Blower Whine..

007_SuperCoupe

Registered User
I don't recall this happening before...

On COLD mornings when I go out to start my SC, the blower will whine a lot and it will be pretty loud at times. I let the car warm up before driving it and the whine will go away (except for the usual whine associated with forced induction). This does have me a little bit concerned that my blower may be going down for the count. I just want to check with others before I resort to other measures...

My thought is this...Because it is so cold (usually occurs below 20*F, but haven't ever noticed it warmer), the SC oil is very cold. After a short (2-3 minutes) time of the engine running, the sound goes away. This is the time that it takes for the oil to heat up to a point to which it completely covers the gears in the supercharger. Any truth to this? Like I've stated before, I never have that sound when it is close to or above the freezing point. Only when it is around 20* F or colder.

Thanks.
 
Have you checked the fluid in it recently?

Mine I noticed was always a little louder when it was low on fluid.

But I really don't know about the colder/warmer idea.
 
When cold all of my birds do that but I think what you are hearing is the power steering pump. Some morning have some one start it with hood up so you can check it out but im sure that its the pump. My lx dose this too. They all have new pumps.
 
About the fluid...I put this blower on about a year and a half ago. Put brand new SC oil in it then. However, I cannot check it now. It appears that the plug was a not-so-common torx bit style and that has since stripped out. And as I don't really have a garage to work on getting it out...Well, the hands get pretty cold trying. I'm pretty sure that there is enough oil in it though. There are no signs of oil leaking anywhere.

And, yes, I'm sure it is the supercharger that is making the noise. I've had the hood open and was checking it out. I know what the power steering pump sounds like and this is not it. Definately the supercharger. I just want to make sure that the bearings are not on their way out, that's all. I'll get it rebuilt ASAP if that is the case. But I really don't know if this is a common thing or not.
 
007_SuperCoupe; I have a similar situation with working in the cold. I haven't really noticed excessive whine while the blower was cold, but then again I haven't really been paying attn either. How much louder is it? I would check mine now but the thermostat gasket has blown again.

I once delt with a stripped SC plug though. Several things you might try: First, heat the plug carefully. The expansion and following contraction is sometimes enough allow it to spin. Next, try taking a flat head screwdriver and inserting the head into the bolt. Tap it carefully if you have to. If it won't fit, try finding a dremel or similar tool and cut a groove into the bolt head. Make it big enough to allow a flat head screwdriver, not too deep. This should work. Another thing you could try first is making a hex wrench fit. If you can get it in far enough, grip might be sufficient to remove it.

If all these things fail, you may end up drilling it out using an EZ-Out. This requires extreme caution however, as you don't want to damage the housing or drop metal shavings inside the SC.

To check your bearings for wear, listen to them. One way is to take a socket and put the wrench end on each corner of your SC top. Then move your ear to the open end, and listen for grinding. Sometimes you can hear grinding bearings w/o anything but a close ear. If you hear grinding, your bearings have probably experienced wear. If not, chances are there is no grinding to be heard, as it tends to be fairly loud when it happens.

These superchargers are durable. They can go for a long time in less than perfect condition, and in some cases they have been run dry of oil, refilled and still worked. In addition, it seems they are easily acquired from this site and various other places at a reasonable cost.

Hope that helps..
 
Check to make sure the bypass valve isn't stuck closed. Sometimes the linkage binds against the back of the supercharger. Also, If the hose falls off the vacuum actuator the bypass will stay closed. Both will cause a whining sound.

David
 
Thanks for the replies. I also contacted Charles Warner to see if he had an explanation...and he did, here it is:

"The aluminum case moves quite a bit with temperature and it does squeeze on the bearings more when it is cold. I would say you have a bearing going and when the charger is cold the bearing is squeezed causing it to make noise. I would let it idle until the squeaking stops before running the engine at higher RPM..."

So I'm going to guess, based upon my description of the noise and Charles's response that I am in for a re-build. Not a big deal I guess since I can get it ported at the same time. This is FYI for anyone else who might have a similar issue.
 
Actually it's cheaper to get the magnaport since I already have the late model SC and already sold my early M90...But the result is close enough to the same...

Actually I'm looking at possibly getting an additional SC...Yeah, the one in Seward. I saw it today. Pretty nice car. Just got to check out the insurance factor...salvage title...Could be a great project car. I'll keep you posted on it. If I do get it, that will change my mod out look for the near future.
 
I'd watch it close if I were you. Unless you've got the $$ for a new one soon. I'm looking at ways to get that one rebuilt ASAP. I don't want to risk it too much. It seems that on cold mornings it is louder and sounds more like metal scraping sometimes. But then goes away pretty quickly. I just want to be able to rebuild as opposed to brand new supercharger.
 
Sam,

You can usually find good early model cores for around $200, so I wouldn't worry about buying new vs. rebuilding.

David
 
In reality, I've got to sell my blue SC now. I'm getting a better one. So I could just let the sc go with it. But that depends on who I sell it to also. I'd like to keep it though since I did pay a pretty hefty price for it initially. And of course, with the rebuild will come some porting. I'm somewhat torn on what to do for sure. Keep the late model blower and have it magnaported, or upgrade to an MPII. The MPII is slightly more expensive than a rebuild is. Plus I'd have to get a late model inlet (won't be able to afford the MP inlet yet) which would add just a little more to the price. So I'm leaning towards the rebuild for simplicity's sake. I want a ported sc and I'd get a rebuild during that process anyway. So I'm going to take part of the $$ I get for my SC and put it towards rebuilding and porting the sc.
 
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