Intercooler — General Information (Mercedes-Benz C-Class W203)

An intercooler is essentially a heat exchanger designed to reduce the temperature of the air passing through it.

The air, compressed in the turbocharger, heats up. At the same time, the partial pressure of oxygen drops. To prevent this, an intercooler is used, after which the cooled air enters the intake manifold.

Compressed air does not enter the inlet pipe (as in conventional diesel engines), and into the intercooler. The intercooler is located in the front part of the engine compartment and is blown naturally when the car is moving. Air from the compressor enters the lower part of the cooler and cools as it moves up. The intercooler looks the same as the radiator of the cooling system. From the intercooler, air is supplied to the intake manifold.

(Article borrowed from the web portal mercedesman.ru)