Ok, about a month ago my SRT6 was just sitting and idling for a couples of minutes and then i hear a small clank sound. Right after there was an annoyingly loud electrical/mechanical sound coming from where the alternator is located. Worried, i pulled away and drove it and there also was a major lack of power but only part time. I take it in to one shop and i get a new alternator, they annoying electrical sound goes away but the powerloss is still there. The shop i took it into doesn't know what to do. So, i drive over to omaha and take it to one of the largest/best SRT shop in the USA and they have a look at it. About a week later i walk in and surprised they tell me that they can't find anything wrong with it. Keep in mind that they employ a crossfire tech. Weird, very. They said they drove it 20mi and couldn't find anything wrong with it, nor any fault codes. I have a different place that also has a crossfire tech that i haven't tried. What do you guys think is going on?! In a nut shell, there is an intermittent lack of power. Also, there is a quite electronic/mechanical ringing sound, that sounded similar to the bad alternator, but now it is in a different spot that before. Also, looking at the engine from the front of the crossfire, the left valve cover seems very dirty/oily and i think some of the gaskets are bad. However the left valve cover seems to be normal. Keep in mind i only have 31,XXX miles on the car. Help???

 

Sounds to me like a bad Intercooler Pump. Search these forums. It's a very common fail esp. around that mileage. You can do it yourself easily and the part is like 150$.

 

Yup... it definitely sounds like it's time for a new ic pump. It's actually referred to as the charge air pump in the service manual.

 

and the oil leak on the valve covers is the little cover on top... they use an RTV type gasket and can be easily fixed at home....

 

It makes me laugh how little anyone in the service industry seems to know about these cars, especially people who have supposedly been to 'crossfire school' to be certified. I had one 'Crossfire tech' who had no idea it was 0w40 oil or that it took 8.5 qts. he said he had only worked on two of them over the last 5-6 years.

Come to the forum and 27 minutes later (and for FREE) your problem was diagnosed Thats why I love this place.

 

I bought this car because of this forum. If it wasn't for this forum, I would be in an AWD sti WRX or some other, sad... creature.

 

If the loss of power is intermittent after the car is warmed up, then it will be the intercooler. When the car gets hot it fails to cool the s/c, which then shuts down with a clunk and loss of power. It's slower than a n/a Crossie at that point. After a while it cools off and the s/c comes back online. Then the problem repeats. I took it in to my dealer under warranty and they could not duplicate it the first time, so I told them to take it out and run it to get it hot, and sure enough it happened and I have a new factory intercooler. When it goes, then I go aftermarket.

 

If it's not the IC pump, you may have a vacuum leak somewhere too. But, any good mechanic should be able to at least tell you that.

 

Guess these "Certified Techs" don't have time to read forums.

 

Thankyou all for the good opinions. I'm pretty sure it is the int. pump. My experience with the car is matching your descriptions. I should have just come here in the first place. Im taking it in to a new place on wednesday with a crossfire tech named chuck. He seems like he knows his stuff. I'll keep you all updated!

(I apologie for all those typos on my original post)

 

Do you think it is the intercooler, the intercooler pump, or both of them?
And if the actual intercooler is the problem, I will probably put in the super cooler from needswings (i was planning on doing that anyway within the next few months). Do you or anyone know the quality of craftmanship of the needswings intercooling part?
(I'm going to assume that it is made and works well, i just want to be sure)

Thanks,
Colby

 

Your problem sounds like the intercooler pump.... if the intercooler was bad it would likely be because it was leaking... I have heard of some failures for this but it was not reported to cause the intermitant power loss like the intercooler pump does....

The NW 'super cooler' is a replacement for the HEAT EXCHANGER to provide lots of cooling of the coolant going to the intercooler...... NOT a replacement for the intercooler.

 

Thank you for clearifying.

I just got back from the place that looked at my SRT6, and they told me that I need a whole new supercharger and intercooling system. They told
me that if the intercooler pump isn't working, that there should be fault codes. I dont believe them. I think it is the pump and only the pump. Opinions? Should i trust them or are they just trying to milk me for money?

Thanks,
Colby

 

They want to milk you probably and they are not looking for 2% they see you as a source for cream.

 

The intercooler pump failing will not throw a code that I am aware of....

If this is warranty work, tell them to go ahead and swap out the SC and intercooler.... FREE is a very good price...

If you're paying...tell them to stick it in their ear (or rear)... they dont have a clue and are after your money..

 

I know almost everyone has said it is the Innercooler PUMP but I just want to confirm I have NO doubt it IS the PUMP.
I personally like the Johnson pump and it couldn't be much easier to change.
Good Luck...
Mike

 

Heaving whipping cream may be what they want, but I'm not gunna give it to em. Today I asked them just for kicks and giggles how much it would be for the intercooler pump everyone is talking about here and they told me "$436 for the part and around $200 for the labor." Ha, yeah right, the good ol' Bosch pump is $130 on needswings.com.

This has gone on long enough, i'm just gunna buy it and install it myself.

 

Don't ask what they want for the supercharger assembly or you will need a new mortgage on your house

 

If it turns out to only be the intercooler pump you should let everyone know what shop this is so no one else goes and gets hosed.

 

take your pick. thats the standard rate and parts price from mercedes or chrysler