How to drain your CAC (Intercooler) with out taking it out.

There PROBABLY is no harm in installing a drain valve in theory (I think bottom driver side is the place you want to do that, but not sure).  I definitely would NOT drill a hole and leave it open.  Be sure to drill carefully and get all shavings out of there.  If what you are drilling into is plastic, it could crack, so ...
 
There are some members that have had good results especially the F-150'S by doing this but unless your experiencing a shudder or similar issues personally would advise against any such modification to your intercooler and could also void your warranty and in theory can sometimes do more harm than good[if it ain't Broke Dont fix it]may apply here..... more info can be found here but as always play at your own risk.  Z  http://www.ecoboostperformanceforum.com/index.php/topic,6334.0.html
 
8nutz8 said:
Bringing this thread back! Just checked mine and there's close to a 1/4" on the dipstick. More than i'd like to see for sure.
nickstewartroc said:
Just checked mine (I'm at 70k) and there is a good amount in there, about as much is shown on my dip stick as the first post. I tried to such as much out as possible but I couldn't seem to get much more than maybe a teaspoon. If I stick my dipstick down there, it still shows more. I'll be taking the front bumper off soon to remove the grille, and when I do I'll take a look at maybe putting a valve in the bottom of the CAC to be able to drain it easier. I will also be looking into getting an oil separator, thinking about a JLT for now.
^ Wondering if anyone has done a drainplug/petcock in the CAC? How difficult do you guys think that would be? Obviously it would have to have a good seal but the idea of just opening a valve and sucking the fluid out the bottom every 10k or so is pretty appealing.
Also,don't see why a cheap tool like this wouldn't work to drain it from the top. Just drop the hose into the CAC opening and spray away
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Siphon-Spray-Blow-Gun-9045734/203153526?cm_mmc=SEM%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-PLA-BT3-Husky-D25T-Tools%7c&gclid=Cj0KEQjw9b6-BRCq7YP34tvW_uUBEiQAkK3svUhx_wuJt0UbVJRj_ZDCuO0XU8ajK-iKEyCMnMzqRRAaAp-z8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

That Husky siphon blow gun looks interesting.  Sad that the only review said it didn't provide a siphon.  I would like to find something like that before doing mine again.  I cobbled together odd parts and made my own blow gun, but it was a fairly ridiculous rig job that I'd rather not repeat.  LOL
 
Thanks for all the input guys, this is why i ask questions. I'll hopefully have time to suck the fluid out of my CAC today. If it's easy enough(as it looks to be) it may not necessitate a drain plug. Car still is under warranty so would like to avoid any red flags to the dealer.
 
Cheap and effective,
07240.jpg
 
Did that work for you?  I tried a couple of pumps that I have, but they didn't work.  I needed constant suction.
 
I haven't used it yet on our CAC but have used it numerous times on my motorcycles from fuel to oil and as long as you have the energy, you can keep a constant flow rate.
 
ShoBoat said:
boostedflex said:
Hey ShoBoat, do you have a part number, etc, for that vacuum pump you used?  Googling air powered vacuum pumps I did not find anything near that nice.  Would love to try this myself, will at least give me some piece of mind until x-mas when I can get a catch can :)


This would do the job.
http://usatoolsinc.com/dualfunctionairpoweredvacuumcleanerkitsunsx1000.aspx

It's an air powered vacuum. The one I have I purchased used.


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I picked this up from Tyler tools for 42 shipped. I'll have in case my 16 shows signs of oil ::)

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Well, I used an alternate method to flush out the CAC on my XSport this past weekend. Finding this post after the fact cause me to have a mini panic attack, but my worries were unfounded. This past weekend I installed a RX Monster Catch Can and one of the recommendations was to drain the CAC. I actually back-flushed mine with it still installed in the vehicle, and this is how I did it (ATTEMPT AT YOUR OWN RISK):

1 ) Jack up (or drive up on a ramp) the passenger side of the vehicle. I didn't do this, but I will in the future. This will make the driver's side lower than the passenger side.
2 ) Remove upper connection from passenger side CAC outlet to throttle body - leave bottom clamp tightened
3 ) Disconnect charge pipes from driver side CAC inlet - remove charge pipe all the way down to the front side turbo so it doesnt fill with cleaner and/or water (don't ask me how I know. ;))
4 ) Pour Simple Green (full strength) down the CAC outlet pipe and let sit for 10 minutes.
5 ) Pour Simple Green dilution (1 part SG, 3 parts hot water) down the outlet pipe. I did this 3x with 1 gallon of mixture each time. I also blocked off the inlet side with my hand to allow the CAC to fill up with cleaner several times. A helper to pour in your cleaner is helpful.
6 ) Repeat step 5 with clean water (I used my garden hose) until water runs clear.
7 ) Dry out the CAC using a CLEAN air source (not a leaf blower). I have a Master Blaster that has two 4 HP motors, which blows filtered dry, warm air (much cooler than a hair dryer or heat gun). I wrapped a towel around the blower hose and put it in the outlet side of the CAC and let the blower run for 1.5 hours - about 1 hour longer after I stopped seeing evidence of moisture. I let the car sit overnight and put the blower on it again in the morning for 15 minutes to confirm no additional moisture was coming out.
8 ) Reinstall charge pipes and reconnect hose at throttle body.

After going through my process, I found this "how-to" and freaked out thinking maybe I left a gallon of water sitting down my CAC. I had Amazon overnight ship me an inspection camera, and to my relief, the CAC looked squeaky clean (and dry) except some minor oil staining in the aluminum passages. I attached a picture (post cleaning), but for some reason the resolution does not look nearly as good as it did on the screen and the time stamp did not apply at the same orientation as what I set the image to on the screen.
 
glock-coma said:
Damn, looks brand new inside.
Did you fill up the entire CAC before letting it drain or
just the bottom half?

I'm guessing it was close to full, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was an air gap towards the top. In addition to trying to block the driver's side inlet with my right hand, I was also trying to keep the outlet hose bent up and simultaneously hold a funnel with my left hand so my wife could pour in the SG dilution. I had a rag stuffed in the throttle body, but I kept saying "don't spill, don't spill". Haha. Frankly, I wasn't being super scientific about it. I was just attempting to flush out the bulk of any nastiness.

After seeing all the other pictures and videos I convinced myself that I must have missed a bunch of water in the bottom. Imagine my relieve this afternoon after I double checked. :)

I also removed the adhesive blocking plate from the front side of the CAC, so I want to keep an eye for any possible condensation buildup a couple times a year.
 
slurppie said:
Cheap and effective,
07240.jpg
I tried one of these and couldn't get anything, at all, out if it. Idk if I wasn't getting it far enough down the tube, there's not enough oil for it to pick up, or it just isn't strong enough?

c00d05da8cce74c058d450ad59b22d72.jpg


9c8daa376be48744199075034127ed54.jpg


430a37d6542a943108581865f78efc9d.jpg


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I just got notification (thx jman)
that my videos were not visible in the thread. Here’s a YouTube link with the cac and intake valves videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOByog1s75LtkvY8_Uvks-w
 
Here's my very own Video from a few year's back! I had a compressor type suction gun suck out some oil from the CAC(intercooler).
I would advise to have this done on an annual basis IMO!  Z

https://youtu.be/urMO7Z5d02k
 
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