Just filled out the form online think I will need all 3 screens you make can you LOL
DIY Intercooler Bug Screen
Howdy everyone. Wanted to talk to you about a fault with the Ascent, no screen put on top of the intercooler. I noticed the fins are quite delicate and after a trip i found lots of insects and bees embedded in the fins. Of course when you blow them out or brush them off the fins bend, Argh!! Now I must spend hours trying to straighten them. For any of you that don't know the intercooler cools the air through a radiator that is right on top of the motor when you open the hood. Air passes through the radiator and pre- cools it before it hits the cold side of the turbocharger thus producing more power thanks to cooler air. Pop your hood and take a look at yours and see if it is filled with bugs.
I have installed mine and taken a trip and Wow! The bugs are suspended above the fins and with a quick blow from low pressure air they come right off. The best thing is they are not impacting the intercooler, damaging the fins and plugging it up.
So here is what I did. I ordered a small roll of stainless steel woven wire mesh screen from Amazon It is 5 mesh, 12x24 size. If you like a smaller screen you can order the ten mesh. I felt the 5 mesh was plenty small enough and rigid enough to stay put once I finished the screen. Roll out the screen and bend it backwards and flatten it out as it comes in a roll. I measured the intercooler. Cut the screen to 20 inches long by 6.25 inches wide. Folks this may make it slightly larger then you need and you may need to trim it a little bit at a time. The next item you need which you can also order from Amazon in "Door edge protector molding" This is a plastic edge that is rounded on one end and split open on the other to fit on door edges to protect them. Get whatever color you like, I had some old chrome edge so I used that, plus it matches the cooler and the screen. Make sure when you cut the screen you cut right next to the nearest horizontal wire, in other words cut right next to the long horizontal wire so you have very few cut ends to deal with when you are putting the door edge gaurd around the outside of the screen. If you don't cut them down close they will poke your fingers and hang up badly on the door edge gaurd you must put all the way around your new screen.
Once it is cut I would then get my door edge molding very warm and pliable. Cut the edge gaurd to around 6 inches and install one end. This process is tedious and you must bend the door edge gaurd to almost 60 to 70 degrees to the wire screen to open up the split end and work it over the wire screen. A little at a time and watch for any picky little wires that may "stab" the edge gaurd and hang it up. Now cut the twenty inch edge gaurd and roll it into place.
Once you have a side of width and length done, test fit it on top of the intercooler. You may have to trim a little from either side for a good fit once you put the edge gaurd on all sides of the screen. As for cutting the screen, I used a pair of tin snips, they worked great. Some say scissors, maybe, I think it will ruin them. This is stainless steel and it is hard. If you do need to cut it again cut next to a long horizontal wire. If there are any vertical wires sticking out that are sharp the easiest way I found to get rid of them was a bench grinder. Gently put the screen against the stone while the screen is supported by the gaurd, the wires will get red and come right off. You also may need to buff both sides with the grinder to get rid of any sharp edges, folks this stuff is sharp, be careful!!
Anyhow once I got the edge gaurd in place I cut the ends of the edge gaurd to fit neatly, bent and totally flattened out the screen, put a side in first, then the top, flexed the screen enough to get it to snap in all the way around, they fit nicely once there in place. When you need to remove it I would use a small l shaped pick or screwdriver and pry up an end at a time and roll it out. Clean it and roll it back in. Its pretty easy once you have done it a time or two.
I will include some pictures for you guys to help you with it. Good luck. This thing works great for me!
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I have installed mine and taken a trip and Wow! The bugs are suspended above the fins and with a quick blow from low pressure air they come right off. The best thing is they are not impacting the intercooler, damaging the fins and plugging it up.
So here is what I did. I ordered a small roll of stainless steel woven wire mesh screen from Amazon It is 5 mesh, 12x24 size. If you like a smaller screen you can order the ten mesh. I felt the 5 mesh was plenty small enough and rigid enough to stay put once I finished the screen. Roll out the screen and bend it backwards and flatten it out as it comes in a roll. I measured the intercooler. Cut the screen to 20 inches long by 6.25 inches wide. Folks this may make it slightly larger then you need and you may need to trim it a little bit at a time. The next item you need which you can also order from Amazon in "Door edge protector molding" This is a plastic edge that is rounded on one end and split open on the other to fit on door edges to protect them. Get whatever color you like, I had some old chrome edge so I used that, plus it matches the cooler and the screen. Make sure when you cut the screen you cut right next to the nearest horizontal wire, in other words cut right next to the long horizontal wire so you have very few cut ends to deal with when you are putting the door edge gaurd around the outside of the screen. If you don't cut them down close they will poke your fingers and hang up badly on the door edge gaurd you must put all the way around your new screen.
Once it is cut I would then get my door edge molding very warm and pliable. Cut the edge gaurd to around 6 inches and install one end. This process is tedious and you must bend the door edge gaurd to almost 60 to 70 degrees to the wire screen to open up the split end and work it over the wire screen. A little at a time and watch for any picky little wires that may "stab" the edge gaurd and hang it up. Now cut the twenty inch edge gaurd and roll it into place.
Once you have a side of width and length done, test fit it on top of the intercooler. You may have to trim a little from either side for a good fit once you put the edge gaurd on all sides of the screen. As for cutting the screen, I used a pair of tin snips, they worked great. Some say scissors, maybe, I think it will ruin them. This is stainless steel and it is hard. If you do need to cut it again cut next to a long horizontal wire. If there are any vertical wires sticking out that are sharp the easiest way I found to get rid of them was a bench grinder. Gently put the screen against the stone while the screen is supported by the gaurd, the wires will get red and come right off. You also may need to buff both sides with the grinder to get rid of any sharp edges, folks this stuff is sharp, be careful!!
Anyhow once I got the edge gaurd in place I cut the ends of the edge gaurd to fit neatly, bent and totally flattened out the screen, put a side in first, then the top, flexed the screen enough to get it to snap in all the way around, they fit nicely once there in place. When you need to remove it I would use a small l shaped pick or screwdriver and pry up an end at a time and roll it out. Clean it and roll it back in. Its pretty easy once you have done it a time or two.
I will include some pictures for you guys to help you with it. Good luck. This thing works great for me!
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Where is the video on installing these
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