OEM 2005 Ford Excursion Intercooler

2005 Ford Excursion Intercooler Parts Q&A

• Q: How to Service and Repair a Front Intercooler on 2005 Ford Excursion?

  A: You should inspect the damage on the intercooler before making a repair decision by referencing the Intercooler Cross-Reference Chart. The first step for crimp joint service requires a Leak Test Intercooler to identify leaking areas while marking all spots showing a pressure loss exceeding 1.5 psig per minute. Then tighten the corresponding crimp tabs in those marked areas. Replacements are required for any intercooler that fails the leak test. Testing after tightening adjacent crimp tabs will determine whether the cooler needs replacement if the test results reveal failure. The repair process for sidemember welding requires all surfaces to be clean with V-groove cuts made at the crack area followed by appropriate MIG welder usage for weld-filling. The welded area requires grinding to remove surplus material and afterward cleaning the cooler. Weld bracket repairs require thorough care of fins and tube-to-header braze joint by covering the core with steel plate for tacking before full welding and subsequent cooling followed by alignment verification. Apply Alcan MIG Electrode Wire 4043 aluminum alloy 1.20-mm (3/16-inch) diameter as you weld tube or tube header joint surfaces using a MIG welder after cleaning them properly. Epoxy repairs of tubes and headers require surface cleaning followed by Ciba Geigy Aradlite AV 138M epoxy (combined with hardener Ciba Geigy HV 998) application before following manufacturer instructions for mixture and curing. Any completed welding and epoxy procedures require a 3-minute water flush at 0.06 in (1.5 mm) per second followed by flushing with water in the opposite direction. Do a pressure test after draining such that installation of the cooler occurs only after the system passes inspection and drying clears. To clean the cooler spread it flat and pour water until it reaches 40 percent of the container volume before mixing for 10 minutes and draining. Execute this process once more until no impurities appear then let it dry naturally. Through a leak test we install pressure gauges in separate ports while supplying air pressure at 50 psig to measure its loss when the pressure drops to 29 psig; examine if you detect pressure exceeding 1.5 psig per minute and permanent distortion since this indicates the need to replace the intercooler.