Hello all. I am looking to buy a used supercharger cheap. As long as the bearings are not making any weird noises, I don't care how much oil it was leaking. I have ordered some replacement oil seals from a company from England that I am going to give a try. I have been thinking about this project for some time and I finally decided to give it a go. Seams like there is only one company in the world rebuilding these...seems to me they need some healthy competition.

I have taken one supercharger apart all ready, but I learned a few things on it the hard way, if you know what I mean. I want to get another one so I am not rushed by having my car taken apart at the same time. I live in Missouri, but would pay shipping.

Let me be clear, I do not want to spend significant money on a supercharger that MIGHT be good. I want to pick up a KNOWN bad supercharger for cheap. Maybe you have one laying around that you replaced with an Ebay unit, let me know.

Thanks,
Todd
Mechanical Engineer by day, supercharger junkie by night

 

Hi,
I am beginning to develop an engine shutter and a slight knock that seems to be coming from the Supercharger. The shutter only occurs when first starting the engine (hot or cold) and it and the knock gradually go away a few minutes after starting. The knock makes the same sound as a bad lifter.... like a tapping sound.... ie..not a heavy knock.

Any clues to what is going on?

Thanks for any ideas.

 

when was the timing belt last changed, and was the tensioner also changed? i would suspect the tensioner long before the compressor.

 

What's your mileage and year? Do you have any engine codes? Sounds in an engine can be very hard to pinpoint.

I have repaired a supercharger with new seals all around and new bearings on the throttle body side. Probably another weekend or two before I can get it in the car. I'll post how it turns out. Hopefully everything goes well as it would cost way less than one from PSE.

 

Thanks for the reply. It's a 1995 S with 95000 miles on it. The timing belt has not been changed yet. If the noise is from the tensioner, would it gradually go away after starting? The shutter and tapping-knock sound are very random, although they are happening more often as time goes by. I suppose that means the problem is getting worse. Again, the shutter and noise only occur the first few minutes after starting. The car drives like new once it stops.

I'll throw this out too: the spark plugs have not been changed either (has orig s. plugs).

Thanks for the help.

 

1995 MIllenia S, Miller Cycle with 95000 miles. No engine codes, no lights.

Thanks.

 

A '95 with only 95k miles? Wow, that is low mileage.
Mileage is not always a good indicator of life, if a lot of city driving is done, a lot of wear and tear can happen without racking up a lot of miles. Also, some things are more age dependent than miles, like rubber gaskets that tend to dry out with age even if they haven't seen a lot of heat. Given the miles and age of the car, you are due for a timing belt and spark plugs. That might be a good place to start if you are planning on keeping the car.

 

Yes, you are right. The timing belt and plugs need to be replaced. I was planning to do these until the shutter and clacking sound started. No use throwing good money after bad on an old car, if there is a major problem getting started.

I don't think the belt/plugs are causing the shutter/clacking since the problems go away after a few minutes and the car runs fine. Still not sure if the tensioner could be doing it.

The clacking sound is coming from the top right side of the engine, either in the supercharger or right below it. It's difficult to say exactly where it is coming from. At first, I thought the shutter might be a sticky fuel injector, but I'm not sure if a fuel injector would cause the clacking sound. The best I can describe the sound is that it sounds similar to a bad lifter or one that needs adjusting.

I guess a sticky lifter could cause the shutter/clacking? Anyone know if this is a common problem with M-C engines? Are there other common M-C problems that could be causing the shutter/clacking? I hope it is not the supercharger.

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks.

 

2.3 has solid lifters. if the tensioner is bad, it could cause the timing belt to flap. mazda says plugs need to be changed after 60k, also fuel filter. when i change a belt, i also change out the water pump. while this adds a lot of labor, if that sucker goes out, you will be redoing the belt again. mazda says 105k for the belt, engine is non interference, so if it breaks(and i have never heard of a 2.3 belt break, but they DO jump time), no harm, no foul. if you do change the water pump, there are some critical parts that you MUST get from mazda. for instance, there are 2 orings for the crossover pipe that goes between the heads. they get smashed and deformed, i would never reuse them. this last belt i did, the cooling system ate my lunch. i finally bought a vacuum tool to refill the system.