my 96 sti ra,has i.c waterspray,in the i.c spray bottle in the engine bay,do you refill it with plain water or is it a special fluid that needs to be put in?

 

AFAIK plain water will be just fine ....... Well its what I used in mine anyway.

Gary

 

Normally just water. But in winter I add some windscreen washer fluid to prevent freezing. Also can be used to fill washer bottle if you run out, saves plod nicking you.

 

Normal water will react with the intercooler and cause white deposites (aluminium clorate??/cloride??)
Best way to stop this is use de-ionised water, stuff out of a dehumidifier is good for this

Tony

 

so does the water just get sprayed over the surface of the intercooler?
Has anyone made there own kit?

 

not sure you should put screen wash in it

 

so what about when it is pissssssing down

or don't you take yours out in the wet tony?

 

Why not, it's only spraying onto the intercooler

 

I use water from the scottish highlands,filtered over hundreds of years

 

should try some of that volcanic stuff

 

I always use mineral water in my screen wash bottle

























As i always forget to fill it up at home

 

I dont think you get chlorine in the rain, you do in tap water though

Tony

 

u do get acid though...

 

but its the chlorine that causes aluminium cloride? clorate?

Tony

 

I'd imagine the white stuff is just limescale like you get on your kettle or kitchen sink. Cure it by using ionised or boiled water instead of straight tap water.

 

My manual says de-ionised water, not tap water.

 

no the white stuff is aluminium cloride, the reaction between aluminium and cloride in the water, not limescale as we dont have heavy water up here

Tony

 

dont mean to sound dumb but what are these spray features for? i mean i know they are for cooling but why wud you need it? are they there for if you decided to give it some heavy track miles? i.e constant hammering?

 

Dont have I C spray on mine so dont care.

 

They add a nice spray onto the intercooler which makes the air denser giving more power, it also reduces high inlet temps i believe.
Only the JDM STi's have the auto button, during winter though, you use virtually if no water, its only in summer when you notice it drop (dramatically in some cases, normal motorway driving!).
Ive gone though most of my 12ltr tank on a trip down south and back

Tony

 

so its just to add extra cooling. prevents power loss by excessive heat etc? if youdont have an auto one then how do you know when to spray?

 

Press button, causes water to cool the air in the intercooler making it denser that should speak for itself though if its a freezing cold day it sort of defeats the object

Tony

 

de mineralized water as what ya mum used too put in her iron or whhat ya put in batterys

has nothing in it except water

 

I put Tescos' mountain spring bottled water in mine, nothing but the best

 

hmmmm... perhaps you could expand on this alledged aluminium/chlorine reaction?

But in short mineral deposits (limescale most common) are the only likely outcome from using tap or mineral water, thou I've never seen any scaled up intercoolers?

 

so can somebody clear this up for me? Is the water getting sprayed IN to the i/c or ON to the surface/outside of the i/c?

 

It's just sprayed on/above the i/c.

 

as above.... onto the i/c. As people without a spray kit will testify to when is't wet outside. The cooler air is hugely benefical and you get an increased push from it. Love going out in the wet!!!!

 

Chloride ions in water won't attack aluminium - it has a thin protective oxide coating. For the i/c spray you should use deionised water. Tap water and bottled water contain salts that are left behind on the i/c when the water evaporates due to engine heat.

 

Take a slash in it then!!!