Intercooler

Intercoolers can vary dramatically in size, shape and design, depending on the performance and space requirements of the system.

Air-to-liquid intercoolers are usually heavier than their air-to-air counterparts, due to additional components making up the system (e.g. water circulation pump, radiator, fluid, and plumbing).

The majority of marine engines use air-to-liquid intercoolers, since the water of the lake, river or sea can easily be accessed for cooling purposes.

In addition, most marine engines are located in closed compartments where obtaining a good flow of cooling air for an air-to-air unit would be difficult.

An alternative to using intercoolers - which is rarely used these days - was to inject excess fuel into the combustion chamber, so that the vaporization process would cool the cylinders in order to prevent knocking.