laminova's drawings and see if there is a fabrication problem or you are just unlucky. If there is a problem (openings too large), welding up and re machining might be an option or there might be other solutions.

 

[Mac Attack]

What did SOS recommend you do? I would start with them since they sold it to you.

 

[BATMANs]

Seems like you had the same issue of the SOS leaking as I did.

I switched to the DA IC.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/199592-Driving-Ambition-or-SOS-SC-Intercooler-questions

 

[Sockeye]

Da ic

I have a brand new one I will sell ( DA IC)

Seems like you had the same issue of the SOS leaking as I did.

I switched to the DA IC.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/199592-Driving-Ambition-or-SOS-SC-Intercooler-questions

 

[Dang94]

I won't bother asking SOS. It's out of warranty and it seems like a common issue with the Laminova IC.
I tried contact Laminova direct via email but i've had no response.
I will look into to purchasing a DA IC and retune the car.

 

[Sockeye]

Hopefully you won't have to wait the 2 years I did for Shad doing another run of them

 

[Dang94]

Hopefully you won't have to wait the 2 years I did for Shad doing another run of them

I got lucky he had one on the shelf ready to go.
Should be here soon.

 

[Sockeye]

What was the cost to you Dang94?

 

[Jinks]

Shad now stocks these again. He stopped selling them after this sos laminova came out. Nobody was buying any. Now, he’s making them again.

 

[RYU]

https://youtu.be/pey4tGDZ8gc

 

[neuronbob]

Shad now stocks these again. He stopped selling them after this sos laminova came out. Nobody was buying any. Now, he’s making them again.

Good news. I’m now considering adding an aftercooler to my build. I just haven’t gotten to having my CTSC installed yet because of work.

 

[diddy]

im thinking about it also.

 

[jwmelvin]

With the DA cooler, it looks like the core is the size of the overall plenum. But the blower output is much smaller; is there some kind of transition/expansion zone between the blower and the core?

 

[Dang94]

Shad now stocks these again. He stopped selling them after this sos laminova came out. Nobody was buying any. Now, he’s making them again.

I'm glad he is selling them again.
I liked the Laminova's design, but the rubber o rings perish and leak and that could be big trouble.
And an expensive job.
The driving ambition core should give me more boost and no rubber o rings that can leak.
It seems like a more practical solution for me.
Can't wait to get it installed and re tuned.

Here's a pic of my Australian edition 94 NSX.
The NSX is an extremely rare car here.
I heard roughly 190 Australian delivered NSX's were sold over the NSX's 14 year run.

 

[diddy]

Are the o-rings readily available to replace?

 

[Dang94]

Are the o-rings readily available to replace?

I tried to contact Laminova directly via email about replacement o rings, but I've had no response from them for over one month.
Keep in mind, my car only did 3000 miles before the leaking occurred.
That would make it very expensive to be constantly removing the SC and core that often.
And just looking at the DA core, It's easy to see how less restrictive it would be compared to the Laminova.

 

[Dang94]

Here's a pic of my new DA core.
It raises the SC by .7 of an inch over the Laminova.
And if anyone is interested in keeping their engine cover and running an aftercooler core and SC on the nsx, I put the targa clam shell engine cover out of a 95 nsx on my 94 nsx and cut out a space at the bottom side of the engine cover.
SOS told me that they had never done this mod before.
It fits perfectly and i still have room to accommodate the extra .7 of an inch.

 

[BATMANs]

https://youtu.be/pey4tGDZ8gc

I might do the meth spray with Flex Fuel....

 

[RYU]

I might do the meth spray with Flex Fuel....

In our cars the spray is the easiest, efficient, and most effective solution IMO.

You ought to be fine, I'll just say (which you know probably already know..) if you're tuning for the expected added octane just make sure you have a failsafe for when the pump fails or cavitates, etc. Good luck!

 

[RYU]

This is just my $0.02. At the end of the day i'm glad we still have a few options out there.

Asides from the complications of running fluid thru the cooler, an added heat exchanger up front, an added pump and wiring, etc... The reason why I didn't go with a sandwich style intercooler is because of the little real estate it's not as efficient as it could be.

The output of the CTSC is a small triangle shaped output probably less than 1" from the blower. This means the pressurized hot air is only cooled by a small portion of the aftercooler. For packaging purposes it's also thin so the air doesn't have much time thru the aftercooler to do it's thing and cool the air. perhaps if it was a 2" or 3" core it would be more effective as well.

Again, Just my $0.02. This is why I went with the meth spray. The atomization doesn't suffer from heat soak and it removes heat from the air quite well in the years i've monitored my IAT temps.

 

[Dang94]

This is just my $0.02. At the end of the day i'm glad we still have a few options out there.

Asides from the complications of running fluid thru the cooler, an added heat exchanger up front, an added pump and wiring, etc... The reason why I didn't go with a sandwich style intercooler is because of the little real estate it's not as efficient as it could be.

The output of the CTSC is a small triangle shaped output probably less than 1" from the blower. This means the pressurized hot air is only cooled by a small portion of the aftercooler. For packaging purposes it's also thin so the air doesn't have much time thru the aftercooler to do it's thing and cool the air. perhaps if it was a 2" or 3" core it would be more effective as well.

Again, Just my $0.02. This is why I went with the meth spray. The atomization doesn't suffer from heat soak and it removes heat from the air quite well in the years i've monitored my IAT temps.

View attachment 157156

My car is mainly for street use, so heat soak shouldn't be an issue for me.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't the core's job to cool the air and also reduce the transfer of heat from the SC?

 

[BATMANs]

......The output of the CTSC is a small triangle shaped output probably less than 1" from the blower. This means the pressurized hot air is only cooled by a small portion of the aftercooler......

View attachment 157156

Glad I'm not the only one that thought that there was something strange about the triangle setup relative to the surface of the IC.

 

[BATMANs]

In our cars the spray is the easiest, efficient, and most effective solution IMO.

You ought to be fine, I'll just say (which you know probably already know..) if you're tuning for the expected added octane just make sure you have a failsafe for when the pump fails or cavitates, etc. Good luck!

The meth injection application that I had in mind was primarily for cooling the IAT as oppose to "increasing" the octane.

My AEM S2 should have been tuned for the various temps.