I installed RSM's stage I s/c kit a month ago along with my ECU which was reflashed by them. I would appreciate holding off comments dealing with RSM and ask only for suggetions and tips to help me out.

Everything runs fine except for the fact that I only see, max, 1psi for the most part. One or two times I saw 3 and 5 psi but that was from a stop and mashing the gas pedal as fast and as hard as I could. From a roll, after hitting the gas, I only hit 1psi..maybe 2. So far, a friend (Lee, who's a member on the Org but hasn't posted in a year or two) and I adjusted the blow-off valve because it wasn't operating correctly. We were afraid that air was lost from the charge pipe via the open BOV but it now properly shuts and opens and has been ruled out as the problem. We also did a test for a boost leak. We found one spot where there was a small amount of air escaping but nothing that would release 5 pounds of compressed air. The spot itself is the location for the boost gauge line but I doubt that a small leak like that could stop the needle at around 1psi.

I'm going to inform Lee of this thread and hopefully he'll post and explain the situation better. He's been around boost projects for a lot longer than I and he'd probably be able to word it better than I can.

So, any suggestions or questions? Anything in relation to the topic is appreciated. We truly are stumped.



Blown.

How did you adjust the bov?You should have like 5-6 threads showing on the adjustment screw.Are you sure its not leaking from that adapter you have the the charge pipe?How tight is the belt?Where is the boost gauge tapped into,the fuel pressure regulaor?Are you sure the boost gauge is good?The line going to the gauge might be kinked.


Peter
'06 Cobalt ss/sc W/G85 Package
Gm Stage II W/2.79" Pulley
K&N Drop In Filter
Custom Magnaflow Dual Exhaust

ptrblkz24 wrote:How did you adjust the bov?You should have like 5-6 threads showing on the adjustment screw.Are you sure its not leaking from that adapter you have the the charge pipe?How tight is the belt?Where is the boost gauge tapped into,the fuel pressure regulaor?Are you sure the boost gauge is good?The line going to the gauge might be kinked.

I'm NOT LEE his friend .... just to clear that up... ahah

Lee


JDM Civic Hatch
Status: Parting Out Turbo Kit....
14.224 @ 102.01MPH @ 5.5psi.... 2.3 60'
Next: Civic JDM B16a2 w/GSR LSD Turbo - Goal 300whp 1400lbs...

Okay, to better explain the tests:

Testing procedure: The "intake" or chargepipe elbow was disconnected from the supercharger, rotated 180 degrees, and a specialized pressure fitting (expanding rubber plug with a passage specifically for pressure testing) was fitted. This allows an air compressor to be connected (there is a manifold with an on/off/dump valve, and a pressure gauge indicating the pressure in the line, on the manifold valvebody manifold)

Anyways. With this setup connected, we set the regulator to 15 psi (on the compressor) and opened the valve. with this setup wide open, we were able to reach approximately 12.5 psi (which is fine, because residually, it had about 100' of hose, and several NPT adapters and is reduced at the expansion plug to a 5/16 hole through the fitting)

We were able to stop the air supply and watch the 'bleed down' which was slow, yet, steady. About 8 seconds for 10 psi to bleed off. Contrarially, when we disconnected the 3/16ths line to the boost gauge, the pressure dropped off within a second. Bear in mind, that during these conditions the blow off valve was connected, and holding boost perfectly, no hissing noises or any indication of air flow.

We tried numberous times to repressure the manifold, listen for any vaccum leaks, just the slow sound of it seeping through the crankcase and flowing through is all that was heard.

We did test the boost gauge to be accurate by using my shop vac/boost gauge, and feeding the system a certain pressure, and verifying the readings of the pressurization, as well as disconnecting the intake pressurization setup, and allowing the car to run at idle and verifying the vaccum readings corresponded.

To answer the questions asked above:

The shop that installed this had the BOV 'maxed out' with the threads buried just level with the stopnut, i backed the entire rod out and set it to the factory calibrations (threaded it in to the point where it began to depress the spring, then gave it 2.5 full rotations so that 3/8ths to 1/2 an inch of threads were showing.) It does hold 15 psi at this setting, although i am beginning to question weather or not it's holding shut at full throttle due to pressure differential.

The spliced on section of hose was RTV siliconed before being slid on, then it was tig welded around the perimeter. It's not leaking @ 15 psi. Far more than required for this application.

Belt tightness : We had our own doubts on the tightness of the belt, even after retensioning, the back side still feels as if it would move about 12" deflection).

Our method was to loosen the belt tensioner all the way, then slide the backing piece of the tensioner all the way down to the very bottom of the slot, then hold the backing plate portion all the way down with a wooden block, then tighten up the bolt all the way, which sort of 'torques' the belt all the way down against the belt sa the groove slides into the slot. The shaft of the idler/tensioner pulley sits flush with the bracket.

It should be noted that there WAS some play in the housing of the supercharger while we were torquing / playing around, i'm not sure if thats normal or indicative of something else that the shop did wrong.

The vaccum/boost gauge in the car is connected to the intake plenum 'spare' port, which is just below where the FPR and emissions connections from the factory appear to have been located. Simply removed the rubber cap, and attached the appropriate hoses to adapt down to the 3/16ths line. I ran this line myself, and made sure there were no kinks in it (besides, we installed it in colder weather, it was about 10 deg F out... it'd have just snapped

**** END OF BABBLE****

I can't tell, its either like the supercharger isn't winding up enough to force the air into the motor, OR that the belt is slipping, OR that the BOV is flying open sometime after 1 psi of boost builds up, under some strange throttle condition



-=[2004 JBody Bash - '82-'94 Street Modified - Third Place]=-
http://www.turbochargedsoul.com/

[TZ3] 1994 Cavalier Z24 Convertible, Automatic, (Boost around the bend)
[TZ2] 1993 3.1 Liter V6 Intercooled TurboChevrolet Cavalier Z24 Convertible 5 speed
:: REST IN PIECES :: (Parts available, PM me!)
1994 Subaru Legacy L AWD Wagon 5sp/EJ22 - Daily Driver
N3LEE - Amateur Radio

^^^^That's my boy, haha.



Blown.

The first thing i would do is disconnect the vacuum line going to the bov and plug it.Doing this will keep the valve shut.Take it out for a spin and see if it makes boost.If its making boost,you know the bov is the cause.If it still makes no boost,you know the bov is good.What kind of vacuum reading are getting at idle?I wouldnt tighen the belt too tight.When you twist the belt behind the tensioner,it should only turn 90* or so.If you make it too tight you can mess up the bearing in the s/c.And there shouldnt be any play on the pulley in the housing.Oh,and make sure you have no oil leaks.There are a couple of spots that are prone to leak oil on the belt.If you have oil on the belt,your not gonna see any boost.


Peter
'06 Cobalt ss/sc W/G85 Package
Gm Stage II W/2.79" Pulley
K&N Drop In Filter
Custom Magnaflow Dual Exhaust

Hrm. Yeah, i was contemplating pulling the damn vaccum line off, maybe i'll have Fil try that tonite... BTW: there was no oil on the belt, as far as turning the belt, we put it on as tight as we could, i don't think that its 'soooo tight that its gonna snap something' my GTP's S/C had more tension on it.


Friggin L4's, when will GM ever learn.

--LL

V6 or H6 - i'll take either right now.


-=[2004 JBody Bash - '82-'94 Street Modified - Third Place]=-
http://www.turbochargedsoul.com/

[TZ3] 1994 Cavalier Z24 Convertible, Automatic, (Boost around the bend)
[TZ2] 1993 3.1 Liter V6 Intercooled TurboChevrolet Cavalier Z24 Convertible 5 speed
:: REST IN PIECES :: (Parts available, PM me!)
1994 Subaru Legacy L AWD Wagon 5sp/EJ22 - Daily Driver
N3LEE - Amateur Radio

We're beginning to suspect its the BOV more and more. The shop that originally did this completely maxed out the adjustment screw which could have had an effect on the valve. I read somewhere on Vortech's site that if this happens then the BOV must be returned for proper servicing. Vacuum is at a consistent 18", more or less. The belt is pretty tight but still has some forward and back play. I checked over the setup again just now and there is practically no play in any of the components. If I try to move anything then the whole damn car starts to move. There were no signs of oil being on the belt, but there was what looked to be oil on certain components in the engine and on the underside of the hood. We think that is just from the oil on the K&N filter on the s/c that has been sprayed out by the BOV. I will be going outside again soon with the vacuum line unhooked from the BOV. Hopefully that will work.



Blown.

Why the hell didn't i think to unhook the BOV. oh yeah, thats cuz in a turbocharged car, the seat would just blow open.




-=[2004 JBody Bash - '82-'94 Street Modified - Third Place]=-
http://www.turbochargedsoul.com/

[TZ3] 1994 Cavalier Z24 Convertible, Automatic, (Boost around the bend)
[TZ2] 1993 3.1 Liter V6 Intercooled TurboChevrolet Cavalier Z24 Convertible 5 speed
:: REST IN PIECES :: (Parts available, PM me!)
1994 Subaru Legacy L AWD Wagon 5sp/EJ22 - Daily Driver
N3LEE - Amateur Radio

I just got back from the test run with the vacuum line unhooked from the BOV and plugged. Same results as before: only 1psi. Only this time I heard a strange whistling noise as I got into boost. Now I'm completely stumped.



Blown.

That nosie could be compressor surge from not having the bov hooked up.Does the car feel fast?I think you should try i different vacuum source for the boost gauge.Does the s/c belt have any wear marks on it?Try loosening the tension pulley and see if the s/c pulley turns freely.If there is any resistance or binding,the bearings might be shot in the charger.Do you have any pics of your setup?


Peter
'06 Cobalt ss/sc W/G85 Package
Gm Stage II W/2.79" Pulley
K&N Drop In Filter
Custom Magnaflow Dual Exhaust

The car definitely kicks, it accelerates much faster even with just 1psi showing on the gauge. The belt is a brand new gatorback and there are no wear marks from what I can see. There is no resistance in the pulley assembly. We loosened the tensioner earlier and everything seemed to be moving normal. The only unsettling part would be some horizontal play in the shaft that is run by the belt and connects to the charger. Less then a quarter centimeter of play..that's about it. As for the gauge, I'm not sure. The only other option would be to tee it off from another vac line.



Blown.

By the way, Peter, if you could hit me up on AIM at IcemanTPK that would be great. You wouldn't have to waste your posts. Thanks for helping out, we appreciate it.



Blown.

I'm starting to think its the BOV, it may not be functioning properly. Anyone else have any input?



Blown.

I know this is probably getting annoying, but I just want to ask one last time. Does anyone have any other suggestions? This will be the last time I ask, unless other things I try don't work.



Blown.

Why don't you contact RSM?? Maybe they can help you out since it is an RSM supercharger kit.

BLKSLEEPER . wrote:Why don't you contact RSM?? Maybe they can help you out since it is an RSM supercharger kit.

I did and we're trying to work on this problem together. I just figured I'd get more input from other people who know boost.



Blown.

When the guys installed the supercharger and needed to rotate the compressor housing did they re-tighten the clamp that secures the two sections together?


Thats Him Officer The WICKED One.

Hey,ive been thinking.If your boost gauge is accurate,your bov is operating properly,and you have no leaks,the only thing i could think of would be the s/c itself.Did you know that vortech makes clock wise and counter clock wise superchargers?Vortech could of sent rsm the wrong s/c,thats why your not making any boost.Im not sure what direction the s/c spins off the top of my head.Go get the serial number off the s/c and look it up on vortechsuperchargers.com and see which one you have.If i go out to my car tonite,ill take a look for you real quick.What did rsm say about this?


Peter
'06 Cobalt ss/sc W/G85 Package
Gm Stage II W/2.79" Pulley
K&N Drop In Filter
Custom Magnaflow Dual Exhaust

Hey Chris, sorry that I haven't been keeping in touch. It's finals week and I've been stressing about my classes and my car. The clamp is secure; I was wondering whether or not there can be any leak coming from the actual charger.

Peter - I had no idea that Vortech made chargers that spun in different directions. The earliest I'd be able to get the serial number would be tomorrow night, my car is at home and I'm at college and don't have access. Are you positive that the BOV would not be the problem, I mean, the boost gauge reads 1psi? There were a couple times when I saw 3 and 5 psi. Wouldn't that mean that the charger is spinning correctly? Moreover, since the fan blades are supposed to spin in a particular direction, let me describe in which direction my s/c spins. When standing facing the engine bay and s/c from the driver's side, I'm pretty sure the fan blades spin in a counter-clockwise direction.

I'm also going to call RSM tomorrow morning, hopefully we'll be able to do more troubleshooting. A long distance phone call from my cell phone in the states to Canada costs a few pennies.



Blown.

I was thinking about this more deeply, there is no change in operation weather or not the boost line is connected to the friggin BOV, meaning, its toast, or the vaccum line has some sort of check valve not allowing boost through (not possible, seeing as we can pressure test the manifold and it will close)..

What i was thinking about was my original SAAB BOV on my own car, whereas the seat diameter was too small for the manifold to produce enough pressure (due to a TB restriction) to hold the BOV shut. Turns out it was a damaged valve in the BOV causing the issue, and with another trip to the junkyard (yes, i have a piece of crap $2 Saab Turbo BOV on my 'vert, and it sounds great!) the problem was fixed.

RSM themselves think it's a bad BOV, and as far as it not spinning in the right direction, its definitely turning in the right direction, we ran it with the charge pipe off, thing nearly blew the hood off of the car, and restricting the orifice made it blow harder...

V-band clamp is fine as well, although i will remove and re-check it again soon, I'm going to build a 3/4 block off plate for the BOV so that it isn't TOTALLY obstructed (compressor antisurge bleed area) and take it out for a spin to see if the boost increases. If this is the case, the BOV got damaged when the mechanic bottomed out that stupid set bolt, and i'll take it off and send it back to Vortech.

--Lee


-=[2004 JBody Bash - '82-'94 Street Modified - Third Place]=-
http://www.turbochargedsoul.com/

[TZ3] 1994 Cavalier Z24 Convertible, Automatic, (Boost around the bend)
[TZ2] 1993 3.1 Liter V6 Intercooled TurboChevrolet Cavalier Z24 Convertible 5 speed
:: REST IN PIECES :: (Parts available, PM me!)
1994 Subaru Legacy L AWD Wagon 5sp/EJ22 - Daily Driver
N3LEE - Amateur Radio

im having problems seeing boost on my gauge ever since it got really cold out, i checked the line and its pulling vac so who knows. charger still wines though like it was seeing boost. i only see like 1psi also now, usually its 6psi.