I have a 4agze aw11 with the stock intercooler and a big pulley (12 pound).

I have a few questions about it. First ive been told that its no good to run a stock intercooler with the big pulley as it just cant cope. Has anyone had success with a cheaper intercooler? Whats my best option to get without breaking the bank? Im really not looking to build huge numbers, just want to build the mr2 i bought to be reasonably reliable so i want to keep intake temps down though i certainly wont complain about a few extra hp.

Also my stock intercooler and hosing is quite gummed up with what appears to be oil from the pcv over many years of operation. Whats the easiest way to clean an intercooler of oil? And do many 4agze owners use a catch can? It seems logical because its forced induction and all.

Thanks in advance.

You could upgrade the stock Air to Air (A2A) into cooler to a bigger/better A2A unit like the $150 300x280x76 unit from JustJap which is effectively double the size of the stock A2A intercooler. If you want to spend a little more, you can move onto a Water to Air (W2A) intercooler system, where you can use a ST185 or ST205 GT4 Celica factory W2A setup with some modifications. The Celica units generally float around the internet for $200-400. Finally you could look at a custom W2A setup by buying parts from www.frozenboost.com or similar websites.
 

I can get a cheap w2a intercooler through a friend of a friend, my worry was difficulty of installation. I have the skills im just very busy so i feel i have to spend my time wisely. Are they easy to install and not invole cutting anything like the boot wall or too much complicated plumbing thatll take more than 2 hours or so. Are they significantly better than the a2a? I did some reaserch on the difference a while ago and it SEEMED to be a matter of personal prefrence.

EDIT: I checked that just jap intercooler and thats the one i was looking at before. Sold under the name cooling pros but.

I guess ill go look at guides for installing w2a intercoolers and see if its worth putting the effort in.

You also have the option of installing a larger more efficient bolt in A2A aftermarket unit made by ARC in Japan.
I think they normally sell for about $350-600 though.
 
Guy on the forum selling one atm http://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=106335 he is asking $1000 though :)

I've seen RX7 A2A's with slight modifications made to work well, very similar to an ARC style one.
 
W2A is definitely the way to go, but acknowledge it's not a straight forward swap.

The JustJap unit you could install yourself in under an hour, but I think you will be hard pressed to find any W2A unit that can be done in less then a day. You have to mount the Heat Exchanger (preferably up the front), run coolant lines, mount the pump, mount the W2A core, then wire it up. Fair bit of work, but I don't hear anyone complain about W2A not being any good.
 
The ARC unit is ridiculously over priced for what it is, might as well go W2A for that kind of cash.

So now i gotta decide if wiring up the w2a is gunna be worth it ha. Thats what its gunna come down to. If i can be bothered. Thanks guys for the run down on the options.

That JustJap unit would need to have some mounts made and welded on for it right? 

Made yes, welded no. Id just bolt em down. I have the battery in the frunk so i have plenty of room to bolt brackets to stuff. Youd have to make brackets for it though.