CT4 BW equipped with intercooler bleed instructions in manual

[Beamz27]

I was reading the manual and never knew these cars came with it’s own air purging system to get rid of the air that’s gets into the cooling system. Is this new?

 

[shbox]

Interesting. The 3.0L and 6.2L don't have that.

 

[Beamz27]

Interesting. The 3.0L and 6.2L don't have that.

Did the ATS V have that? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Most people just buy aftermarket kits for this

 

[shbox]

Did the ATS V have that? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Most people just buy aftermarket kits for this

Looking at a 2019 ATS manual, it may have had it, but the manual does not give the procedure. IDK if this was something separate from the main cooling system.

Cooling System (Intercooler) Intercooler ATS-V Only

The 3.6L V6 twin turbo engine (LF4) has an intercooler cooling system. The intercooler cooling system has a special procedure for draining and adding coolant. Because this procedure is difficult, see the dealer for service if the intercooler is low on coolant or a leak is suspected.

 

[Beamz27]

Well it looks like now it’s something we can do ourselves. I’m gonna fart around with it this weekend as it seems pretty simple.

 

[Beamz27]

I’m kinda surprised that more people aren’t replying to this as everyone was spending money on the aftermarket kits on the ATS V.

 

[Beamz27]

Anyone else try this?

 

[RosscoB]

I was reading the manual and never knew these cars came with it’s own air purging system to get rid of the air that’s gets into the cooling system. Is this new?

This section of the manual is for the cooling system. It doesn't look like it addresses the intercoolers.

 

[1BadTundra]

I was reading the manual and never knew these cars came with it’s own air purging system to get rid of the air that’s gets into the cooling system. Is this new?

Where is this in the manual?

 

[RosscoB]

Page 341 in my 2022 BW Manual.

 

[V56]

That is not for the Intercooler, its for the Engine Coolant System.

 

[seattlecubes]

If I understand correctly - these cars don’t have quite the challenges the ATS-V has because the charge air cooling circuit is different…

 

[WONT TAP]

If I understand correctly - these cars don’t have quite the challenges the ATS-V has because the charge air cooling circuit is different…

This is correct. Here's a writeup we did on the CT4-V Blackwing FAQ page of our website:

Yes, the CT4-V Blackwing has a much improved intercooler system, even though overall system capacity has been reduced from 3.3 to 2.9 quarts. In summary, this system was designed for the CT5-V Blackwing and got dropped into the CT4-V Blackwing with way less power. Even with 27 pounds of boost and nearly 750 whp, our flagship CT4-V Blackwing’s factory intercooler has no problem keeping up.

The heat exchangers are new, with cores almost twice as large as the ones on the ATS-V, and more efficient too, no longer having the hibachi grill on the side coolers that restricted flow. These are now manufactured in house by a GM subsidiary in the U.S.A. The air flow to the coolers themselves is so much more efficient, in that every radius in the grille mesh, surfaces has been dialed in to ensure air is hitting as much of the area of the heat exchangers as possible, including tilting the transmission cooler to expose the bottom 2” of the main radiator to fresh airflow.

The intercooler pump design changed due to the new electrical architecture that provides much more control via the ECM, and again, it’s a pump designed or the big V8s and used on the small car. There is a Y in the pipes on top of the engine is actually called a mini reservoir and it has a screw on top to make bleeding that circuit way simpler. There is also a ‘tower’, which serves as a small reservoir to catch any air in the system and trap it which results in overall better efficiency of the system. Overall GM designed the pipes to be less distance, less fluid (mass) but also flow more efficiently and allow significantly better air bleeding/less trapping.

Speaking of cooling overall, the radiator shroud for the fan is unique to Blackwings, with two added doors/flaps that open to make it more efficient, and they also tuned the stiffening ribs of it to not restrict airflow but stay stiff enough to meet modals required. The main radiator is all different and is not sectioned like the ATS-V was. The new CT4-V Blackwing engine cooling system includes the main radiator and the left hand side auxiliary radiator for the charged air system. The new CT4-V Blackwing charged air intercooler system includes the main/center/front low temperature radiator and the right hand side auxiliary radiator. Then there is the core that lays horizontal, which is used for transmission and differential cooling.

Special thanks to @Mirza Grebovic and his team for the excellent design work, and for helping our team to understand all the cooling system improvements.