I hit a coyote at about 60 a few nights ago and immediately lost all boost
And threw the P0101 code. I checked the intercooler and the condensation bar is hanging
Off on the passenger side in addition to the bumper being cracked. I searched a lot of
Threads on this and everyone seems to recommend going with a new zzp intercooler, but I
Still have a few questions. I'm waiting on the insurance to come and estimate the damage before I go buy any parts for it, but I really need my car as its my daily driver. Would it be safe to try and rip that bar all the way off and plug the holes as it was suggested in other threads? Also, as far as a DIY job, how tough is it to replace the intercooler? I've already had the bumper and headlights off so that won't be a problem, but I'm worried about getting the charge pipes off and on as well as the sensors/electrical stuff. Ive done minor work on my car like oil, plugs, starter, etc but never anything major. '09 SS

 

It's not a hard replacement. If you've had the bumper off then it's easy. If you are just patching to be able to drive in the meantime then I don't see anything wrong with filling those holes.

 

It's fine with it completely off. It doesn't do anything besides hold condensation. I've had mine off on my old white coupe since I got it and never got any codes or had any issues.

The intercooler takes a couple of hours. Move away the fender wells, some clips undeerneatch the car, on top of the grill the pin things that hold them in. And it's off. then the the two t bolt clamps holding on the intercooler pipes and the two brackets holding the IC on.


Note that you might wanna get 2 t bolt clamps or 2 hose clamps cause they might seize.

 

Welp, ins company only gave me $1400 for it after deductible, so definitely looks like it will be a DIY. Got all the way under it finally and the stupid bar actually broke off on the drivers side, even though the impact of the animal was on the passenger side. cant tell if the end tank is broke or not. Going to try to patch it for now and order the ZZP. What kind of JB weld do i need? Do I just unscrew the bar on the driver side from the intercooler and fill that hole?

 

JB weld won't do ****.

 

Not even as a temporary fix while i wait for the new one to ship?

 

Worked for me for about a week till my new one came in. Hit a beaver and cracked it pretty good. Didn't run great but it ran

 

I got the condensation bar off... What holes do I patch?

 

spray with brake cleaner, wipe clean, smother it in JB weld

 

And stay out of boost (anything above 5psi is a no no)until you get the new intercooler.

 

Welded it up and took it for a spin, seemed to solve the issue. Got
In the driveway and cleared the coded and it died and won't start. What now?

 

Did you wait for the JB weld to dry?

 

Almost 2 hours to dry, yes. It only died when I cleared the code. Going to take everything
Apart today and look for more leaks/cracks. Where is the MAF located on this car?

 

Thought JB weld took like 24hrs to fully cure but that might just be me.

 

The MAF is just after the air filter box.

 

Yea.

IDK. Hopefully the engine didnt ingest some JB that was still wet.....



The car will run with no MAF

 

It was hard as concrete when I started it up. Anyways, took off the MAF sensor and it starts
Right up. Would that mean there's still a big crack/leak in the system?

 

JB weld? Lol

 

I think i see your problem

 

If you want to drive to tulsa early saturday i have an extra stock intercooler with less than 1k miles on it.

I'll be at the airport around noon.

 

when took it for a spin and you said it seemed to be fine, did you mean its not fine at all, nothings actually fine here???

That should not build any boost lol. did you find all the missing plastic? there might be some in the engine

 

After I removed the bar and patched the holes, it seemed to stop the sputtering/bogging
and the RPMS weren't dropping like crazy on acceleration. I stayed far far away from
Boost. Once i got everything off I saw the crack and barely touched it and that giant chunk
Of plastic came off. Don't think any got in the engine. After I disconnected the MAF it ran
And drove but I'm just waiting on the zzp intercooler to get here. Having a hell
Of a time finding a replacement bumper. Are the eBay bumpers worth the money?

 

No. Our cars front ends already fit like **** and aftermarket doesn't help at all.

 

Yeah, it was a huge pita getting that plastic piece of junk off the car lol. Guess I'll
Have to order one from gm parts direct. The damn shipping is almost as much as the bumper.

 

Just go to a body shop. They'll probably be cheaper and you'll need to paint it anyway.