Ordered Supercharger!

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:28 am

It's still not installed yet!?! What are you waiting for?

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:36 am

haha, I know I know. I had to order extra parts, search for other parts, and find a time where my father and I could do it. He was working some screwy hours lately. But, it's been very difficult staring at it every day.

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:39 am

I'll tell ya what. How about you ship it to me and I'll make sure that it works for you? You wouldn't wan't it to go into atrophy because its not being used.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:41 am

hehe. It's not like she's easy. She's an elegant beauty. You have to take your time and finesse her before she'll let you get anywhere

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:44 am

Haha ok. I expect pics and a performance review as soon as you get it installed!

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:48 am

I'll have lots of pics and maybe a video or two.

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:02 pm

I would love to see a video. I can't get enough of that supercharger whine.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:03 pm

You'll get a whine either way. If it doesn't work I'll post a video of me blubbering like a little baby, 10PSI style.

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:07 pm

(removed)!

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Thu Sep 27, 2007 1:12 pm

um did you start that install yet? the meet is soon!

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 12:35 pm

Update:Intake Manifold is offAlternator removedThermostat installedBelt removedStarting bright and early to finish it off. I did the spark plugs, replaced the PCV valve, and took apart the throttle body and cleaned that IACV valve (very good idea). I also cleaned the intake manifold ports. They were disgusting! Take a mixture of snot and baby poop and that's what was in those ports. Gross! Wish me luck on the rest!

DiveNut · Post by **DiveNut** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 1:04 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»Update:Intake Manifold is offAlternator removedThermostat installedBelt removedStarting bright and early to finish it off. I did the spark plugs, replaced the PCV valve, and took apart the throttle body and cleaned that IACV valve (very good idea). I also cleaned the intake manifold ports. They were disgusting! Take a mixture of snot and baby poop and that's what was in those ports. Gross! Wish me luck on the rest!Awesome! Good luck

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:33 pm

Yaaaa, should have paid someone to do this. It's a pain in the, you know what. Can't even get the alternator connections made again. Nice job TRD.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:41 pm

After removing those wire harness brackets, did you keep those tie-wrapped piece on that held those brackets, or do you cut them off?

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 4:28 am

You talkin' about the harness for the ECU? I used as much as I could to keep everything looking 'clean'.When you get everything up and running, don't be too disappointed with the initial feel with the s/c. It's gonna take a couple days for your ECU to learn what to do with the s/c. My first drive with it was really disappointing. It was slower than my car was before the s/c. I'll leave this site on all day so IM me if you need help.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:34 am

How's it going with the install??

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 6:06 am

Lancer's right about that.It takes a few days for the ecu to kick in.It takes mine 3 to 4 days to kick in all the way,what a PITA.If your talking about the brackets that run along the valve cover just above the intake,I took them off,but it said to take them off in the install manual.I was wondering what everyone else did with them?And the harness for the alternator is a tight fit,I routed mine just above the alternator,but yeah it's tight.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:35 pm

Sorry for not getting back to you guys. We finished the install and then I had to go out on a date, haha.Well, the install took a total of about 10 hours for me. My dad thinks that those that said it took them 4-5 hours are full of crap. haha. Well, we did some extra stuff. Changed the PCV valve, took apart the throttle body. Then we had difficulty with my kit being used and had to go grab more hosing and things like that. And I didn't like how the install was explained......especially the pictures. In the pictures they have pictures of just what they're explaining but the pictures don't show stuff you did in previous steps which is very annoying. Had some trouble pulling those wires through the rubber boot and the whole ECU crap was annoying and frustrating. But it's done! My heart was pounding out of my chest right before I started it.Took it on the first drive and it was pretty good, but not as exciting as I thought. Then later on I went for a drive and holy crap does this thing have power. It's like instant power too. The lame early gears on the car are no more. 0-60 seems like an instant. And if you're in traffic at 45 and feeling like passing everybody........no problem AT ALL. it's pretty sick, and I love it. I still want to get a boost gauge because I'd like to make sure that I'm running at 7.5PSI.My words of wisdom for everybody else...........screw getting intakes, exhaust, and the header. Save that up for the supercharger first. You'll never be impressed with the power you get from your Vibe untll you're boosted..........that's just my thought.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:41 pm

No offence buddy,but you guys must work like turtles.It took me just under 5 hours for my install and 45 minutes were lost figuring out how to get that stupid fuel line off ,you guys must have 10 thumbs. Glad you got it installed,told you it would be worth all the head aches you went threw.Wait a few more days when the ecu kicks in all the way

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:47 pm

haha, nah, not really turtles. My dad has worked on a lot of cars and has a lot of mechanical knowledge and he's an electrician. We had problem with the kit since some stuff was already assembled and some hoses were missing, so that held us back. And it took us a while to get to that IACV and I cleaned that thing very well (which helped tremendously). My dad is also very particular and ended up replacing some of the bolts that came with the kit because he didn't think they were good enough. So ya, all those things ate up some time for sure. If we had a new kit I think things would have went a lot quicker. We had to leave twice to pick up different hosing and all that crap. And our family doesn't have good luck.......so add all that stuff together and you have 10 hours

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:49 pm

oh ya, that fuel line was a pain and I had the disconnect tools. There is that bump on the line so when you use that plastic tool it separates and was releasing every clip except one. It took us a while to figure that out. Had to use the tool and a screwdriver.I took a crap load of pictures so I'll post those soon.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Sat Sep 29, 2007 11:57 pm

At least you had the tool.I had a buddy help me and we had 3 jewellers screwdrivers to release those 3 prongs,what a PITA.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:21 am

Yay! Another s/c Vibe for Wisconsin! Wanna race? That fuel line held me up for a good 3-4 hours, too. I think it took me over 12 hours to do mine. But I was working mostly by myself with not much expiriance behind me.Feels like a strong V6 now doesn't it? Take it easy until you get your tranny built up a little. At the least you'll need a shift kit. Congrats on the 'new' car! Hit me up if you want to cruise.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 8:48 am

Thanks man! I appreciate you staying online yesterday, but luckily I didn't need to bother you. I'm glad I'm not the only turtle . I let my brother, dad, and mom drive my car after it was done......haha. So they beat on it a little bit. Then I drove back home to Madison and only got on it a bit on 26 in the passing areas. Other than that I haven't beat it too much but now I live in fear of blowing my tranny or something. I should probably get a tranny cooler on there soon. Do they make a shift kit for our trannys? I'd like to build it up but I'd also like to take it easy on buying things for a while. Eventually I want to replace the cats, do some tranny work, and tint and do rims. A paint job would be nice too........since I'm sure you've witnessed the first-model-year brilliant paint job.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:32 am

Oh ya, the exhaust is loud as hell now!

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 9:38 am

congrats on the new found power... I hope to be in the same class one day too... I would like to see someone retrofit a scion SC on a vibe... LOL there are more of those around..Who's handy...

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:50 am

with the new vibe/trix model coming....there may be a new engine and SC

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:36 am

Pics!http://s216.photobucket.com/al...art=0Let me know if that doesn't work.

DiveNut · Post by **DiveNut** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 12:29 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»Pics!http://s216.photobucket.com/al...art=0Let me know if that doesn't work.Congratulation Petrucci!

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:24 pm

Finally! I am so jealous.

hskater26 · Post by **hskater26** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:33 pm

im jelious too!! but that looks complicated haha

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 1:37 pm

OH dang im super jealous too!! I sure hope you make it to the meet! I gotta see how much faster a 1zz sc is than stock....and how they compare to a sc cobalt. congrats and keep us updated on how it drives!

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:49 pm

How did the shims for the idler go.Have you kept an eye on the belt being centered.Looks like you need a engine shampoo now so the engine looks as clean as the s/c.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:25 pm

The shims were fine. If you watch the belt move, it moves a tiny tiny bit back and forth on the idler pulley. If I removed one of the shims I think it would have been to0 much. So far it's been just fine. I think it's on there as good as it can get. I've been driving it quite a bit and it hasn't slipped or anything. That is what they really warn you about. As long as it stays on the pulley and isn't moving around too much I should be good.Thanks guys! I'm still planning on making it to the meet. I'm going to go a little easy on her so I don't blow my tranny........I wanna save up for that over time. But it was hard to get traction today in the rain

Kamikaze · Post by **Kamikaze** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:33 pm

Looks good! Can't wait to see it at the meet!

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 2:57 am

Thanks, Kamikaze, hopefully I don't blow anything up by then, haha!Lancer, I'm still getting some engine shop information for you. There are several places in Green Bay that my brother and father are aware of. I just need to get the list from them soon.As for my tranny upgrade, what would I need to do? I'm not looking for a lot more performance out of it, but definetely reliability. I see on Level 10 they have 4 different options. 1. Upgrades gears, seals, and bolts2. Upgraded valve body3. Upgraded Torque Convertor4. Complete bulletproof trannyI was kinda looking at 1 and 2. That would be about $1300. Could I bring those parts to an AAMCO and have them install them? Or are they against non-AAMCO parts? How much is labor for something like that? I'm not doing this anytime soon but I should probably start saving. I don't want to ruin my tranny at all but I think our trannys suck as it is. First gear can go to hell! haha.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:00 am

the tranny for sure needs the upgraded torq converter, and then a shift kit will help with the added HP. otherwise you dont really need new gears or seals unless you have a ton of miles and they are worn. Its the torq converter that would break first.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:22 am

I don't think you have to worry about your tranny too much yet.Lancer is making 200whp(in that range),that's why he needed the upgrade.I would first start by getting the tranny cooler.If you decide to do the tranny,just don't do it yourself cause it might take a while.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:24 am

uhhh and auto tranny?! lol yeah i wouldnt touch one alone hahah tons and tons of those thin gears. With a stock SC and stock tranny you'll be okay but if you beat on it...finance a tranny upgrade in the future......

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:27 am

I have rebuilt a few old school turbo 350's and 400's but never any newer ones.But when the time comes,I will be upgrading mine myself.That's the only way I can afford to do mods.

northvibe · Post by **northvibe** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:35 am

true...well i mean if you go slow and remember where stuff goes your fine..... just dont...forget...where did that one go? hahha

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:28 am

I agree, Kevera. I have good ATF fluid in my tranny (AMSOIL) and I will be getting a tranny cooler to keep the fluid temps down. Also, the SC cuts boost during shifts anyways, so it shouldn't do much damage. I don't think GM/Toyota would offer these kits installed from the factory if it would tear trannys apart all the time. And no way in hell would I take apart my tranny. Maybe I would with some of you guys (group project, anyone?), but me and my father fought enough as it is with the SC install. Pulling out the tranny would most likely result in fisticuffs

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:40 am

I didn't have any problems with the s/c install,it went fast and smooth for me.How does your 2 to 3 shift feel.Mine has always been sort of harsh,have you noticed that yet.Or is it smooth through all the gears.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:49 am

From what I've noticed, it seems like second gear is the strongest for me. None of them have been too harsh, first is a little week. If I'm beating on it quite a bit for a long time I can tell the tranny feels a little weaker but it has seemed fine. Has the occasional harsh shift but that's when you're giving it and then have to slow down suddenly and it has to shift when it wasn't expecting to....those sort of things. Shifting is the worst for me in slower city driving.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:59 am

For the boost gauge, it just screws over that threaded area above the solenoid connection, correct? What size do I need to tap into that? And I don't have to have it blocked currently, do I? There is no visible hole when I look into it.

ajflan · Post by **ajflan** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 12:02 pm

So how do you like the sound of the supercharger? I bet it is sweet.

kevera · Post by **kevera** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 7:54 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»For the boost gauge, it just screws over that threaded area above the solenoid connection, correct? What size do I need to tap into that? And I don't have to have it blocked currently, do I? There is no visible hole when I look into it.Looks like you have the plug in it now.I don't know the size,but the fitting comes with the boost gauge.Here's a pic of where it goes.

Attached files

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:14 pm

Whoa! That pic looks a lot like my car! Is that fitting a 2 1/6" or whatever?And yes, the supercharger sounds nice. I wish the whine was even more apparent but you can hear it if you give it to her. My exhaust is a lot louder now........just about where I wanted it.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:49 am

I should probably replace those cats pretty quick. I'm starting to see more soot on the exhaust tip and more of an exhaust smell. I suppose that could be because of her running too rich.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 1:56 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»Lancer, I'm still getting some engine shop information for you. There are several places in Green Bay that my brother and father are aware of. I just need to get the list from them soon.As for my tranny upgrade, what would I need to do? I'm not looking for a lot more performance out of it, but definetely reliability. I see on Level 10 they have 4 different options. 1. Upgrades gears, seals, and bolts2. Upgraded valve body3. Upgraded Torque Convertor4. Complete bulletproof trannyI was kinda looking at 1 and 2. That would be about $1300. Could I bring those parts to an AAMCO and have them install them? Or are they against non-AAMCO parts? How much is labor for something like that? I'm not doing this anytime soon but I should probably start saving. I don't want to ruin my tranny at all but I think our trannys suck as it is. First gear can go to hell! haha.Thank's for looking for shops for me! I heard about the one in GB, nice website. Looks like they like DSM's.My tranny was pretty shot so I needed everything replaced ($3500). If your's is still in good shape then all ne need is a shift kit. But the only way to find out what shape it's really in is by tearing it apart. If you want to use Bruce @ Aamco, I would just let him get the parts. A little cheaper and you don't have to pay shipping charges, and you'll know that the right parts will be ordered.Your shift's are supposed to be harder now that your boosted when your at WOT. It's actually better for the tranny. When the auto tranny shifts are really smooth, it's got a lot of overlap and is sorta slipping. Good for a stock car made for regular driving. But it produces a lot of heat. Heat kills trannies. A faster, harder shift doesn't slip or have much overlap. So it doesn't get as hot as fast. That's about how my tranny guy explained it to me. Even though my power is going down from the FUBAR'd piston rings, every once in a while I can still churp the tires going into second (with an automatic tranny!).Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»I should probably replace those cats pretty quick. I'm starting to see more soot on the exhaust tip and more of an exhaust smell. I suppose that could be because of her running too rich.Yeah, that'll happen! Because it's so rich, the cats are running hotter. And again, heat kills.