EDIT:
Well, I got dirty and took off the bumper...
The water pump was installed on the top bracket instead of the bottom one on the existing pump in the driver's wheelwell...
Because of this, the inlet was pointed to the ground, and was below the outlet...

I remounted it to the lower mounting point, and while I was at it-- I replaced the old three hoses with some higher quality (Red) heater hose... This eliminated all of the kinks that were previously present...

I also replaced the old fluid with a new mix of water wetter and distilled water...
Now it's flowing/bubbling a little!

Buttoning it all up as we speak...

Hopefully, I'll see A/F's closer to 12.5 rather than the 11.08-11.2's I've been getting, due to the cooler charge...

Will report back later, once I take it for a spin...

Original post:

After experiencing numerous performance issues with my Comptech S/C, I checked the aftercooler... It was really HOT to the touch... I checked it after a 5 mile drive quickly before it had a chance to heat up from the underhood temps...

I removed the fill cap to see if the water was moving... and it was almost EMPTY! Through searching, it seems that because it is a closed system, it shouldn't need to be topped off, so I got freaked out...

The S/C was installed 4 months ago, and it was full then...

I topped off the aftercooler with distilled water, and then took it for a spin...

Came back, still REALLY HOT to the touch...

The water doesn't seem to be moving at all with the ignition on...

The water pump is humming however behind the front bumper...

Any suggestions on what I should do?

I am running the 7lb pulley (along with a front mount Spearco), and have been avoiding the higher RPM's, as I'm scared that I'm damaging my engine with the hot aftercooler temps... Am I?

The hoses running from the aftercooler are both binding up a little... not preventing flow, but possibly limiting it...

I'm thinking this could explain my 10.0-11.2 A/F readings under boost as the air is not very dense, causing it to run rich??

I was getting 12.3-12.5 before, when it was running well...

Please help me out if you have any ideas...

I bought a couple gallons of distilled water and a bottle of water wetter, and was going to attempt to drain the system and refill it... Will this possibly fix it? I'm a little confused on how the whole aftercooler system works... (Drain/Fill procedure??)

Sorry for the long post, but I'm in a bind here!!

Thanks in advance,
Matt

P.S. I also just got a CEL, P0141... I'm thinking I might have blown the 02 sensor with higher EGT's, caused by the HOTTER combustion??

 

I had the same problems as you, but found that I had a slight leak in one of the hoses. After I tightened up all the hose connections and topped it up, it solved all the problems.

If you completely ran out of coolant, you may have overheated your waterpump.

I doubt you did any engine damage as the comptech kit is designed to work just fine without an aftercooler.

Edit:
When did your CEL come on? I dont think the overheating AC would cause a CEL.

 

I think I'm gonna replace the hoses, and refill the water/water wetter mix...

If the pump is humming, could it be blown? I thought I read that it could run even though it didn't have any water flowing through it...

Something like a fishtank pump?

Anyways, should I be able to just unplug the hoses, let all the fluid fall out, replace the hoses and then refill?

 

Your water pumps should be working if it's humming, however, if it has an airlock, it won't be pumping any water. You need to find out where all the water went.

 

Your coolant has to be leaking somewhere, so I would start by trying to locate it first. It's easier to fix a hose thats not clamped down tightly rather than replacing the hoses and coolant.

I would check for leaks first, check your garage floor for coolant, if there's none on the floor then follow the hoses and check for possible leaks. While you're doing this, you may as well check to make sure there are no kinks in the hoses.

 

I had a crack in my holding tank in the bumper behind the fake airduct.

 

yet another reason to check for leaks

 

This may be a dumb question, but do I have to remove my OEM lip to get the front bumper off?

I'm gonna do this tonight, and just want to know what I'm getting into...

Top 6 screws
One screw on each side in the wheelwell
One bolt on each side near headlights
Multiple bolts underneath connecting to protective undercarriage plastic...

Right?

Maybe 30 mins to get off, 30 minutes back on?

The reason I say replace the hoses btw, is during the install, I had to run to autozone to get the shop some new hose... The hoses from the previous owners install were not long enough...

The hose that I bought seems softer than the rest of the fluid hoses... They kink easier...

I just figured since I was going to replace the fluid, it would be easier to just go ahead and replace the 2 hoses with better hose...


Another question... How do you get rid of an airlock?

Thanks, again!

 

Your '02 lip doesn't use double sided sticky tape (I don't think), so when you remove the bolt from underneath to get the bumper off, this releases the lip as well. Then there's only the screws in the wheel well to undo. You may as well take the thing off and not risk damaging it.

As for the airlock, you have to make sure that the outlet of the water pump is the highest part. Then you may have to thump all the lines to "persuade" the air to travel up and out the aftercooler fill hole. Only then can you power up the water pump.

 

Can you clarify "the highest part"?

Thanks again,
Matt