smart142

warm weather and the diesels

17 posts in this topic

Just a reminder seeing as how the warm weather, or in SW Ontario - HOT weather has arrived. There are a few things to check to ensure longevity.

 

Start with the intercooler. Look under the car on the drivers side rear to see if you still have the intercooler scoop. In most cases they will be missing. The dealer scoops are expensive and awkward to install. I fashion one out of a used 5l oil jug and then drill and tie strap to the existing shroud.

The next thing to check is to ensure that your intercooler fan is working. You should hear it come on sporadically. If it doesn't a new one from the dealer is about $150 - one of the few items that hasn't gone up in price over the last few years.

The reason I bring this up is because without a scoop and an intercooler fan you will be pumping a lot more heat into the engine, in already hot conditions, and I don't think that is good for the engine.

 

In my case I lost the scoop on my original smart, the fan stopped working and I ignored that. Consequently I had an engine failure at around 185,000 kms. A costly mistake.

That was 9 years ago and I posted the story.... http://clubsmartcar.com/index.php?/topic/21480-my-smart-adventure/

 

My Gina did have the engine replaced and was sold to a family in North Carolina some 5 years ago. I was happy to hear she is still chugging along.

I'm also happy to say that the ''girlfriend'' in the story is now my wife!

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I broke the scoop on mine when replacing the engine mount.  Once mid finished swearing I fitted an intercooler spray instead.  Monitoring temps on Torque show it reduces IATs by over 20 Celsius.  I've got it on a push switch, but when I can be arsed I'll set up a thermostatic switch.

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My beater had a broken scoop.....I re-manufactured it out of sheet metal and made it larger so hopefully it works better than the original scoop...?    It was a serious pain in the arse getting it to fit and attach nicely to where it was intended to fit....this car gets rediculously good mileage stats ......maybe this larger scoop helps that compared to the other good car I have...?   

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What's the easiest way to test the intercooler fan? I looked at mine this evening. It is stiff to spin. So I put a mark on one of the fan blades and went for a nice long drive. The fan blade is still in the same spot. There must be a relay in the SAM that powers this fan?  

It might be easier to jump the relay. (that way I can rule out a broken wire or bad ground)

 

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Just like in Ontario, it`s hot here in Quebec those days. At work my car sits in the sun all morning and when i start it to go to lunch the intercooler fan goes on right away. I see almost 100 fahrenheit IAT on my newly installed scangauge at startup.  Note that I took care to install my scangauge with a non-can cable as recommended by Mike T.

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I think the IC fan switches on at about 25°C.  IAT of 100F or 37.5C is also normal, if the ambient temp is about that or a bit lower.  Boosting up a BC mountain gets me to well over 80C IAT momentarily if it's hot out.

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5 hours ago, MikeT said:

I think the IC fan switches on at about 25°C.  IAT of 100F or 37.5C is also normal, if the ambient temp is about that or a bit lower.  Boosting up a BC mountain gets me to well over 80C IAT momentarily if it's hot out.

ok,  mabey mine just never gets warm enough to turn the fan on .   and my car never gets more than 3 dots on the temp guage.  

i think i might get a scan gauge to monitor the car a bit closer.

thanks.

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The scangauge II is a nice small unit and can show you plenty to keep you entertained while driving...lol.  It did hurt a bit to purchase but after time we forget that part of it...lol.    I like to watch my fuel consumption ratings.....as I drive....it really keeps you grounded.....all the time hunting for those low numbers.....kms per hundred kms driven....easily gets 3.5 and on good days down to 3.  That alone makes me smile as i watch the ScanGauge II.....lol
It's a great unit for much more useful info also...well worth the price tag imho.

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44 minutes ago, Sydney said:

 mabey mine just never gets warm enough to turn the fan on .   

 

I bet it's pooched! Unplug it and you will see 2 terminals, hook up a + and - feed

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43 minutes ago, Willys said:

Pooched....lol

 

It's a technical term.  :lol:

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Intercooler fan turns on at around 65C and off around 45C. There is a thread about it somewhere here. 

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Mine's always running in summer, kicks in around 25C

 

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IAT of 65C even  80C.... if the fan is running how is it possible to reach such high temperatures ? it s almost  the same temp as the coolant.

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The turbocharger compresses the air and it gets REALLY hot.  Plus there's some heat transfer from the exhaust side of the turbine to the intake side.

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I will monitor my scangauge closely , while trying to keep an eye on the road from time to time :D         sometimes, not very often, i hear a fan running for 10 to 15 seconds after shutting down the engine, but not necessarily on the hottest days or longest runs. any thoughts ?

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When the IAT is unplugged, the IC kicks on by default...of course with CEL. But when it is plugged back in, the code goes inactive and it will behave normally again and CEL is out.

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