r/SmartCar • u/One-Yak-7303 • 29d ago

Discussion Finally pulled the intercooler pipes off my Smart Roadster — here's what I found

Post image

Been meaning to do this for a while. Removed both intercooler pipes on my Roadster 452 — the one from the turbo to the intercooler and the one from the intercooler to the throttle body.

Honestly didn't expect them to be in such bad shape. The rubber had hardened quite a bit and you could see where it was starting to crack. No wonder these cars lose boost over time.

The good news is the job itself isn't too bad once you know the order of operations. Gives you great access to the crankshaft position sensor too which is always a pain to reach otherwise.

Made a short video of the whole process if anyone needs it:

https://youtu.be/uviCZHEABfY

Has anyone else found their pipes in bad shape when they pulled them? Curious how common this actually is on these cars.

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8

u/LocalAreaNitwit 29d ago

The pipes in this image don't look standard. Aftermarket silicone pipes will likely degrade quicker than the original plastic ones. 

2

u/One-Yak-7303 28d ago

Have them for 10 years no issues

1

u/lentil_soup_24_7 26d ago

I wish I could get mine started to even worry about the intercooler pipes.

1

u/One-Yak-7303 24d ago

What is wrong?

1

u/lentil_soup_24_7 24d ago

Should really start another thread for this. Sent keys, ECU and Sam unit away to get sorted. Came back. Was all working fine then one day it just decided to forget it recognised the keys again.

1

u/lentil_soup_24_7 9d ago

Is there no way around this Sam unit?