Supercharger Worries
 

Today I had the ZZP MPS installed at my dad's shop. The installation took a little while, but went completely flawless.

Currently there is a 3.4" pulley, Autolite 104 plugs with .050 gap, and a 660 belt on it. It is not a Gatorback belt, but the right size for the application.

As I said, everything was installed flawlessly. We started the car up, and listened to everything. There is a slight noise coming from the S/C snout at idle, but it goes away when the engine is revved up.

I also noticed when driving, that I heard a very faint squeak. The roads were terribly slippery today, so I couldn't accelerate hard at all to get a good listen.

However, the car drives extremely smooth ... even smoother now ... maybe because of the new plugs.

My questions are:

1. Could the noise from the S/C be a bad coupler? It never made this noise before the new pulley, so maybe it just started doing this because it is spinning faster than it normally would.

2. Could there be too much slack in the belt? Is that why it's making that noise? Or could it be something else?

The S/C oil was changed last July. I don't think there is anything wrong with the bearings.

I will try to get more information if the roads ever dry up around here, and I can get a good listen when I spin up the S/C.

It could be the belt just settling in (hopefully it is). To check the coupling, just remove the sc belt and grab the pulley and pull in and out and up and down, everything should be tight with no back lash.

When it was installed, the hub and pulley were very snug.

I've never heard of a belt settling in. Does that actually happen?

Yes, the belt has to settle in. Mine nearly brushed itself as it went past the water pump when first installed. There was only 1/4" clearance. After bumping the motor over a couple times, it went to 3/8". A couple days later, it was 1/2" and has stayed there. It made a little whining noise for the first 2 days or so.

A wet belt can make noise sometimes, too. But a gatorback should be generally quieter, so you may want to consider a change. Also remember that your tensioner assembly is now riding in an area of travel new to it.

Alright, I'll drive it around for a while and see how things go.

Thx PDad and Will.

I'll write a follow up in a couple days.

Have you checked to see if the SC pulley moves at all when you wiggle it. If it does, you probably have a bad coupler. You can get a new coupler kit online. I'm sure somebody else could hook you up with a link later. Replacing the coupler isn't anything big. It's a fairly easy proccess. Just a bunch of little stuff. Well, hopefully your problem get's resolved soon. Good luck.

I drove it around this morning ... and with a huge smile on my face, I might add. I heard no more squeaking or any strange noises from the inside of my car. I stopped and got some gas. There I popped the hood and looked at everything. Everything is real tight and snug, and there are no funny smells.

If these issues come back, I might try a Gatorback belt, and even a new coupler.


But yea, this 3.4" pulley is insane. The car has NEVER pulled so hard. It really screams now. The dry cold air does well for the S/C.

Now I gotta worry about tires... :lol:

Thanks for the update Sol. A gator back is queiter yet but your belt now should give many miles of service, you could get one to serve as a spare?

I'd buy the Gatorback now, and toss your current belt in the trunk for a spare. Spares come in mighty handy. Just don't try to change one in the staging lanes at a local dragstrip. :lol:

http://www.pix8.net/pro/pic.php?u=2663S5eGr&i=40070

Nice to have that spare. I gave driverjohn the shredded belt as a trophy for his and his Dad's help with the repair. This was the accessory belt. I ended up shredding my spare also, and had to put 5/6ths of the gatorback back on the car to get home. All for a .05" offset difference between alternators ;)

Of course, changing a spare on the road with a S2 is a little more difficult.

Smooth move there X-Lax.....