GM 12598644 Cooler Assembly, Charging Air

To remove the intercooler, first disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal. Lift each side of the engine cover off the ball studs and remove it from the vehicle. Disconnect the PCV tubes from the valve covers and oil tank, moving them out of the way. Raise the vehicle and support it securely on jackstands, then place a drain pan under the intercooler and loosen the radiator drain plug. Locate the quick-connect fittings for the intercooler hoses, using a bent-tip screwdriver or pick to pull on the retaining rings and separate the hoses from the fittings. Disconnect the electrical connectors from the supercharger air inlet and outlet pressure sensors, the Intake Air Temperature sensor, and the barometric pressure sensor. Remove the intercooler cover bolts in reverse order of tightening, noting that access to the rear bolts may require lowering the front subframe. Remove the cover and gasket, then take off the intercooler insulator from the supercharger, covering the opening to prevent dirt from entering. Do not reuse the intercooler cover gaskets. Remove the intercooler outlet fasteners and slide the outlet out from the cover and cooler. Turn the intercooler cover upside down, remove the mounting bolts, and take the cooler off the cover, replacing the outlet-to-cooler O-rings with new ones. For installation, ensure the mating surfaces of the intercooler cover and supercharger are clean, then install the intercooler with new O-rings and tighten the bolts to the specified torque. Attach the intercooler outlet to the intercooler fittings, ensuring the O-rings are not damaged, and tighten the outlet-to-cover bolts. Remove any covering from the supercharger opening and install the gasket, followed by a new intercooler cover gasket. Install the intercooler cover and bolts, tightening them in sequence to the specified torque, and then install and tighten the intercooler radiator drain plug. Refill and bleed the intercooler system, and complete the installation by cleaning any spilled coolant, starting the engine to check for proper operation and coolant leaks, and reinstalling the engine covers.

The intercooler system must be completely free of air, or the system will not perform properly and the intercooler may become noisy. Begin by lifting the engine cover up, one side at a time, until it is free of the ball studs, then slide it forward and off the engine. Loosen the bleed screws at the top front corners of the supercharger manifold. Rotate the intercooler fill port fitting to the upright position, raising the hose slightly higher than the other intercooler components. Remove the cap and add a 50/50 coolant and water mixture to the fitting until coolant flows out of the bleeders, then tighten the bleeder screws. It is advisable to have plenty of rags or newspapers handy for mopping up coolant that comes out from the bleeder screws, and wearing rubber gloves while working with coolant is a good idea. After installing the cap, start the engine and let it run for one minute. Turn the engine off and allow the coolant in the fitting to stabilize for one minute, then remove the cap from the fitting. Add more 50/50 coolant mixture until the coolant level is near the top of the fitting, repeating the previous steps as necessary. Remove the cap and check for bubbles, waiting fifteen minutes and refilling as necessary before installing the cap. Continue this procedure until the coolant level within the fitting does not drop, and no more bubbles are present.