I have a couple quick questions about my car now that it's blown...

[WA2FAST]

Okay, car is running great... strong as ever. I still haven't gotten it in to the dyno yet to get the final tune and numbers, but so far so good (aside from the slight part throttle miss, but that will be tuned out)... oh yea, and the HORIBLE gas milage :D

1: Now that the battery is in the trunk, I have noticed that the car really doesn't want to crank when hot. It feels like the starter is getting cooked from the long tubes, but it was never this bad before I moved the battery in the trunk. I am using 2awg cable from the cutoff switch to the starter solonoid, stock wire from the solonoid to the starter. I am also using 2awg from the cutoff switch to the battery... it is the bigger amperage Moroso switch (can't remember the amperage off of the top of my head). I am using 4awg cable from the alt. (3G 130A) directly to the battery side of the cutoff switch. (good 4awg cable from Home Depot... I was told that it is much better than the regular stereo shop 4awg cable).
Is this typical? I am having no charging problems what-so-ever... everything electricaly runs just as good (no dimming headlights or any dips in the battery gauge at all). What do I do about this?

2: The bottom end was rebuilt about 10k ago and has great compression. I have an Eagle forged crank, Eagle forged H-Beam rods, TRW Forged 30-over pistons. It was fully ballanced when rebuilt with my billet flywheel and a 351W ballancer on it. Before the blower, I remember it feeling much smoother above 4k. It was like a Lexus throughout the RPM band... now around 4k and up, it feels like it is out of ballance... is this normal? Does a blower throw off the ballance of a motor with the extra belt/pulley setup? Is there any way to actually check for this and/or remedy it, or is it just in my head?


Thanx in advance guys! God I love this car now, it's a totally different car!

[blownwindsor]

I have the same problem. I was told it was my starter solenoid and I should wrap my starter with a heat resistant blanket. but I have all the same problems

[WA2FAST]

Well, unless something just all of a sudden made my solonoid go bad (which doesn't make any sense), then it isn't my starter solonoid. Like I said, it seems like it is heat on my starter, but it was never this bad. I know that people run 1/0awg cable instead of 2awg, but I can't see needing more than 2awg, I don't know, maybe that is what get's rid of it. Anyone else?

[pablo]

Dear Friends:
let get on the battery issue:
The problem is on the ground of the engine and chassis.
When you move the battery to the trunk you have to improve the grunds points to the engine and chassis.
Get some serious battery cable....and I mean BIG...
I had the same problem and I got it solved with better ground points relocated and the BIG cable.

On your second problem WA2FAST:
Of course you have to make sure you have no MISALIGMENT of the Harmonic Balancer and the new pulley.
but If you feel like a vibration under hard aceleration, you should check if something on your engine bay has contact with the chassis. maybe the headers, or even the supercharger...
I also suggest you check your engine mounts.
Otherwise the add of the supercharger would NOT affect the vibration or balance of the engine.

I hope this would help you.....enjoy the boost!!!!
pablo

[WA2FAST]

The ground that I have from the engine block goes to a VERY solid, clean (had to grind the frame rail down to get it shiny metal), ground in which I used dielectric grease and have the computer ground, 8awg cable directly from the battery, fan ground to as well. It is a junction for a few grounds, but it is very solid.

How would I check alignment of my crank pulley (which is a 1 piece crank pulley that has both the 6-rib serpantine for the regular accessories, and the 8-rib for the blower) to the ballancer? Again, it could just all be in my head, I just want to make sure that there isn't a harmonic imballance at higher RPM's because that's what will crack a block and brake parts.

[pablo]

Dear wa2fast:
having all the grounds located at one point is not a good idea.
If you have a ground battery cable from the battery all the way to the front is also not a good idea either.
The best way is to find a point near the battery and place the ground there, so all the chasis would have a good ground all around. then you can place all the grounds at different point depending of the electrical needs.
I saw your battery location at your website, and I noticed you have thin cables, the ones I used are thicker..like about 3/4 of an inch cross diameter...I really dont know the number AWG because I looked for the most massive cable I could find. But I still think you have bad battery ground and positive points and cables.

If you want to check the aligment of your crank pulley with the supercharger just get a straight piece of metal or wood and place it at the end or the crank pulley towards the supercharger pulley. You might need to make some room to do this.
If you look from the side of the fender you can see if your aligment is good.
On the other side, you mentioned that before the supercharger you did not noticed any vibration, now the question is: did you noticed the vibration after the first pull or it began just on the first pull? if it started after the firts pull it could be a problem, since something must already suffer inside the engine, or maybe the harmonic balancer is broken or it is not for that aplication such supercharged engines.
I also noticed at your website that your supercharger is very close to the fender wall, make sure you dont have any contact under aceleration with the wall.
I also suggest you check your engine mounts, if you are using solid engine mounts the vibration would be more noticeable than the rubber type engine mounts.
Well tell us your findings, I hope you can get solved.
Take care and enjoy the boost!!!.
pablo

[blownwindsor]

I thought that to but I have some big battery cables. my car only does it when Its hot, I drove my car around the block and the car never had a chance to get hot, shut it off and then It started fine. Than I drove it again this time I let the car get up to temp, shut it off and It was very hard to start. so I think Im going to put that thermal wrap on my starter and see if this helps. donnie I guess whe just cant win

[WA2FAST]

Pablo, I think you missed what I was getting at... I have 2awg cable which is the second largest cable that you can get aside from welding cable which is 1/0awg, so trust me, the cables are huge, not small at all. As far as my ground goes, I have 1 VERY solid ground in the front of the car on the frame rail, and 1 VERY solid ground in the back on the frame as well. The smaller 8awg cable running to the front is for the computer ground because you NEED it for the factory computer... it gives the computer 1 common ground refrence (which is 1000 times better than seperate grounds) to go off of instead of a bunch of different ones... those were the exact instructions per Pro-M. As far as the pulley alignment goes, I am fully aware that you need to check proper alignment, otherwise you will be throwing numerous belts... I have done many installs before and this is the #1 thing you need to check and correct when completed... my alignment is perfect and I get absolutey no belt wear. As far as the blower being close to the inside wall of the engine compartment, you are right, it is VERY close indeed, but it is in no way contacting it. I question the power pipe though because I'm sure that is touching... I didn't think about that before, so that's probibly where that is coming from. I am still going to ask the tuner when I take it back in to see what he says though, just to put my mind to ease.

I am going to wrap the starter this winter as one of my winter projects along with running larger cable. I hope that takes care of it because it is expensive for that welding cable, it seems like overkill with 2awg as is, I really hope it cures the problem.