I run 1/2 water and 1/2 rubbing alcohol...works great!

 

I know - they were running non-distilled water in their radiator during the summer time. Many people do as it works as well as if not better then any coolant... over time they get mineral buildup and blockages in their radiator - and poof! blown engine....

hey to each their own, but for 50 cents a fill up I am going to use distilled water every time.

 

rubbing alcohol?

-shahul

 

It's not the intercooler that's going to get clogged up with mineral deposits, it's the lines for the sprayer system. They're rather small and could plug up pretty easily. Look at an old coffee maker sometime. It doesn't brew as fast because the lines get closed off due to mineral deposits.

 

so do, or do not used distilled water?

-shahul

 

that makes more sense... I guess cleaning out the nozzles might be a bit of a PITA....

 

does the alchohol make the spray cooler?

-shahul

 

Yes, the alcohol is more effective at cooling the intercooler. Go buy some rubbing alcohol, dip you finger in it, then blow on your finger....Voila! Feels cold, doesn't it? Does to your intercooler too! Rubbing alcohol (or any alcohol for that matter) is very volatile and evaporates quickly, i.e., it takes away lots of heat since it wants to evaporate and has to take that energy from somewhere.

 

Only problem is, how do you keep it from evaporating out of the bottle? The bottle is not hermetically sealed so the alcohol would just go away... No, I think it's cheaper and easier to just use water.. I'd hate to be depending on the alcohol just to discover it has evaporated!

 

Dear God,

Please make sure the rain you sprinkle is distilled. I would not want to corrode my intercooler.

Yours truly,
Mrdecibel

 

Here's my dumbass guess as to why the overflow line is low on the intercooler spray reservoir. Mitsu is taking a guess that somewhere, someone is going to leave the reservoir tank full of water in freezing temperatures. Since normal filling leaves an empty space, there is room for the water to expand as it freezes. This would help to prevent a cracked reservoir.

 

Big Deal. I refill my sprayer every few days anyway. And everytime I spray it manually at a stoplighth or whatever, I still smell the rubbing alcohol through the vents. It may not be sealed, but there isn't enough fresh air coming in and out of the bottle to allow all the alcohol to just evaporate away. Plus, rubbing alcohol is like $.70 a liter or something silly like that.

 

Alcohol attracts water, and it limits the amount of evaporation with the water mixed in.

 

Hello All,
If you read the EVO manual you will see that the intercooler sprayers are spraying windshield washing fluid from the same system that sprays the front and back windshields which is filled in the trunk. The reservoir you see in the front is accutally just an overflow. I know this because when I tried to fill the front reservoir it all went right to the ground. I took it back to mitsu and they showed me how it really works. Boy, did I feel stupid.
To test what I say just do what the dealership did to show me:
In the trunk, mark the fluid level then use the manual spray button for about 60 seconds. Now got to the trunk and check the level again. You will notice it is now lower. Then they pulled out the manual and I read it for myself. Therfore, I would have to say that windshield washer fluid will not harm the intercooler.

 

I don't know who told you this but the tank is in the front, as is the pump for the sprayers. They may be connected to prevent the front from running out (which I doubt) but the front is the resevoir and not an overflow tank. Check the service manual.