Supercharger leaking oil
 

Hi all,
During my first session at a recent track day I was getting oil leaking out of the breather valve on my Rotrex supercharger. I'm thinking it's because I'm over spinning with pulley upgrades as it didn't leak at a previous track day when the pulleys were stock. It doesn't leak at all driving on the road. It's just leaks at constant high RPM.
Is there any fix for this other than "downgrading" the pulleys which I don't want to do. Would getting a "Trim" upgrade with the high speed bearings and impeller fix this?
Has anyone else experienced this at the track with an "over spinning" Rotrex supercharger?
The only possible solution I could find on the net was to reduce the oil level in the supercharger by 1/4 to 1/2 oz out of it's normal 4 oz max fill, but I've not tried that yet.

Not sure if this is the correct response , but on the N/a 370z a lot of people run a oil catch can on both pcv ports from blow by . It sounds like it would be the same for a supercharger(correct me if im wrong)..

AdminTuning Coolant Overflow Oil Catch Can 370Z G37 VQ37VHR G35 350Z VQ35HR

[QUOTE=nosam1g;3724328]Not sure if this is the correct response , but on the N/a 370z a lot of people run a oil catch can on both pcv ports from blow by . It sounds like it would be the same for a supercharger(correct me if im wrong)..

Thanks for replying but it's nothing to do with the engine oil and I have a catch can for that. It's the self contained supercharger oil that's coming out of the small breather on the supercharger itself.

[QUOTE=Optimiser;3724517]I don't know. I would assume that it has a warranty for it and that if it is leaking you may be able to ask them about what (if at all) they can do anything about it.

The only other thing I can think of is that overspinning the supercharger with sole pulley upgrades and nothing else to support the overspinning... might not be the best of ideas.

I was suggested by many experienced people with a ton of knowledge on superchargers that before doing pulley upgrades, to make sure to upgrade the fuel system, the impeller if possible, and a better transmission / clutches / valve bodies, etc. otherwise it will hurt the supercharger more than improve it.

I take their advice to heart and even though I had purchased pulleys for upgrading the spinning rate, I will hold off on replacing pulleys because I do not want the overspinning to cause any issues at all, and because others have been there done that, I am currently taking their advice and holding off on the pulley upgrades.

Not sure if this post helps but, I thought why not post what I think / what I know since that is partly what a forum is for!

Good luck and I hope you are able to solve the issue one way or another!

There isn’t any upgrades for the rotrex supercharger internals...no impeller upgrades, at least that is what Rotrex told me. What size pulley are you running ? I’m using the 85mm and haven’t had any issues with supercharger oil leaking but I’m only slightly over spinning it at 7500 rpm.

I bought my Stillen kit used and the guy told me that he himself re-did the bearings and seals after he spun a bearing at a track day. After the installation, I got an oil cooler. When I went to put it on, I found oil in the air side after taking the IC off. I had to send it to Vortech for a rebuild... Self-contained oil units don't have that much in them (4 ounces in the Vortech) and if they are leaking, there's a really good chance that they empty themselves and you have a real problem.

My Mistake!!
I have a Vortech V3 Susupercharger, NOT a Rotrex.

I think it might be unavoidable. Higher RPM from smaller pulleys + sloshing around on a track, chances are some of it is going to escape the breather. How much oil are we talking here, a few drops or like a murder scene?

Not much oil at all, but it only take a tiny amount to make a bit of a mess when it's spread everywhere.
I'm thinking of making a catch can to capture any blown out oil for the next track day.
I did notice a deafening silence about anyone with smaller pulleys on the SC having this issue on a track day. I guess all those are just on the road where you don't get this issue if you just doing a quick little "squirt" on public roads.

That was going to be my suggestion. If it's only a little I wonder if it's even worth a catch can, or maybe for track days wrap a bit of cloth over it somehow, kinda like we used to do with Z32s and reservoir socks.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2733/...4dcc8e8415.jpg

And yeah, I don't track my 34, just the occasional squirt. In a few weeks though I'll be moving to the Turbo crowd. Might track it then.

Thanks MoulaZ, that's a good idea and so basic. :tiphat:

I have a vortex v3 unit as well, which has already been rebuilt. One of the things you want to avoid is overfilling with oil. They are very strict with this. They sell refill bottles in 4oz or 8 oz bottles, I forget. Any more past the recommended and it can cause the bearings to become oil soaked and heat up. The large gear on the low RPM side picks the oil up and coats the small gear on the high RPM bearing side. I am 99% sure the bearings are sealed and should NOT be exposed to oil (from heating the bearing)... thus the warning about over filling.

Correct me if i'm wrong, but that valve is there purposely to release pressure when temps increase in the unit. There is also an added oil "splatter shield", which is a new feature on the v3 units. This tries to block oil from reaching the bearing IF the low/high rpm gear tosses any oil around.

My high speed bearing failed in mine and the splatter shield got chewed up. I was running the default bearing set up. Was 1,030 all in for a fully rebuilt unit.... comes with a 6 month warranty... just FYI.

They have a partial rebuild service as well... prices will vary. Turn-around was about 3-4 weeks.

Also... don't try to rebuild unless you know at least half of what your doing. If you separate the unit unevenly.. you may get stuck paying for a new unit.