Hawaii servicing for supercharger (gen 1)?

[jerold]

For the gen 1 Solara (same as the gen 4 Camry). Where does everyone take their S/C'd camry/solars for servicing? And anybody in Hawaii that knows how to actually service the supercharger itself? When the Camry was in Seattle, it was just a short drive (relatively) to Jim in Portland. But now my nephew has it in Hawaii. He says the boost doesn't seem to be working so well lately (like going up Kipapa Gulch). Any advice? Thanks, Jerold

[DSM_Lara]

O.o... Pounding it to hard. nah I jk lol
I guess he can try giving the Dealership a call??? Leeward Toyota. Unfortunately I don't know who service them since I don't have one. =(

[1gSE]

Look at the quick fixes first. Any strange noises, leaks? I was showing 1.5psi less because of belt slippage

[jerold]

O.o... Pounding it to hard. nah I jk lol
I guess he can try giving the Dealership a call??? Leeward Toyota. Unfortunately I don't know who service them since I don't have one. =(

I loved the SC, but often times (like these) I wish I just kept it stock, lol.

Look at the quick fixes first. Any strange noises, leaks? I was showing 1.5psi less because of belt slippage

I was thinking a leak too, because he said it's normal except for going up the hill. I probably should've asked what he meant by "normal" (like DSM_Lara was suggesting, lol). I asked him to check all the hoses. And be sure he's using the right octane too.

Not sure if I should've mentioned that it's boosted to 7 psi. Has the headers (JP?). And the different injectors (Supra?) and the fuel mod from Jim (if that's still the same from 2004). No CAI. I can't remember exactly, since I did all this so long ago. But I don't think it should be any of that, should it?

[jerold]

1gSE, I forgot to ask, how did you know/realize that your belt was slipping? I'm pretty sure it was replaced in 2009, so maybe it is getting too old. Not sure how much miles that's been.

[1gSE]

having headers may show lower boost. Boost is kind of like measuring resistance. Headers = more efficient/less resistance lower psi.

I just notice my gauge was reading lower than it should have been. I have a 5.5lb pulley. It initial hits about 6 - 6.5, settles at 5.5 then creeps up to about 7 towards redline. So when I saw it below 5 at WOT, the first thing I went for was the belt. It didn't feel that loose, but looser than I'd like. So I tightened it up a little bit...bam, back to normal

[jerold]

Is your's without the spring tensioner. Mine's has it, so it's supposed to be tight all the time (right?).

[wagonsrule]

It also depends on how the boost is connected. Some setups use the VSV and others use direct boost (bypass automatically closes when out of vacuum. Here is a pic of the setup most of us use here.


Bad vacuum hoses and the like could stop the bypass actuator from staying open.
In my setup its the opposite though. If the vacuum hoses are not connected boost is always active.I don't know much about the VSV connection (except that its slower to get to full boost with that than with my direct connection.)

This post could help too.
http://www.solaraguy.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=51454

[1gSE]

^^ Actually that would be a vacuum source

Jerold, I don't have the auto tensioner. Yours could be wearing out

[wagonsrule]

Yes, in the original Kazuma manual for installation the S/C is supposed to be connected through the VSV (Vacuum switching Valve). In the pic i showed its connected through the intake directly. VSV's do go bad if it is installed through that method (the VSV is part of the EGR system and if he did a delete, well, its gonna get full of extra dirt real quick)

Of course, we are all trying to help first but we haven't had a real description of the problem and the 'normal except when going up hills' is a bit hard to understand

As far as i know (and believe me i know, hills are plenty here) boost should not change whether you accelerate on a straight line or up a hill O_O

[1gSE]

Agreed, that's pretty hard to diagnose. Jerold, is there a boost gauge in the car?

[jerold]

Of course, we are all trying to help first but we haven't had a real description of the problem and the 'normal except when going up hills' is a bit hard to understand

Lol, I am also the same, wondering what the actual real issue is. And what they've done/are doing to check it. Sorry, third party information here. At first I thought the whole car wasn't running, because they were trying to get the whole supercharger fixed. But the car still seems to run ok, I think? It does sound like maybe they mean there's just no boost. There is a boost gauge in the car. I didn't think about that. (But that's why these forums exist, :thumbsup:)

Oh, another thing I probably should've mentioned, is that the knock sensor went bad again (stupid knock sensor) a couple of months ago. So they replaced it (I think my nephew and brother-in-law did it themselves). Something could've been missed in the re-installation of the s/c. I did tell them to check the back of the installation manual if there's a troubleshooting guide.

I don't think they would've touched the VSV thing, but maybe that hose is just old and needs replacing. I think I remember once a long long long time ago when there was no boost. And I think it was because I broke that nipple off of the VSV, so had to drive around with it disconnected until a replacement came. IIRC.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I'll see if I can get/give more information.

[wagonsrule]

No boost at all with the SC at 7psi (As in AT ALL) is practically impossible. Even with almost no vacuum ports capped off i was getting boost.

I don't know about manuals (Mine is AT, but should be the same) but in neutral, as soon as the bypass valve opens (over a % of throttle) boost appears on the gauge. Just have him gun it in neutral and look at the gauge while someone checks the boost bypass valve. Easy : If vavle does not open, check vacuum hoses, or change bypass connection to the way its shown in pic i showed.
If valve does open but there is no boost... check the gauge lol. It could also be a intake gasket leak (no boost if pressure can't build up). When going up hills there is much more demand on the engine even with the same throttle percentage so leaks are much more apparent.

My setup (mind you its cold up here so even more boost even with a 4psi pulley) shows similar boost patterns to 1gSE. When going over 20% throttle i automatically get boost. On the highway(in overdrive) it can be 1 psi, 2 psi and it all depends on throttle position.I get boost at 2k rpm with 15% throttle when going up hills(at 50-70mph) . With 50-75% throttle in 2nd or 3rd (automatic) i get over 6psi right away. If i gun it(100% throttle in any gear) i get 5-6psi up to redline and it never wavers.

If he is getting some boost but too low like 2-3psi when gunning it and bypass is opening, a slipping belt, pressure leak or worse, a bad S/C could be the cause.

[1gSE]

yeah it should still have positive manifold pressure if you rev it in neutral. I don't have a hose hooked up to the bypass valve and I have no issues. Was everything find after replacing the knock sensor then started to go bad? If so, I'd look at the parts that had to be removed to pull the blower. Maybe some of the nuts bolting the blower on loosened and caused a leak or the gasket between the runners and lower manifold failed. Or maybe the headers developed a crack. Since you said JP, I'm willing to bet its a lot less likely than OBX headers cracking, but over time it could. If the belt has already been checked, a leak on the intake side can be found with some carb cleaner. An exhaust leak can be found with seafoam

[jerold]

Thanks for all your help guys. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Anyway, the SC is now removed and the car is back to stock. Well, boost-wise anyway. The car still has the fuel upgrade, headers, injectors, etc. But the CEL has come on again saying a bad knock sensor again. Any ideas what's going on? Do you know if just running it with the "bad knock sensor" will cause any problems? That knock sensor costs a fortune at Toyota. Car seems to be running just fine. Thanks.