If you’ve been around the Kawasaki Ultra 250, 260, 300, or 310 platform for long, you’ve probably heard a horror story or two about intercoolers letting go — sometimes catastrophically. Saltwater corrosion, internal rot, or poor aftermarket cores can send water straight into your motor faster than you can say “limp mode.”
That’s exactly why Steve at Kawi Performance took a closer look in his latest YouTube video. In it, he breaks down the failure points of the stock and replacement intercooler cores and shows viewers what’s really going on inside these mysterious aluminum boxes that most owners never see opened up.
“Anytime you get water in your motor, it’s screwed,” Steve reminds viewers early on. The solution? Stay ahead of the problem — pressure test the intercooler regularly, especially if you ride in salt water.
In the video, Steve examines a popular replacement core that looks good at first glance but hides a crucial design flaw. A small gap in the internal dam allows water to shortcut its intended path, keeping it from properly cascading (“waterfalling”) through the cooling fins, which leads to hot air intake temps, alarms, and limp mode headaches.
The fix, as Steve demonstrates, is simple but vital — running a bead of silicone across the dam area to fully seal the gap and restore correct water flow.
So if your Ultra is showing an intake temperature alarm or struggling to stay out of limp mode, take five minutes and watch Steve’s walkthrough before you start throwing parts at it. His clear explanation and hands-on demo might just save your motor.
https://youtu.be/7kLuMiK32qo?si=kBkXa0c4SmZrl1xp
