The Mitsubishi Evolution has been a steady performer for the Japanese automaker for roughly a decade now, and with this base of time comes the many 4G63 aftermarket parts that were sure to follow. Turbocharged engines such as the 4G63 found in the Mitsubishi Evolution have their usual choices of aftermarket mods intended to increase the volume of air being moved, therefore increasing horsepower beyond their normal displacement boundaries.
One of the more common modifications is of course the aftermarket air-to-air intercooler kit, which is what we’ll be installing today and giving you step by step directions on how to complete this job. The purpose of this intercooler kit is to lower the temperature of the air charge from the turbocharger, therefore increasing air density and increasing engine reliability and overall horsepower.
This is what we’ll be tackling today in our How To Install an Intercooler Kit on a Evolution article.
The part number for this DNA Intercooler kit is BOITCL-PP-EVO8-SL, and is a very easy part to install for the average shadetree mechanic.
Our car is a 2005 Mitsubishi Evolution which is mostly stock, and one we’ve featured before in various writeups from fuel how-to to engine modifications.
As with all of our how-tos and writeups, take your vehicle to an experienced mechanic if you do not feel comfortable around your vehicle. This job is not difficult but can be time consuming and potentially difficult if you choose to cut corners or rush through removal of your lower body components.
Remove your negative battery terminal to begin our How To Install an Intercooler Kit on a Evolution guide, if you own a stock radio now is the time to locate your radio unlock code before you disconnect your battery.
Take out the plastic screw rivets that hold your front air scoop in place to your front bumper, have a bag ready for all the rivets that are sure to follow.
Jack up the front of the vehicle with the parking brake engaged, make sure to have chocks blocking the rear wheels from moving. Make sure you are working on a flat surface and with safety in mind first and foremost.
Open the top of your airbox and remove the stock air filter, then proceed to remove the 10mm bolts that hold your air intake box to the chassis of the car.
Pull up on the entire assembly and disconnect your Mass Air Flow Meter (MAF) plug, now you are ready to disconnect the intake snorkel.
Undo your turbocharger inlet pipe by disconnecting the banjo clamp on the front of the turbo inlet, and the clamp that secures the blow off valve (BOV) return pipe in place. After loosening the 2 clamps slide your BOV return pipe out and your intake snorkel out of place by pulling towards the driver side of the vehicle.
Now with your intake assembly out of the way, move onto your front bumper by locating all the push tabs that secure the top of your front bumper in place.
Remove these plugs gently and carefully with a panel popper or a spatula if you do not have one. Try not to damage these plastic clips as they can be prone to cracking over time.
Remove the rest of the plastic push rivets and then get into your vehicle and turn the steering wheel all the way to one direction. This will give you more operating room and easier access to the lower splash guard and wheel well covers.
Remove these pop rivets and all the front pop rivets under the front of the bumper, this will take some time and try not to rush things as you may damage some of the plastic clips. There are two elusive bolts that hold the front grille to the front bumper, try not to forget those.
With all the pop rivets removed you should now be able to gently pry the front bumper fascia up and forward, which should leave you with this. You’ve got the most time consuming part of How To Install an Intercooler Kit on a Evolution done, now move onto the charge pipes.
You can begin to remove the stock intercooler piping beginning with the throttle body side first, then working your way backwards towards the turbo.
After loosening these two clamps you can now slide these pipes and couplers off the throttle body inlet and set them to the side.
Remove the hard piece of pipe and then slide this coupler off the throttle body, if you wish to check your throttle body for any oil or inspect your piping for any excessive oil blow-by, now is the time.
Undo the 12mm bolt in red that holds the intercooler pipe in place, then undo the blue circled clamp to loosen the rubber coupler. If you have your vehicle on a lift, the clamp on this rubber boot does not need to be loosened, if you are operating on the ground with floor jacks and jackstands removing this clamp will let you pull the intercooler pipe out easier.
Pull the midpipe out after loosening the blue circled clamp along with the blow-off-valve (BOV) and the recirculation pipe that’s connected to it.
Proceed to remove the 12mm bolts that secure the intercooler and the additional piping shown above, which can be found on the passenger side of the vehicle next to your oil cooler.
Next undo the clamps that hold the backside of the intercooler to your turbo outlet, this is located directly under the car, this entire pipe should be able to slide right out to the passenger side once you have this removed.
Now remove the 12mm bolts that hold the front mount intercooler in place, these are found on top as well as both side of the vehicle, we have highlighted the topmost one in the picture above.
Now you can remove the intercooler, which should leave you with a tidy pile that looks something like this.
Depending on which kit you have chosen to install, the next few steps may vary a bit from one kit to another, but almost all of them will follow the same piping. If you have a kit that seems difficult to figure out, we recommend taking the stock piping and compare to help you figure things out.
With your stock lower pipe removed, take your new intercooler kit and line it up to compare the two side by side. While this kit is made for the stock turbo (notice the neckdown) it’s not hard to see the improvements in direct to path airflow.
Install your upper intercooler pipe by connecting the 90 degree elbow provided in your kit and the replacement pipe, this kit does not require a battery relocation or reduction in battery size to fit.
Do not tighten but snugly fit the intercooler piping in place as you may need to adjust it as you go along, leave the final stage of tightening clamps for last when you are sure that all the pipes fit nicely.
Install your midpipe with your replacement blow-off-valve flange if you are intent on retaining the stock BOV style and recirculation. Keep in mind however if you decide on a vent-to-atmosphere type of blow off valve you may suffer from overly rich conditions between shifts.
For more reading on what venting to atmosphere does on a mass air flow equipped turbocharged vehicle, check out our How To Tune series.
Now you are ready to mount your new intercooler and the lower pipe, finalizing your installation. Make sure to start with the intercooler first with the supplied brackets and hardware to ensure a snug safe fitment. You are close to finishing up our How To Install an Intercooler Kit on a Evolution article, and your Evolution should be coming together nicely.
Tighten down all the 12mm nuts and bolts that hold your intercooler in place BEFORE tightening your clamps and pipes, and make sure to double check each connection before putting your front bumper back in place.
You have now completed our How To Install an Intercooler Kit on a Evolution, and the install of your aftermarket intercooler kit on your Mitsubishi Evolution 8!
Congratulations!
Have any questions or comments? Leave them below and let us know.
