• Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

    Welcome to the #1 Fiesta ST Forum and Fiesta ST community dedicated to Fiesta ST owners and enthusiasts. Register for an account, it's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the Fiesta ST Forum today!


MTC Intercooler Install Question

Messages
135
Likes
28
Location
Bay Area
#1
Hey guys-

I'm just about to finish installing my MTC intercooler but I'm having a bit of an issue figuring out how to re-install what appears to be the lower air dam side skirt.

Maybe I'm an idiot and I wasn't supposed to remove it to begin with, but now I'm pretty stumped. Any ideas?



Otherwise the install went pretty smoothly for a novice like me, but some minor cutting was required.

Best,
2Hemis
 


OffTheWall503

1000 Post Club
Messages
1,991
Likes
455
Location
Memphis, TN
#3
Mine was a very tight fit getting it back in, but I literally removed and installed the stuff in the reverse order.
 


OP
2
Messages
135
Likes
28
Location
Bay Area
Thread Starter #4
Yeah I can't remember how I disassembled this part. I did most of my work late last night, lol.
 


OP
2
Messages
135
Likes
28
Location
Bay Area
Thread Starter #6
Stage 2 is a lot of fun but I'm having some minor issues.

I can't tell if it's the RMM or not, but in certain situations and at certain RPM, or even at idle, I get this weird vibration up front.

The intercooler definitely did not fit with the lower air dam so I had to leave the lower 3 bolts unbolted. Otherwise the MTC FMIC comes in contact with those black rectangular portions of the bottof of the air dam which kind of block the bottom most row of fins at the back of the FMIC.

This is not ideal, but I didn't want to leave the air dam off or hack it up. I already had to cut the middle plastic clip because IT TOTALLY was going to come in to contact with the FMIC and bend fins etc.

Any ideas? The car is fast and drive train slop is gone, and you can hammer on it without heat soak, but now it rattles in places - kind of embarrassing for a new car. Worth the price of admission but I'd like to ferret out these noises.


Does anybody think that might be causing the lower air dam to come up

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 


Messages
255
Likes
29
Location
Cleveland
#7
My mtc fit without cutting anything. The only thing I had to do is unscrew the mount on the bottom middle. The whole black plastic piece comes off then.

The motor mount will add a good bit of vibration to the car at idle and low rpms. It should break in after 1k miles or so.
 


OP
2
Messages
135
Likes
28
Location
Bay Area
Thread Starter #8
Hey Lytheum. Thanks for your response.

There is definitely a ratchety vibration coming from the motor mount area at idle and between gear changes. Low rpm somewhat. Sometimes when the car goes over big bumps too. Did the RMM cause a lot of noise going into gear for you?

The plastic air dam did NOT fit with my MTC. I couldn't make the lower bolt holes on the air dam line up with the MTC installed. What black plastic part do you mean? I even tried installing the IC without those plastic rubber stoppers for the upper mounts and it still didn't fit!!! Wtf!

My working hypothesis is that the RMM is causing most of the vibrations but that the clearance issue between the FMIC and lower air dam may cause different rattles entirely. I can barely distinguish NVM from distinct rattles but I'm not sure.

Don't get me wrong stage 2 is awesome, I just want to fix the rattles!

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
 


OP
2
Messages
135
Likes
28
Location
Bay Area
Thread Starter #9
Reporting back in on the NVH/rattle issue. The issue has significantly quieted down after 200 or so miles. I can't notice it anymore. I can still feel some vagueness up front in certain situations when it feels like the bumper cover moves vis-a-vis the frame, but I could just be noticing the effects of decreasing compliance at one part of the engine mount and leaving the others unaffected.

Boost is hitting the 21.5 psi +/- 1.5 target with the typical peak in 2d, 3d, or 4th at 20.80 psi. Not bad for 91.

I'm a pretty happy camper. Needs more boost though, and I feel like I want to go back in to address the intercooler piping with T-bolt clamps and silicone hoses from Mountune.

Also, I checked to see if the lower air dam being unbolted at the lower 3 bolts was causing any looseness, rubbing, or fitment issues down there. It wasn't. The bolts from the air dam side skirts and others help hold it into place, even if you set it a bit lower, like me, so that the bottom row of your monster stock-size intercooler doesn't get blocked by plastic. So that means any movement is happening elsewhere, or it could be that I lost one of the philips pop rivets at the radiator shroud :D
 




Top