Caring for the supercharger; RR + 3.5RV8 + Sprintex
Discussion
boxer456 said:
Have used standard atf in the reservoir ?- uses a fair amount, guess it just needs topping up from time to time.
Hi James and welcome to the made world of Wedge ownership...Yes you have a Very rare SX there and i know the previous owner very well..So do know the car..I will have to dig out the vid of it scaring people in a local village...The main reason for the intercooler was to bring the temperature down enough to stop the MS from dumping fuel in..Apparently the MS was unable to work with the high intake temperatures so a good investment would be to ditch it and find a better ignition system...Always a bonus in a blown engine...
The oil should be fine if its 80/90w hypoid...You are probably losing some as the res can dump a bit from time to time...Look forward to seeing and hearing her again at this years BBWF...
This was her last year...Getting a good soaking...
A few more from Boxhill...Not far from Zig Zag road...Bizarre!
A Very Very Nice rare Wedge...
Whoops nearly forgot the soundtrack..A few rounds of anti-aircraft fire...
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Turn this one up also...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOijSVBaYGY
A Very Very Nice rare Wedge...
Whoops nearly forgot the soundtrack..A few rounds of anti-aircraft fire...
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Turn this one up also...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOijSVBaYGY
Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 24th May 21:05
Hi Adam,
Just been reading through this thread and wondering if you still have any of the oil?
Also does your reservoir ever blow oil out of the lid?
I've fitted a new oil seal and still it blows oil out under load..... Should it get pressure in it anyway?
We have been doing a bit of work on it and this is an issue I'd like to fix.
It only does it with a very heavy right foot and under boost which by the way measures 6.8psi.
Cheers
Adam
Just been reading through this thread and wondering if you still have any of the oil?
Also does your reservoir ever blow oil out of the lid?
I've fitted a new oil seal and still it blows oil out under load..... Should it get pressure in it anyway?
We have been doing a bit of work on it and this is an issue I'd like to fix.
It only does it with a very heavy right foot and under boost which by the way measures 6.8psi.
Cheers
Adam
Hi Adam
I found that the same happened to mine on Delilah...It became a right pain..I tried venting a pipe to a catch bottle but the back pressure used to force it out...The pressure is created from the friction which transfers the heat dissipation through the oil...
Quote from a related article
"The reason any supercharger needs oil is because aside from boost and horsepower, it creates heat and friction. Simple physics states that expansion is a byproduct of heat. An oil fed supercharger can pass the heat and expansion down the drain line into the pan where there is a substantially larger area to deal with this kind of pressure, thus eliminating the chance for expansion failures
The biggest single objection to a self-contained supercharger is the frequent amount of maintenance. The oil in a self-contained supercharger has a useful life and must be replaced before it breaks down and causes the supercharger to fail. Changing the self-contained oil is something you must remember to do separate from changing the engine oil. On the other hand, an oil fed supercharger is relatively maintenance free. Every time you change the engine oil, you are automatically changing the supercharger oil"....
I seriously considered a tap into the engine oil when we were fitting the Sprintex as that would of dealt with any issues of the reservoir oil being chucked all over the engine and would of given sufficient lubrication of the unit..It was mentioned to me that this was an option at the time but i regrettably chose the recommended HP80 gear oil option which meant a self contained res...The one that came with it...I do remember posting up at the time and asking if anyone knew where to get a new one as someone had made a hole in the top as i thought but was assured they are meant to have to allow it to breath..Just don't over-fill the res i was told...Okay i never but still ended up with oil dripping on manifolds and going over the unit near the belt..Not good..And the potential to actually damage the unit on a long journey due to the oil being forced out along the way...With hindsight i would have chosen the tap into the engine oil....Although in real hindsight i should of just.......
.....Cheers....Ziga
I found that the same happened to mine on Delilah...It became a right pain..I tried venting a pipe to a catch bottle but the back pressure used to force it out...The pressure is created from the friction which transfers the heat dissipation through the oil...
Quote from a related article
"The reason any supercharger needs oil is because aside from boost and horsepower, it creates heat and friction. Simple physics states that expansion is a byproduct of heat. An oil fed supercharger can pass the heat and expansion down the drain line into the pan where there is a substantially larger area to deal with this kind of pressure, thus eliminating the chance for expansion failures
The biggest single objection to a self-contained supercharger is the frequent amount of maintenance. The oil in a self-contained supercharger has a useful life and must be replaced before it breaks down and causes the supercharger to fail. Changing the self-contained oil is something you must remember to do separate from changing the engine oil. On the other hand, an oil fed supercharger is relatively maintenance free. Every time you change the engine oil, you are automatically changing the supercharger oil"....
I seriously considered a tap into the engine oil when we were fitting the Sprintex as that would of dealt with any issues of the reservoir oil being chucked all over the engine and would of given sufficient lubrication of the unit..It was mentioned to me that this was an option at the time but i regrettably chose the recommended HP80 gear oil option which meant a self contained res...The one that came with it...I do remember posting up at the time and asking if anyone knew where to get a new one as someone had made a hole in the top as i thought but was assured they are meant to have to allow it to breath..Just don't over-fill the res i was told...Okay i never but still ended up with oil dripping on manifolds and going over the unit near the belt..Not good..And the potential to actually damage the unit on a long journey due to the oil being forced out along the way...With hindsight i would have chosen the tap into the engine oil....Although in real hindsight i should of just.......
.....Cheers....ZigaOz2 said:
So the obvious thing then is a bigger reservoir?
More air space?
A breather going to under the car...... Oil all over the road.... Bit James Bond!!!
If the lid was sealed and under pressure, what would that do?
Cheers
Adam
Not sure a sealed unit would be advisable..At some point the pressure is going to reach its exceeded pressure and will need a release..Blow off valve...Also i believe that the reservoir must be a said height so that not too much fluid is in the hoses..More fluid = More expansion but potentially lower pressure due to volume...But a bigger res would be needed and would still not eliminate the oil spill...I think something custom would need to be made..Although utilising the existing volume of fluids...Ideally it would need a vent which is some kind of relief valve connecting the filler res to a catch res which is intern is connected to the filler...Ang on i will draw something.....More air space?
A breather going to under the car...... Oil all over the road.... Bit James Bond!!!
If the lid was sealed and under pressure, what would that do?
Cheers
Adam
Right i think something like this might work...
If the pressure builds up to a set point..Not sure what that would be then anything exceeding it would open the valve and release pressure by way of air and oil..The return could be gravity fed which in theory should release any trapped air as its settling..The pressure is only being exceeded when you plant the size 12 down so the valve should maintain a safe working pressure level and not be able to create a vacuum which could hinder the flow....It all started to get a bit complicated and i got stumped at the return...If this is open then the valve is pointless!...So not sure if this would of worked...
Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 8th November 22:53
Mine has started to drink oil recently - before with ATF it was using about half a reservoir full every 500 miles or so which was manageable. But in the past few months it started drinking a reservoir in 100 miles. So I changed to hypoid 75w gear oil, and that's slowed the consumption to half or a third.
But mine seems to get sucked in, rather than blown out. Or at least it's going somewhere and it doesn't seem to be leaking out.
The reservoir normally has a small hole in the lid to allow pressure to equalise, and it's mounted about half-way up the side of the blower. I guess if it's a bit low then any "blowage" might force oil out of the hole. You could try raising the reservoir a bit, or putting a taller one on there.
But mine seems to get sucked in, rather than blown out. Or at least it's going somewhere and it doesn't seem to be leaking out.
The reservoir normally has a small hole in the lid to allow pressure to equalise, and it's mounted about half-way up the side of the blower. I guess if it's a bit low then any "blowage" might force oil out of the hole. You could try raising the reservoir a bit, or putting a taller one on there.
Yes I have plenty of the grease for the other end which I'll drop off with your folks.
The oil you are using is probably in the middle between ATF (thin) and gearbox 75W.
I doubt if it can cause it to be blown out - one other thing that occurred is that both hoses are free inside - no blockages. So pass a thick wire along each pipe and poke it all the way through.
It's either the temperature in the gearbox causing extreme expansion, or a blow of air from the compressor forcing oil out. The top hose is key to equalising pressure.
One other thing to check - two of the 4 mounting bolts under the blower onto the air outlet on mine fell out. I found one in the wiring loom! And I think one of these might help seal the oil in? So check these are still there - the leak might be elsewhere to what you think....
The oil you are using is probably in the middle between ATF (thin) and gearbox 75W.
I doubt if it can cause it to be blown out - one other thing that occurred is that both hoses are free inside - no blockages. So pass a thick wire along each pipe and poke it all the way through.
It's either the temperature in the gearbox causing extreme expansion, or a blow of air from the compressor forcing oil out. The top hose is key to equalising pressure.
One other thing to check - two of the 4 mounting bolts under the blower onto the air outlet on mine fell out. I found one in the wiring loom! And I think one of these might help seal the oil in? So check these are still there - the leak might be elsewhere to what you think....
Hi Adam...If your pipe coming out the top of the reservoir is a good fit, Mine was just pushed in then you might be able to point the open end into a small catch tank...Ideally one that just has an opening for the hose to sit in rather than fixed to...You shouldn't loose that much oil unless you have air trapped in the hose as suggested or its over-filled.
I would leave the reservoir at the height that is recommended or you will be adding more oil than needed and not maintaining the marked level..
I would leave the reservoir at the height that is recommended or you will be adding more oil than needed and not maintaining the marked level..
I think the idea is that we move the reservoir up a bit, but maintain the same level (relative to the input shaft). You're right it's the level int he blower that matters.
Then if oil gets blown towards the reservoir there's more spare room in there before it overflows.
Also with the reservoir raised there will be slightly more "head" and the oil will settle back down into the blower gearbox, maybe.
Then if oil gets blown towards the reservoir there's more spare room in there before it overflows.
Also with the reservoir raised there will be slightly more "head" and the oil will settle back down into the blower gearbox, maybe.
J
Yes the cap is sealed with an 'O' ring so the only escape for hopefully only air is the 2mm hole.
The rubber seal on the original did go astray, I did replace it but the lid had distorted so it was no longer a good fit, you could tighten it to a point then it would click loose again......
Do you think the 2mm hole is enough?
Adam
adam quantrill said:
Looks nice and blingy - is the cap sealed to the body (so oil can only come out of that little hole?)
With the old one did you have a rubber washer to seal the cap - sometimes these can get lost?
Hi adam,With the old one did you have a rubber washer to seal the cap - sometimes these can get lost?
Yes the cap is sealed with an 'O' ring so the only escape for hopefully only air is the 2mm hole.
The rubber seal on the original did go astray, I did replace it but the lid had distorted so it was no longer a good fit, you could tighten it to a point then it would click loose again......
Do you think the 2mm hole is enough?
Adam
mrzigazaga said:
Thats just showing off...A map of Australia on the inside of a alloy lid...Really....Of course I'm not jealous.... 
Looks like it may sort it mate...Theres only one way to test it though.....
FLOOR IT
No no no Zig, you have it all wrong.... I just wanted to show you my ring!!Looks like it may sort it mate...Theres only one way to test it though.....
FLOOR IT
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