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View Full Version : Opinions on supercharger issue



exrider416
10-02-2012, 11:31 PM
Have been hearing some noise coming from my supercharger, decided to pull the intake tube and take a look. If you look at the pictures you can see the two areas it is rubbing. Waiting to hear back from vortech on the issue. What are your guys opinions? http://www.stangbangerz.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=24217&d=1349046520

slow86fiveoh
10-03-2012, 05:50 AM
Is there any shaft play or is the impeller just too large for the housing could have been a manufacturing defect

exrider416
10-03-2012, 08:16 AM
Is there any shaft play or is the impeller just too large for the housing could have been a manufacturing defect

I'm pretty sure it is a manufacturing defect, there isn't any shaft play that I can feel. The head unit has 1500 miles.

adragon72
10-03-2012, 09:27 AM
take it to the track it will clearance it self!

exrider416
10-03-2012, 10:04 AM
take it to the track it will clearance it self!

I do need to do that, but the dyno runs didn't seem to clearance it. I need some sticky tires to not spin down the entire track right now ! Lol

adragon72
10-03-2012, 10:11 AM
I'd start documenting every thing just incase there is an issue.

slow86fiveoh
10-03-2012, 04:41 PM
If it was mine I would fix the issue before it created more issues like a peice of the impeller in the cylinder gouging the cylinder walls

Goober
10-03-2012, 06:15 PM
If it was mine I would stop driving it until Vortech steps up and fix the issue before it created more issues like a peice of the impeller in the cylinder gouging the cylinder walls

Fixted that for ya. If there is no shaft play and it was installed by a Vortech dealer (not sure if it was or not, this could bite you in the butt), I don't see how they could claim its NOT their fault.

redfirepearlgt
10-03-2012, 07:08 PM
Check the gap on the impeller to casing with a feeler gauge. You may need to obtain some .001" shim stocl to do this. First find your gap clearance between the housing and an impeller blade. Then rotate the impeller while holding the feeler gauge in place against the housing. This will check static rotation of the impeller (clearance to housing). Should be the same. If it binds on any of the blades there is an issue with the impeller or the rotating assembly directly related. Next (if possible) hold the feeler gauge so that it will turn with the impeller. This will check clearance on the housing all the way around. If it pinches you may have a defective housing. Record the results. As I stated in another thread regarding this...DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT. Get your distributor involved and ACTIVE on this with Vortech as well. He/She is the link between you and Vortech. No reason to back down and except this as it is with 1500 miles on the unit. These centri blowers are very much like the "turbo blowers' used in Fanuc Lasers for moving the gases through the dicharge tubes. The Fanucs spin much faster, lay flat in lieu of vertical mounting, and are driven with electric VFD motors instead of a combustion engine. I've dealt with this type of issue on them on a rare occasion. If Vortech is any kind of manufacturer they will replace this unit. I'm interested to see the outcome of this, being I am up in the air again after seeing yours in action and seeing how well the idle recovers afterward. Would love to take a ride in it sometime when I have the time and you are available. Keep us updated.

beefcake
10-04-2012, 03:21 PM
vortech has a technical support departmen.

it's actually best to speak directly with them, as you can explain what's going on, and they can direct you the best route to take as far as something that isn't an issue, or something that should be sent in for warranty repair

call

805-247-0226

ask for technical support,

they have great service!

lemme know if you need any help!

exrider416
10-04-2012, 03:57 PM
vortech has a technical support departmen.

it's actually best to speak directly with them, as you can explain what's going on, and they can direct you the best route to take as far as something that isn't an issue, or something that should be sent in for warranty repair

call

805-247-0226

ask for technical support,

they have great service!

lemme know if you need any help!

Just got off the phone with technical support. The problem now is there turn around is 2 weeks. I said yeah that is an issue because it is on my daily driver, they said unfortunately that is our turn around time.

exrider416
10-04-2012, 04:11 PM
They said the only exchange program they offer is they give you $500-$1000 for your unit depending on the condition and a new unit is around $2200 :flipoff: They said right now turn-around is only 2 weeks but can go as long as 4 weeks. And i also stress that it is on my car i drive everyday!! Don't seem to bother them any though :mad: i plan on buying a car for the winter, but that wont be for another month.

beefcake
10-04-2012, 05:25 PM
They said the only exchange program they offer is they give you $500-$1000 for your unit depending on the condition and a new unit is around $2200 :flipoff: They said right now turn-around is only 2 weeks but can go as long as 4 weeks. And i also stress that it is on my car i drive everyday!! Don't seem to bother them any though :mad: i plan on buying a car for the winter, but that wont be for another month.

thats on an exchange for a larger supercharger

thats not for repair

redfirepearlgt
10-04-2012, 06:09 PM
Just got off the phone with technical support. The problem now is there turn around is 2 weeks. I said yeah that is an issue because it is on my daily driver, they said unfortunately that is our turn around time.

So that hopefully means that they are going to cover the cost under warranty to repair complete or replace if not repairable??????? 2 weeks is a long period of time in my opinion. Can't believe that they would not have an exchange program. Don't forget to keep the documentation process going with each and every phone call or interaction. Good luck. Hate that you have to go through this. IMO a good company would have shipped you a brand new and verified unit under the circumstances that only 1500 miles was on the SC before it went to hibernate.

smytty
10-04-2012, 07:58 PM
They said the only exchange program they offer is they give you $500-$1000 for your unit depending on the condition and a new unit is around $2200 :flipoff: They said right now turn-around is only 2 weeks but can go as long as 4 weeks. And i also stress that it is on my car i drive everyday!! Don't seem to bother them any though :mad: i plan on buying a car for the winter, but that wont be for another month.Yeah that sucks to hear, they should takecare of you, and send you a new unit.. If they dont, post your issues on every site you can to save other the trouble of messing with them...


Hey did you get a chance to talk to Dtony i heard hes having issues with them also...

exrider416
10-04-2012, 08:41 PM
thats on an exchange for a larger supercharger

thats not for repair

Yeah but they said that is there only type of exchange. They said the only thing they could do is repair it at a 2 week minimum, which I really I cannot have the car down this long. Which this is free of charge but its the time that puts me in a bad spot.

Goober
10-04-2012, 10:04 PM
Yeah but they said that is there only type of exchange. They said the only thing they could do is repair it at a 2 week minimum, which I really I cannot have the car down this long. Which this is free of charge but its the time that puts me in a bad spot.
Do you still have the stock intake tube, belt and tune? I'm not exactly how the mounting of these are, but could you take off the head unit, use the stock belt and intake with a stock tune for a few weeks? Just thinking out loud.

exrider416
10-04-2012, 10:51 PM
Do you still have the stock intake tube, belt and tune? I'm not exactly how the mounting of these are, but could you take off the head unit, use the stock belt and intake with a stock tune for a few weeks? Just thinking out loud.

Yeah i could probably do this. But the kit has been on since July 30th. Since then the car was in the body shop also for two weeks and my drive too work is literally 5.8 miles mile drive, so the kit has no miles on it at all, 1500 miles is probably way over exaggerating. I just don't feel i should have to go through all that work for a kit that is so new and shouldn't have any issues.

beefcake
10-05-2012, 10:05 PM
So that hopefully means that they are going to cover the cost under warranty to repair complete or replace if not repairable??????? 2 weeks is a long period of time in my opinion. Can't believe that they would not have an exchange program. Don't forget to keep the documentation process going with each and every phone call or interaction. Good luck. Hate that you have to go through this. IMO a good company would have shipped you a brand new and verified unit under the circumstances that only 1500 miles was on the SC before it went to hibernate.

If the unit is defective, of course they will cover it. That is what a warranty is for.

If you buy a new car, and it needs a repair, does ford give the customer a new car?

If I buy a Sony TV from Sears, and it has a warranty issue, does Sony send me a brand new TV, without every seeing the other TV first?

I'm assuming the next time I buy a Whirlpool appliance, and it has an issue, I should just call Whirlpool and expect them to send me a brand new appliance? I did not realize their warranty was that great. Or am I to assume, Whirlpool is not a good company either?

You have to a company a reasonable time frame, to get the product in, insepct it, and repair it as needed, if it is needed.

If GE gave a new refridgerator, washer, dryer, jet engine, everytime one needed to be fixed, how long would they stay in business?


Yeah that sucks to hear, they should takecare of you, and send you a new unit.. If they dont, post your issues on every site you can to save other the trouble of messing with them...

Hey did you get a chance to talk to Dtony i heard hes having issues with them also...

Vortech / Paxton has an excellent reputation, and very few issues with their superchargers.

It's simple, send in the head unit, it gets fixed, (if there is an issue) and sent back.

Dtony
10-06-2012, 08:27 AM
Yeah that sucks to hear, they should takecare of you, and send you a new unit.. If they dont, post your issues on every site you can to save other the trouble of messing with them...


Hey did you get a chance to talk to Dtony i heard hes having issues with them also...

I have not had any issues with my Vortech at all. It has been flawless since installing it last December.

The only issue I am going to have is running a high 9 today and I let my license expire. :D

Dtony
10-06-2012, 08:36 AM
Here is a picture of mine. It has about 3500 miles on it and 70 track passes.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg2/dodgetony/Vortech.jpg

smytty
10-06-2012, 09:14 AM
If the unit is defective, of course they will cover it. That is what a warranty is for.

If you buy a new car, and it needs a repair, does ford give the customer a new car?

If I buy a Sony TV from Sears, and it has a warranty issue, does Sony send me a brand new TV, without every seeing the other TV first?

I'm assuming the next time I buy a Whirlpool appliance, and it has an issue, I should just call Whirlpool and expect them to send me a brand new appliance? I did not realize their warranty was that great. Or am I to assume, Whirlpool is not a good company either?

You have to a company a reasonable time frame, to get the product in, insepct it, and repair it as needed, if it is needed.

If GE gave a new refridgerator, washer, dryer, jet engine, everytime one needed to be fixed, how long would they stay in business?



Vortech / Paxton has an excellent reputation, and very few issues with their superchargers.

It's simple, send in the head unit, it gets fixed, (if there is an issue) and sent back.Your right you dont get a new car , but you do get a rental so theres no downtime to the customer...

redfirepearlgt
10-06-2012, 09:40 AM
If the unit is defective, of course they will cover it. That is what a warranty is for.

If you buy a new car, and it needs a repair, does ford give the customer a new car?

If I buy a Sony TV from Sears, and it has a warranty issue, does Sony send me a brand new TV, without every seeing the other TV first?

I'm assuming the next time I buy a Whirlpool appliance, and it has an issue, I should just call Whirlpool and expect them to send me a brand new appliance? I did not realize their warranty was that great. Or am I to assume, Whirlpool is not a good company either?

You have to a company a reasonable time frame, to get the product in, insepct it, and repair it as needed, if it is needed.

If Whirlpool gave a new refridgerator, washer, dryer, jet engine, everytime one needed to be fixed, how long would they stay in business?



Vortech / Paxton has an excellent reputation, and very few issues with their superchargers.

It's simple, send in the head unit, it gets fixed, (if there is an issue) and sent back.

If the housing on the unit is bad/damaged from the failure then yes I would want and expect a full replacement of the SC unit. THe SC is part of a kit it is not the full kit. I am not suggesting a full kit replacement. Just replacement of the part that failed. I know a little bit about devices of this type. This is not a case of sending a unit in for rebuild because the bearings are due for planned maintenance. This is a near catostrophic failure. The part (the super charger) should be replaced.

If my 5.0 Ford engine LB blew at 1500 miles I would expect a FULL replacement and not a repair, not full replacement of the car. The engine is part of the car just as the SC is part of the SC kit.

If I buy from a distributor and I have an issue I expect them to put forth the effort to help me resolve the issue ESPECIALLY so soon after the point of delivery. Guess I expect good service after trhe sale, not just a smile and pat on the back at the time of sale. Others shuld expect no less from ANYONE the deal with man or woman.

As far as Whirlpool appliances I could not tell you. They are likely built in China (though some are now built in the USA) and I would not own them knowing they were assembled or built in China.

Congrats on getting an administrator status.

beefcake
10-08-2012, 01:09 PM
If the housing on the unit is bad/damaged from the failure then yes I would want and expect a full replacement of the SC unit. THe SC is part of a kit it is not the full kit. I am not suggesting a full kit replacement. Just replacement of the part that failed. I know a little bit about devices of this type. This is not a case of sending a unit in for rebuild because the bearings are due for planned maintenance. This is a near catostrophic failure. The part (the super charger) should be replaced.

Catastrophic Failure? It's on the car running and working, how is it a catastrophic failure?

If my 5.0 Ford engine LB blew at 1500 miles I would expect a FULL replacement and not a repair, not full replacement of the car. The engine is part of the car just as the SC is part of the SC kit.

The supercharger is the major portion and the heart of the kit

If I buy from a distributor and I have an issue I expect them to put forth the effort to help me resolve the issue ESPECIALLY so soon after the point of delivery. Guess I expect good service after trhe sale, not just a smile and pat on the back at the time of sale. Others shuld expect no less from ANYONE the deal with man or woman.

I agree 100%, what is it exactly, that I, as a distrubtor for Vortech at this point can do. I can direct him to Vortech, who will handle repairing the s/c if indeed there is an issue, and then they will return it directly to him.

I am more than happy to put a call into Vortech, to explain that he thinks there is an issue with the head unit. Then, they will instruct me to have him call technical support, as they are the ones equipped to handle the issue / repairt / technical aspect. It is what they are set up to do, and have the best people to do it.

I am not equipped to work on the supercharger. The manufacturer is. I am more than happy to make dozens of calls to them if need be. That isn't needed though, as Vortech is a great company to work with and they have a great technical support team.

As far as Whirlpool appliances I could not tell you. They are likely built in China (though some are now built in the USA) and I would not own them knowing they were assembled or built in China.

Congrats on getting an administrator status.

Whirlpool, Fridgedare, Sears, I don't care what the brand is, where it's made, you get what i'm saying. You have to give a manufacturer a reasonable amount of time to correct a problem, if there is a problem there.

I had one guy call me to tell me his s/c was making noise. Was going to pull it off to send it in. Directed him to Vortech, as I physically wasn't there to see it. He made a video, sent it to Vortech. Normal sound they said.

I'm not saying there isn't an issue, but there is a process for these things.

I've been selling cars for 8 1/2 years, and parts for a couple years, and selling stuff all my life.

I always go out of my way to help the customer and take care of people.

exrider416
10-10-2012, 10:19 PM
Whirlpool, Fridgedare, Sears, I don't care what the brand is, where it's made, you get what i'm saying. You have to give a manufacturer a reasonable amount of time to correct a problem, if there is a problem there.

I had one guy call me to tell me his s/c was making noise. Was going to pull it off to send it in. Directed him to Vortech, as I physically wasn't there to see it. He made a video, sent it to Vortech. Normal sound they said.

I'm not saying there isn't an issue, but there is a process for these things.

I've been selling cars for 8 1/2 years, and parts for a couple years, and selling stuff all my life.

I always go out of my way to help the customer and take care of people.

After some phone calls and emails. They now said send it in and they will turn it around in two days :bigthumb so maybe if this week isn't 20+ hours overtime again! i will have time to pull it off and send it out.

beefcake
10-10-2012, 10:50 PM
After some phone calls and emails. They now said send it in and they will turn it around in two days :bigthumb so maybe if this week isn't 20+ hours overtime again! i will have time to pull it off and send it out.

schwing! ;)

redfirepearlgt
10-10-2012, 11:50 PM
After some phone calls and emails. They now said send it in and they will turn it around in two days :bigthumb so maybe if this week isn't 20+ hours overtime again! i will have time to pull it off and send it out.

Awesome news. Great to hear. Post the findings up curious minds wish to know.

exrider416
10-13-2012, 06:16 PM
It is off and in a box to be shipped. Really sucked to pull it off after not having it on long at all

Dtony
10-13-2012, 07:40 PM
It is off and in a box to be shipped. Really sucked to pull it off after not having it on long at all

Good luck, I am sure you will be happy once it's resolved.

exrider416
10-13-2012, 08:01 PM
Good luck, I am sure you will be happy once it's resolved.

I have been happy with it. Just not happy i am already pulling it off after such a short time. it put down 554hp with 47lb injectors, stock airbox and stock exhaust with a 10.1:1 air/fuel

Dtony
10-13-2012, 10:51 PM
I have been happy with it. Just not happy i am already pulling it off after such a short time. it put down 554hp with 47lb injectors, stock airbox and stock exhaust with a 10.1:1 air/fuel

I can imagine that would be irritating. As I am sure you are aware, there is a lot left on the table should you decide to do a little more work to the car.

My a/f is 10.9:1, which is still very conservative on my race tune. My street tune is 10.5:1.

exrider416
10-13-2012, 11:01 PM
I can imagine that would be irritating. As I am sure you are aware, there is a lot left on the table should you decide to do a little more work to the car.

My a/f is 10.9:1, which is still very conservative on my race tune. My street tune is 10.5:1.

What direction you think i should head for the next upgrade for more power? Suspension and wheels/tires i am already working on.

Dtony
10-27-2012, 03:54 PM
Any updates on the SC repair?

beefcake
10-27-2012, 03:57 PM
Any updates on the SC repair?

the said the bearing appeared to have been worn out, they said they thought it was either over / underfilled,

they didn't have parts on hand, so they sent a new one out to him,

Dtony
10-27-2012, 05:38 PM
the said the bearing appeared to have been worn out, they said they thought it was either over / underfilled,

they didn't have parts on hand, so they sent a new one out to him,

That is pretty good service.

redfirepearlgt
10-27-2012, 07:04 PM
Great warranty service by Vortech. Good to hear Exrider is soon back on the road.

exrider416
10-31-2012, 12:13 AM
Forgot too update. Shipped unit too Vortech a few weeks ago. They checked the unit out the day it arrived And it had really bad bearings. They didn't have the parts on hand at the time too fix it, so they next day aired a new head unit too me.

exrider416
10-31-2012, 12:18 AM
Even seen an mpg improvement, guess it didn't like turning bad bearings. Runs and idles smoother too.

redfirepearlgt
10-31-2012, 12:03 PM
Even seen an mpg improvement, guess it didn't like turning bad bearings. Runs and idles smoother too.

Just a suggestion...

May want to run it down to CS and get a dyno pull just to check the AF ratio in the event it is pulling moving more air now. OR data log it and send it back to your tuner just to make sure its not moving more air now and leaning out a bit. Just an ounce of caution. Better safe than sorry.

exrider416
10-31-2012, 12:20 PM
Just a suggestion...

May want to run it down to CS and get a dyno pull just to check the AF ratio in the event it is pulling moving more air now. OR data log it and send it back to your tuner just to make sure its not moving more air now and leaning out a bit. Just an ounce of caution. Better safe than sorry.

Datalogging hopefully tomorrow to send it too KenB. Cause i am installing a JLT air inlet on it today which will definitely flow more air too. I am driving my Mercedes daily now so i do not have to rush on the mustang now, which is great!

redfirepearlgt
10-31-2012, 01:03 PM
Datalogging hopefully tomorrow to send it too KenB. Cause i am installing a JLT air inlet on it today which will definitely flow more air too. I am driving my Mercedes daily now so i do not have to rush on the mustang now, which is great!

Awesome. Hope to see some dyno numbers in the months to follow. Take care. If you have a chance the terminator QSL cruise is this Sunday weather permitting. It is open to all mustangs with terminator cobras as the host model. Gonna be ablast IF the weather holds out.