Anyone Buy Intercooler Silicone Hoses?

Post by **vjaneczko** » 17 Jun 2010, 22:19

I just tried to install the Intercooler Silicone Hoses from FCP and have a few questions regarding these hoses.

First, should I be worried about the excess material in this hose? This is the hose that has the ‘arm’ running off to the idle control valve:

Second; the hose diameters (all of them) seems to be way too small – almost as if the inner diameter needs to be what the outer diameter is. The blue replacement hose that connects to the intercooler has an inner diameter of 58 mm. I didn’t measure the hose that is installed, but there’s no way its inner diameter is that small. The hose clamp has the following marking:

75
58-75

I'm going to guess that is the "usable" mm range of the clamp. There's not much metal hanging out from under the screw, so that tells me that the hose has an I.D. of 70 mm or so - correct?

I’ve heard that it’s difficult to install silicone hoses because they’re quite tight and don’t stretch at all, but this seems impossible! Has anyone installed this hose kit? Did you have any of these issues?

Third; What's the best way to clean the inside of these new hoses? There's a bit of dust and it doesn't just wipe out easily. Seems to be a static charge kind of bond.

I’m calling FCP tomorrow to discuss this, but I wanted to reach out and see if I’m the only one with this challenge.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 17 Jun 2010, 23:07

Personally, I would probably just take some scissors or a small sharp knife and cut away that excess material. As long as it doesn't come loose and go anywhere, it shouldn't be an issue. Just cut it off.

To get them on, some people have suggested putting them in near-boiling water for a little bit, then (carefully) taking them out and working them on. Someone also microwaved it, but I think I would prefer the water trick.

As far as cleaning them, try to put a long wet (clean) rag through it to the other end and then work it back and forth some to get any junk out of there. Any silicon (dust) or dirt that gets in the engine will come out with the next oil change. But it's good to minimize it!

Post by **j_cd** » 18 Jun 2010, 10:28

I believe you're supposed to use rubbing alcohol to clean them, and soap and water to fit them.

Post by **vjaneczko** » 20 Jun 2010, 12:21

Well, here's an update. I was able to use a 50/50 mix of water & dishsoap to get the hoses on. I also had a pair of long tweezers with bent tips to help leverage the hoses in place. It was quite a struggle, but after I got the first hose on I thought I'd be happy in no time.

When I grabbed the second hose to install (the one that connects the intercooler pipe, throttle and idle control), I came to a dead stop. The measurements of the hose is completely wrong, as you'll see in these photos:
http://cid-76421a252c7d8a43.skydrive.li ... haringLink

I'm waiting for FCP to open tomorrow so we can figure out what to do.

Keep ya posted.

Post by **j_cd** » 20 Jun 2010, 13:21

Well that sucks. I just saw that IPD has a new, affordable set of their own. I wonder if they're from the same manufacturer?

Post by **vjaneczko** » 20 Jun 2010, 14:10

j_cd wrote: I just saw that IPD has a new, affordable set of their own.

Are you talking about the collant hose set? Yeah, I think that's a new kit from them. I don't think I've seen a collant hose kit, just the individual hoses. Might have to snag a set since I have to replace the collant hoses soon!

Post by **j_cd** » 20 Jun 2010, 14:43

There is a brand new set of silicone intercooler hoses on the IPD site that wasn't there last night. It's in the Performance section. Same price as the one you bought.

I recently replaced my upper and lower radiator hoses with UROs from FCP. They're working great, but if you can afford them, the silicone ones would be nice for sure.

Post by **vjaneczko** » 01 Jul 2010, 13:58

To aid anyone not able to view the external link for the pics, here are three of the most telling:

The hose opening is in the middle of the IAC bracket but should be to the left of it by another 1.5 inches:

: 016a.JPG (65.39 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

Outer edge of silicone hose reaches to 4 inches:

: 024a.JPG (60.26 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

Outer edge of old hose reaches to 5.25 inches:

: 025a.JPG (61.73 KiB) Viewed 6485 times

You can probably tell visually that the main part (throttle to intercooler) of the old hose is shorter than the silicone. Cutting the silicone (1) would not give enough distance for connecting to the IAC, (2) would throw-off the alignment for the pipe coming off the intercooler, and (3) the silicone hose is slightly wider at the throttle connection, so if I cut it the diameter would actually be smaller than it is now.

Post by **MNCO1** » 01 Jul 2010, 21:28

What did you hear from FCP? Photos are pretty telling of a misfit.

Post by **vjaneczko** » 02 Jul 2010, 07:46

I've been in touch with Mike at FCP. Here's a bit of the e-mails we've exchanged:

> Looks like the vendor is saying that this would be the first they
> heard of an issue. As this product is relatively new to them and us,
> they also said that it is unlikely that a new mold can be made of a
> stock replacement anytime soon. Kind of puts us in a bind, as I do not
> have another vendor or supplier to offer a replacement so what we can
> do is you can return this kit as a defect and we can order up a new
> set, under the premise that you received a damaged unit.

I found two people over at VS that posted they made the purchase and I've asked if they had the same problem, but haven't heard from them yet.

I can't blame FCP for any of this and I'm hoping that they can get proper hoses for us in the near future. It's a shame that this hasn't worked out yet, because I really need some new hoses and this set is just an extra few bucks compared to the regular, non-silicone hoses. I just can't justify 265 bucks for the kit from Stylin' Hoses.