Some questions about SuperCharger Kits and the PowerDyne version:
1. If the SC belt breaks would you be able to drive the car for a short distance?
Note: I realize that the belt that spins your water pump and alternator could break also.
2. I think somebody said Powerdyne SC has an internal belt along with the external belt. If the internal belt breaks would you be able to drive the car for a short distance?
3. A piggy back ECU is wired into the IS fuel injection system to provide, among other things, fuel enrichment.
a. If the piggy back ECU fails would you still be able to drive the car for a short distance
b. If the piggy back ECU fails would the driver see a CEL? My concern here is the unit fails and you get a lean condition and don't know it; which could lead to engine damage.
4. There have been reports of driveability issues with SC units in the past that don't have intercoolers. The problems occur on very hot days in stop and go traffic. The symptom has been reported to the engine stumbling when applying a lot of throttle from a dead stop or very low speed. The cause was reported to be the SC unit becoming heat soaked and transfering more heat to the intake air which is already pretty hot based upon the outside air temp.
a. Will this be a problem with the PowerDyne unit and why not?
5. It has been reported the SuperCharger drive belts increase the load on main bearings. In some cases engine designers have had to increase the strength of main bearing caps and/or add more bearing surface to deal with the additional load.
a. Has anyone done a tear down of an IS300 engine after extended use of SC to see if there is any abnormal main bearing wear. In most cases I think the bearing closest to the pulley shows the most wear? It could take 50-100K miles for this to show up but when it does it could be very expensive to fix if you still own the car.
I sent an email to Mike at PLP with questions 1-3; questions 4 & 5 are new. I am sure he is too busy wiith the new shop and dealing with paying customers at the moment, so I thought I would serve up some similar questions to the experts
1. If the SC belt breaks would you be able to drive the car for a short distance?
Note: I realize that the belt that spins your water pump and alternator could break also.
2. I think somebody said Powerdyne SC has an internal belt along with the external belt. If the internal belt breaks would you be able to drive the car for a short distance?
3. A piggy back ECU is wired into the IS fuel injection system to provide, among other things, fuel enrichment.
a. If the piggy back ECU fails would you still be able to drive the car for a short distance
b. If the piggy back ECU fails would the driver see a CEL? My concern here is the unit fails and you get a lean condition and don't know it; which could lead to engine damage.
4. There have been reports of driveability issues with SC units in the past that don't have intercoolers. The problems occur on very hot days in stop and go traffic. The symptom has been reported to the engine stumbling when applying a lot of throttle from a dead stop or very low speed. The cause was reported to be the SC unit becoming heat soaked and transfering more heat to the intake air which is already pretty hot based upon the outside air temp.
a. Will this be a problem with the PowerDyne unit and why not?
5. It has been reported the SuperCharger drive belts increase the load on main bearings. In some cases engine designers have had to increase the strength of main bearing caps and/or add more bearing surface to deal with the additional load.
a. Has anyone done a tear down of an IS300 engine after extended use of SC to see if there is any abnormal main bearing wear. In most cases I think the bearing closest to the pulley shows the most wear? It could take 50-100K miles for this to show up but when it does it could be very expensive to fix if you still own the car.
I sent an email to Mike at PLP with questions 1-3; questions 4 & 5 are new. I am sure he is too busy wiith the new shop and dealing with paying customers at the moment, so I thought I would serve up some similar questions to the experts