Intercooler without Charge Air Cooler

Hello,

'I recently discovered that the intercooler on my B4 is practically not functioning. There's an air duct leading to the front of the vehicle, right in front of the tow hook, under the fog light on the passenger side. However, everything there seems to be blocked – I think it's the plastic grille. Or does the air come from somewhere else? Also, the air can't flow out behind the intercooler because the underbody panel and wheel arch liners are in the way. Is that normal? Furthermore, my front grill is solid, even though there are open grills available for the B4. Is that original? I've seen some with open grills before, but are they only used on gasoline engines or something? Anyway, my car gets too hot when I drive a bit faster on the highway. After 10-15 minutes of near full throttle, the temperature goes well above 90 degrees, I estimate around 105 degrees (with an outside temperature of 20°C and colder). Isn't that too much? In city driving, it's only about 80 degrees according to the gauge!'

Could it be that the car had front-end damage at some point?

The specialists (which is now almost a derogatory term) at VW closed off two of the areas below the grill on my Golf 3 with a panel, something that only the smallest gasoline engines have.

In golf engines, there's a grille that provides air intake for the turbocharger (LLK), and this is also present in gasoline engines without a turbocharger ("naturally aspirated").

It's possible that someone didn't think things through and completely messed everything up!?!?

Okay, please provide the German text you would like me to translate into English. I will only provide the translation.

Hi,

During an accident repair, the incompetent people at a workshop in Nuremberg also deactivated my intercooler.
However, the lower part of the bumper could be reassembled to its "original" state by clipping some clips back into place.
The tow hook has both a solid cover and one with ventilation openings.

Best regards, Rainer.

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

"Hi,"

Since this is somewhat relevant to the topic and I've been wondering about it for a while...

I often read in these threads about "grates" being placed in front of the openings of the ventilation shafts for the underground parking garage, which makes sense to prevent leaves or similar debris from getting inside.

With the Ibiza GP01, there's nothing like that; instead, there are simply two openings of approximately 18x7 cm with guide rails behind them, leading directly to the coolant reservoir. There isn't a grille or anything similar in front of them, and with slender hands, you can reach into the opening all the way to the coolant reservoir (which was also necessary to remove a leaf – my girlfriend helped me with that ).

Frugality, or a deliberate design choice? Because a grid like that also takes up some cross-sectional area.

The Ibiza doesn't really have any noticeable air vents... but it seems that, according to Rainer's previous attempts, they aren't necessary.

Best regards,

January.

Hi,
I think the reduction in cross-sectional area caused by the grid can be neglected compared to the narrow slats of the louvers. The reason for the grid is probably not even protection from leaves and large moths, but rather the aesthetics; i.e., the desire to create a front that appears solid.
"True boundary layer suction slots are likely not present because there probably isn't an area with lower pressure than the one already existing at the end of the lower fairing."

Jan6K wrote:

Frugality, or technical intent?

Hi Jan,

What about the most convincing argument from the IMO perspective: "Optics"?
Imagine having gray grilles in front of the openings for the liquid cooling system: it would really draw attention due to the overall design, and wouldn't look very good at all.

The designs of the other TDI models are much more compatible with low-profile tires without compromising their appearance.
In that case, the technical advantage (such as preventing leaves from accumulating) wins out, but with the 6K, apparently aesthetics were more important .

Hello.
Okay, I also have a B4 TDI. In my car, the front grille is open. Apparently, in your case, one from a gasoline-powered car was installed due to some damage. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about the exhaust system.
Greetings, Wolfi.

Hi,

That's probably it...

While your two contributions are both excellent... Christian justifies "grid" with aesthetics, and Ulf justifies "no grid" with aesthetics...

It seems that depending on the model, both statements might be true...

Best regards,

January.

@Cabriodriver

Tausch oder entfern' das Teil. Ich habe lange nach der Störquelle für mein Vmax bzw. Drehzalproblem gesucht, bis ich mal die geschlossene Blende vorm LLK Zustom entfernt habe. Statt 3800 geht er jetzt bis 4250 U/min im 5. Gabbreviations

The previous owner had a front-end damage that was repaired before I bought the car. Well, and apparently, whatever was available was used for the repair...

Hey everyone!

I also realized while installing my LDA that...
'The corresponding part in my Golf is 'massive,' meaning it has no air vents, while the parts at my dealer's were all open.'
The mechanic then said that there's only one version where the rear part needs to be cut out, which they apparently forgot.
After that, I fixed it at home (a Dremel tool is amazing).
However, it didn't exactly give the impression that it was intended to be like that.
I guess someone told me another fairytale again.

Best regards, Ruki.

What a coincidence!

Last week, my radiator was leaking. On Friday, I installed a new one. Then, while standing in front of the car, I wondered how the intercooler actually functions if it doesn't receive any airflow. When comparing it to other TDI Passats, it turned out: The wrong parts were installed! It also involves a grill insert in the bumper that is normally open, but in my case, it is closed.

I had a front-end collision in 2001. A new radiator and a new bumper were installed. Now it's 2004, and I haven't noticed anything .

Therefore, I'll probably take the Tremol out for a spin soon... I'm curious to see how noticeable an open low-cut filter will be!

Here's a quick additional point regarding the question of why grids and why not.
Also, it's worth considering that these parts also have a protective function, even if it's small but present.
Have you ever seen the bottom of an A2 car?
Bei unserem hat es nach gerade mal 9000km den Klima Kondensator erwischt, der im unteren Teil der Stoßstange ganz offen herumliegt. Da war mal ein Stein mit richtiger Geschwindigkeit und im guten Winkel unterwegs. Total loss.
Unfortunately, no one wanted to repair the part (which I can understand). And a new one isn't really cheap, especially since refilling air conditioning systems is something I can't do in my garage yet... and probably won't be able to do for a while.


Otherwise, I always think it improves the appearance. (And for those guys and girls who install fog lights or daytime running lights on their Golf IVs afterward, a question: Did you not notice that there's still a radiator behind your lamps???)

Hi,

The thing about the stones also prompted me to make that comment, although that part is quite deep in the shaft at the Ibi site.

Overall, these cases show that many workshops are unaware of the purpose of the LLK (likely referring to a specific regulation or standard), and that is a very sad situation.

Regarding fog lights, etc.: In the new Ibiza 6L, the fog lights are STANDARD EQUIPMENT and mounted in front of the headlights – pretty clever, right?

Best regards,

January.

Hello everyone,

I'm in the process of getting some open grilles! Thank you again for your contributions. By the way, my vehicle is accident-free! At least that's how I bought it, and since it's been in my possession, it hasn't seen a workshop. I'm really unsure how these grilles ended up like this; were they factory defects? I can guarantee that my previous owner didn't lie to me. But I have one more question. The front grille. Is the closed grille standard on the B4 with a TDI engine, or was it only like that for me? Maybe other Audi B4 owners could tell me how it is for them?! Thanks! I can imagine that the grille might be closed because diesel engines generally don't heat up as well (due to their good efficiency ). Regarding the Octavia MKB: My father's has an open front grille.

Jan6K wrote:

Regarding fog lights, etc.: In the new Ibiza 6L, the fog lights are STANDARD EQUIPMENT and mounted in front of the headlights – pretty clever, right?

Hi Jan,

The Polo 9N is just as brilliantly designed .
While watching, I still have a slight hope that the "collection funnel," which widens towards the front and center of the car, will compensate for any loss caused by the fogging.

These components are relatively easy to remove, so I can log the coolant temperature (LL-Temp) with and without the auxiliary cooler attached.
But it's best to go in the middle of summer, when it's really hot...

Well, at least you won't have to brush out the flies every few days...

Just because the front of my Octavia looks a certain way, I don't want to see the engine cooling system .

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'Cu Gremlin'