TRD S/C Boost Problem

[TRDSleeper]

Hey everyone,

I just put in the TRD supercharger this weekend and I was extremely happy when the car started up immediately. I let it idle for about 10 minutes. Everything seems to be working great until I told my brother to get in the car and give it a couple of revs so I can see if the boost actuator is working. He did some gentle reving first but later he pound on the pedal, causing the engine to rev to around 5500 rpm. Just then I noticed the actuator arm getting stuck all the way to the right. It wouldn't return to the resting position. Now everytime I start the car the actuator arm would do the same thing. I test drove it and it seems like there's no boost at all. I checked my vacuum hoses and everything seems correct. My EBC is wired correctly too. Can anybody help me? I made a video clip for you guys to check out the problem too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhltWufAXQE

[Dawgz]

Hey everyone,

I just put in the TRD supercharger this weekend and I was extremely happy when the car started up immediately. I let it idle for about 10 minutes. Everything seems to be working great until I told my brother to get in the car and give it a couple of revs so I can see if the boost actuator is working. He did some gentle reving first but later he pound on the pedal, causing the engine to rev to around 5500 rpm. Just then I noticed the actuator arm getting stuck all the way to the right. It wouldn't return to the resting position. Now everytime I start the car the actuator arm would do the same thing. I test drove it and it seems like there's no boost at all. I checked my vacuum hoses and everything seems correct. My EBC is wired correctly too. Can anybody help me? I made a video clip for you guys to check out the problem too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhltWufAXQE

seems like its working just fine...btw reving it like that to go into boost isnt too great...also the actuator will work best while the engine is on load (road conditions).

Get a boost guage and hook it up to the port on the sc, and then check if its giving u boost or not.

[bigbirdSCed]

like dawgz said you should get a boost gauge. does the car feel like it hits boost when in gear? as far as i know your not supposed to be able to, or its hard to, hit boost when not in gear.

[chaneytsai]

The actuator is open when you start the car. That's normal. That's because engine is in idle so there is vacuum in intake that pull actuator open to cut boost. Once throttle is open, the vacuum is gone thus actuator will be closed to create boost. You can see it moving (closing) when engine rav up. You don't have to pound it, just use your hand to pull throttle open. If it doesn't move at all, check your vacuum line configuration, also check if VSV is working properly. Like Dawgz, the best way is to use a boost guage to check. You can also try to stick actuator open, test drive, then release it, test again to see if there is any difference. The difference will show up in 2nd and 3rd gear, not 1st. I did this before and I could tell the difference, especially in 3rd gear.

[TRDSleeper]

Thanks for all your responses. I took the car out for a test drive on the freeway today and everything worked great. Having the supercharger helped me accelerate on the ramps and make quicker lane changes. However, there seems to be little to no boost on 1st gear. It's probably the EBC doing that. In the future I will get a boost gauge for sure but it's a bit pricey for me to get now. I'll also leave the S/C at the stock pulley for now until I have enough money to do fuel upgrades and get the 5.5 psi pulley.

I do have some concerns about the S/C though:
1. The dogbone is slightly crooked when bolted to the idler plate. It seems to cause the rubber bushing to flex alot so I think the rubber will wear out quickly.


2. The S/C kind of pushes against the PCV. It looks like TRD made a little cutaway on the bottom of the S/C prevent this but I still see that the PCV is shifted to the right a bit.


3. The wires plugged into the EGR is really tight. So tight that it prevented me from putting on the engine cover. I wish Toyota gave the wires some more slack. Is there anyway to fix this?


4. The low pressure A/C line actually makes contact with the back of the supercharger. I'm worried that the vibration from the S/C will cause problems in the long run.

Do any of you have similar issues with your S/C?

[chaneytsai]

4. The low pressure A/C line actually makes contact with the back of the supercharger. I'm worried that the vibration from the S/C will cause problems in the long run.

Do any of you have similar issues with your S/C?

Don't worry about that in a long run. It won't be too long to find out your A/C stop working. You need to fix this ASAP. You will break low pressure line really soon. I broke my in two weeks, that's why I know. My S/C drilled three holes on A/C line. You have to remove S/C and bend/adjust A/C line away from it. You can use your finger to check where they met. If you see some metal particle, your S/C is already grinding A/C line. I just replaced it two weeks ago and recharged R-134a last weekend. I know it's not a fun job at all but, well, you have to do it ASAP before you have to replace low pressure line and dryer. After I fix this problem, my S/C becomes much quieter than before.
Don't worry about S/C. It's not going to be damaged. A/C line is the victim.

[no_escape]

My PCV is the same. Not much you can do about that... Same with the wires on the SC. No issues.

[TRDSleeper]

chaneytsai,

Do you know how can I adjust the A/C line? Would I need special tools or anything to bend the pipe away from the S/C? The supplement to the TRD installation manual suggested that I adjust the A/C line if it makes contact with the supercharger but they did not say how to do it. The pipe seems really stiff and resists movement.

[chaneytsai]

chaneytsai,

Do you know how can I adjust the A/C line? Would I need special tools or anything to bend the pipe away from the S/C? The supplement to the TRD installation manual suggested that I adjust the A/C line if it makes contact with the supercharger but they did not say how to do it. The pipe seems really stiff and resists movement.

I actually don't know how to bend it in car. Since I have to replace it, I bent it before I installed it. It actually not that hard as you think, just put some more force and it will bend. It maybe harder since there is pressure in there. That part I'm not sure. You can try to bend the first turn from firewall more but not to kink the pipe. That will make it away from S/C a little bit. You can also bend the left side of low port (where the pipe go up) toward the left to pull it away from S/C more. It's better to figure out where they met before you try to bend it. That section of pipe is short so it's very hard to bend. Be sure not to damage the pipe clamp and try no to put force close to clamp. It's hard to do, I know, especially it's on board. Your S/C may sit on top of A/C line making it even harder to adjust.
I use adjustable wrench and pipe wrench to do it. There might be some kind of pipe bender can do the job well but I can't find it. Maybe A/C professionals knows how to do it better.
I'm curious about what most people's low pressure pipe look like. Since they don't have this problem, the setup or shape of pipe maybe different. Can anyone provide a picture of A/C low pressure pipe in your car? In the area next to and behind S/C. Appreciated

[no_escape]

Sears should have a tube bending kit.

[JavaJoe_2]

You can bend it with your hands. You will only bend it far enough for clearance. 1/2"- 1". Just go slow and easy.

[alltrac92]

Nice looking supercharger where did you find it?

[TRDSleeper]

I happen to come across it 2 weeks ago in LA when I was visiting a friend. He had a buddy with a modded Camry but the guy also just bought a Lancer Evo X so he was taking off all the performance parts to sell the Camry. It had a cut on the nipple of the boost actuator and no S/C belt but I bought it right away since I was looking everywhere for the supercharger.

[alltrac92]

Good score it looks almost new.

[TRDSleeper]

^ Thanks. It was a low mileage S/C and I also cleaned it up pretty good before I put it on.

Just for future reference for other members, I managed to fix the A/C line rubbing against my supercharger problem by just grabbing onto the line and pushing it into the firewall. The pipe bent a bit so I got about 1mm for clearance between the S/C and A/C line.

I also used a special multi-purpose cutting drill bit on a Dremel tool to cut away a small piece of the engine cover so that it doesn't push down on the wiring harness clipped to the EGR. Now I can finally put on the engine cover so I won't have to see all the messy vacuum lines.