Superchargers for Dummies
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 35
Likes: 1
From: San Diego
Superchargers for Dummies Sorry if these questions are pretty stupid... I have a dual intercooled P1SC on my 99 'Hawk. I am having issues with it (I'll make another thread shortly, when I get pictures). But there are several things I don't understand on how the whole system works.
I have searched online and found a couple guides, but for turbos. Nothing that tells me how everything works or works togeather.
Questions:
1. Air comes in through the KN cold air intake. Where does it go next?
2. Since the intercoolers have only one tube connecting to them, how do they cool the charge air? Wouldn't they have an intake for warm air and an exhaust for cooler air?
3. What does the bypass valve do?
4. What tells the bypass valve to open/close?
5. What does the vacuum gauge read off of.
6. Is kicking over from vacuum into boost a function of RPMs, or rate of climb of RPMs. (It has always seemed that if I climb into high RPMs slowly, the car won't boost. If I stomp on the gas pedal, it will make boost ASAP).
&. Is it common for the SC belt to wear into the SC tensioner pulley? I have replaced my pulley twice now. I do tension the belts correct, I think (not able to bend the SC belt past 90deg).
Thanks in advance!!
I have searched online and found a couple guides, but for turbos. Nothing that tells me how everything works or works togeather.
Questions:
1. Air comes in through the KN cold air intake. Where does it go next?
2. Since the intercoolers have only one tube connecting to them, how do they cool the charge air? Wouldn't they have an intake for warm air and an exhaust for cooler air?
3. What does the bypass valve do?
4. What tells the bypass valve to open/close?
5. What does the vacuum gauge read off of.
6. Is kicking over from vacuum into boost a function of RPMs, or rate of climb of RPMs. (It has always seemed that if I climb into high RPMs slowly, the car won't boost. If I stomp on the gas pedal, it will make boost ASAP).
&. Is it common for the SC belt to wear into the SC tensioner pulley? I have replaced my pulley twice now. I do tension the belts correct, I think (not able to bend the SC belt past 90deg).
Thanks in advance!!
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 673
Likes: 0
From: Kansas
1) Into your supercharger.
2)Air flow into each intercooler then into a box that combines the air. From there into your throttle body.
3) It allows air to bypass the intake and either be recirculated or goes into the atmosphere.
4)Vacuum
5)Vacuum, usually off of the brake booster line.
6)
7) You are wearing your pulley too quickly, check to make sure that the pulleys are straight and lined up correctly.
2)Air flow into each intercooler then into a box that combines the air. From there into your throttle body.
3) It allows air to bypass the intake and either be recirculated or goes into the atmosphere.
4)Vacuum
5)Vacuum, usually off of the brake booster line.
6)
7) You are wearing your pulley too quickly, check to make sure that the pulleys are straight and lined up correctly.
Please use the search as there is a lot of detailed answers here. Here is a short list of answers for your questions:
1) Depends of the supercharger. Ones like Procharger, Vortech, Paxton and other centrifugal superchargers the next thing is the supercharger. For roots style superchargers like Magnasum and Kenny Bell, usually the MAF is the next thing followed by the throttle body and then the supercharger.
2) The basic idea of the intercooler is to cool the intake charge after it has been compressed by the supercharger. In a nutshell the surface area of the intake charge is increased allowing more of the intake charge to come into contact with the intercooler fins and transfer the heat out of the intake charge.
3) The Blowoff valve release the compressed intake charge out of the system then the throttle is closed allowing the motor to take in uncompressed air for idle.
4) The blowoff valve is normally open when there is vacuum in the intake manifold. When the throttle body opens, the vacuum in the intake manifold no longer exists and this closes the blowoff valve.
5) Vacuum in the intake manifold.
6) Going from a vacuum state to ambient or greater pressure is a result of the throttle body opening. The amount of pressure over ambient is a function of RPMs, pulley ratio, and internal stepping of the supercharger.
&) No if the pulleys and tensioners are aligned correctly.
1) Depends of the supercharger. Ones like Procharger, Vortech, Paxton and other centrifugal superchargers the next thing is the supercharger. For roots style superchargers like Magnasum and Kenny Bell, usually the MAF is the next thing followed by the throttle body and then the supercharger.
2) The basic idea of the intercooler is to cool the intake charge after it has been compressed by the supercharger. In a nutshell the surface area of the intake charge is increased allowing more of the intake charge to come into contact with the intercooler fins and transfer the heat out of the intake charge.
3) The Blowoff valve release the compressed intake charge out of the system then the throttle is closed allowing the motor to take in uncompressed air for idle.
4) The blowoff valve is normally open when there is vacuum in the intake manifold. When the throttle body opens, the vacuum in the intake manifold no longer exists and this closes the blowoff valve.
5) Vacuum in the intake manifold.
6) Going from a vacuum state to ambient or greater pressure is a result of the throttle body opening. The amount of pressure over ambient is a function of RPMs, pulley ratio, and internal stepping of the supercharger.
&) No if the pulleys and tensioners are aligned correctly.
