GEN 2 eBay - Mishimoto Intercooler Knock Off

[Diverdown3]

Yes, I bought a cheap-ass Intercooler off eBay. If you come this thread to bash me for it, lay off. I'm writing this up for the benefit of others. I've seen the write-ups of others who've done the same and they experienced success, at this point, I have not enjoyed the same experience. I'll describe the current situation and share updates until the process reaches a conclusion.

Again, this is for the benefit of others. Please keep the "I told you so" posts to yourself. Those will help no one.

Other than the fact that I chose black, this is the way the item was represented on eBay. My seller was/is "csk_performance." The listing title was "Performance Intercooler Fits Ford F150 F-150 2.7L/3.5L EcoBoost 2015-2019." I paid roughly $320 w/shipping. It arrived quickly enough.

COmparing the design and specifications, I believed this was a Mishimoto knockoff.







Upon receipt, I found a casting flaw leading to a machined surface flaw. In addition, the blow-off valve connection was very loose. The the exterior mating surface of the connector port was insufficiently deep to allow for a tight seal in addition to the O-ring seal. See the pictures below where I rock the valve towards the camera and away from the camera.





Continuing in next post....

 

[Diverdown3]

Here is my blow-off valve.





Here is the casting flaw.




I was going to pressure test it, but after calculating the cost of buying a tub large enough for the job along with devising a way to seal all ports and add a Shrader valve and pressure gauge, a lot of time and effort was required. I decided to install and just validate with the turbo pressure gauge and comparing AF ratios before/after, where too rich equals a leak. Once I was unable to achieve a seal at the BOV, I abandoned the install today and replaced the original.

At this point I've started a return. The seller has accepted. Knowing that others have succeeded eBay knockoffs, I will try another before I abandon this effort and go with a branded retail intercooler.

BTW, this one started life as an actual Mishimoto IC. My guess is it did not pass inspection due to the casting and machined surface flaw.

 

[Diverdown3]

Let's see how this one works out. eBay. $320. Dimensions seem to match Mishimoto, so no relocation of anything, just trim the shutter box.

 

[Diverdown3]

Well, Intercooler number 2, pictured above, turned out flawed as well in addition to coming with no hardware. 2 flaws.

The first was the condensation port on the bottom. I was able to identify the threads as 12mm x 1.75. Even with that, I had to add more teflon tape than normally required and it was still a loose fit until the last few threads before the bolt head met the exterior surface.





The second flaw was again on the blow off valve port, just like intercooler #1. In this case the notches in the valve could not reach the engagement points in the intercooler port. This was due to the inside diameter of the port being too small at the top to allow the blow off valve to drop in sufficiently to engage.





Conclusion: I'm done with knock-off intercoolers.

 

[Diverdown3]

Reserved #5

 

[Diverdown3]

Reserved #6

 

[Booth9999]

Honestly about what I would expect. Nice to see you be the guinea pig on this, interested to see the results

 

[HighwaySentinel]

A lot of people across many platforms have had success with going this route. Hopefully the next one works for you. If not, it's nice to see they are taking returns.

 

[Aleriionn]

What’s interesting is they’re likely selling the rejects from mishimoto, but do not disclose the overt flaws and failure points.

 

[Diverdown3]

What’s interesting is they’re likely selling the rejects from mishimoto, but do not disclose the overt flaws and failure points.

Agreed, because mine had two flaws. The first was the condensation drain port on the bottom. The threads were somewhat present, but unfinished. I addressed this easily enough with a 12mm x 1.25 tap (IIRC). The second was the inability to seal at the blowoff valve port. That I could not overcome without significant effort. The good part of this story is I lost $0 dollars. The seller communicated well and gave me a full refund moments ago. I shipped it back to them at their cost two days ago. That was fast.

Now to try another, probably from another supplier.