[Build Thread] -- Journey to 700+ WHP [Supercharger]

[cupcakez]

03/02/2019 Update

- Eugene has done everything he could to get my car reliably running, tuned, and making sure that parts didn't fall off when driving it for ~1 hour of all kinds of pulls.

- He has done his part, and is now willing to return the vehicle to me, so I will pick it up sometime later today.

- The issues he saw was:
(1) Boost peaking at 6psi (He isn't sure if it was before red line or at red line), and didn't make anything higher during the hour he was driving it. We aren't sure why exactly it changed from it peaking to 6psi and how it was before the pulley fell off when I was driving it (2 weeks ago) -- which was peaking at around 9.5 PSI when the pulley blew off.

(2) I will take it to Seb later this year to see if he can figure out the boost issue as I don't want anyone else touching the vehicle other than just Eugene and Seb at this point. I learned my lesson, lol.

(3) I sent an e-mail to Seb a few minutes ago stating my general problem of boost peak issue, and then telling him the specs of my car, what's on it, etc. I also asked him if he would be willing to look at the vehicle sometime later this year and figure it out and find a solution to it as I'm sure he is capable of doing so if he wanted to. I just also asked for a ballpark price range on what it would cost to do this, so I know how much to save up as I finally get to start paying everything off this year (Eugene comes first!)

(4) I could always remove the air filter (assuming I don't have to remove the supercharger bracket or anything...IIRC I can remove the filter on and off while the blower and everything is still inside the car, but I don't know for sure, so I'll ask Mr. Kao! If not, then I will leave it as is -- as I'm already really happy that I have a reliable working car even if it only makes 6psi max for now.
I'd rather have a working reliable low PSI car than a 0 psi non-working car (Like I've had for the past 1.5 years), and be able to pay things off than be greedy, go for more PSI and create more issues due to me being greedy, NOPE!)

(5) There is a slight leak on the passenger cam cover side of oil, its not major but it should be addressed sometime this year when possible, but the other major oil leaks that the vehicle had is fixed, Thanks to Eugene!

(6) We changed the belt to Gates Micro-V K071056HD because the previous stock belt that came with the stillen kit would not fit with the current pulleys that was on there. Why you may ask? Because the person who worked on my car before, did something odd with the idler pulley that flew out 2 weeks ago. I don't know what size or type of pulley he used or put there, but it had to have been smaller than what we have on the engine now. Eugene said all the lines are solid, so there's no leaks in his opinion as he checked them. He knows the a2w systems do around 7 - 8 psi, and the way he changed the serpentine belt side increased contact with the crank pulley so definitely shouldn't be slipping.

Eugene says it is running like a stock blower a2a instead of a2w, and that's what it seems like to him. The only pulley he re-arranged for the new belt we got was the idler pulley near the crank, and everything else is the way it was.

There was a ribbed pulley near teh tensioner he replaced with an extra Stillen idler pulley that he had, and the original idler he removed it. This allowed him to route the belt slightly different in that spot to increase tension with the wnew slightly longer belt. This should have no impact whatsoever on the rate of rotation of the supercharger... I mean if the crank moves the belt 5.7" the belt will still move 5.7" everywhere, right?

But if we change the blower pulley, or the crank pulley then it's a different story -- but none of that was swapped out.

--- We are not sure what kind of idler was on it before (The one that popped out of the engine), but Eugene put a stock 370z idler on it and it was impossible to get the belt on. He says he just replaced one on another g37 with the Stillen Kit and he had no issues installing it, but on my car, the belt would not even fit hence why we had to buy about a 1 inch longer belt. ---

Maybe the kind of idler pulley that the last mechanic put on there was a smaller one? Who knows. The way it is now is a really snug fit -- it could be a little tighter with another subaru idler pulley, but not really as it's already difficult to force the belt over the idler as it is.

Now we have an extra Stillen pulley, and the stock idler is no longer on there due to the belt not being able to fit.

*** More Updates when I get it back ***

-PS- I'm just really thankful, grateful, and happy that Eugene did what he was asked to, and now I have a working, reliable car despite the boost peaking at 6. That's alright. I am definitely willing to take this over a 0 psi non-working car and not being able to pay stuff off lol.

[cupcakez]

03/04/2019 Update

I am going to take my car to my high school friend's cousins performance shop that is also conveniently located about 13 minutes from my house!

His shop is very legit and also has a dyno machine, does tons of fabrications, etc. Check it out for yourself and let me know if you guys would take your car to this shop if you were close to it!

https://m.facebook.com/Genuine-Motor...1117477061782/

I will go to his shop this Wed morning after work and give him this exact list of issues I want fixed and ask him how much he or at least, a ball park of how much he will charge for the following:

I can have a max budget of $3,000 for the following repairs if needed.
He charges $125/hr for labor. I am hoping $3,000 is enough to pay for the following issues to be resolved. The $3k includes paying for any parts needed too!


[ ] Slight oil leak coming from passenger, top side of the engine. Camshaft or timing cover area, somewhere up here in this area there is a slight oil leak.

[ ] Replace non-pressurized coolant tank with newer 2012+ model pressurized coolant tank, also put a regular coolant cap on without the spring. (Need to buy this cap as well - ask Eugene part number and where it goes again? Either on coolant tank or the coolant reservoir pour hole entrance?)

[ ] Cut car frame a little larger so there is room for the slightly bigger supercharger to fit and breathe - that way it doesn't rub onto the frame itself when reversing the vehicle, which impacts the engine in the long run

[ ] P2A03 Code: either replace cats with test / down pipes, or find out what's causing this code and fix it

[ ] Smoke/Boost leak test to fix P2A03 code possibly, as well as find out why the 6psi peak max issue is occurring according to Eugene

[ ] Either replace stillen exhaust tail pipe with a stock one or, keep it and tie it up using strong metal wire to hold it in place , that way it is stable and does not fall out of the hook again while driving

[ ] Possibly replace the supercharger pulleys that have metal showing that way it does not eat my belt and wear it out faster over time

[ ] Fix one of the lug nut studs that Eugene was talking about, as it is lower than it should be since we took out the spacers in the wheel that it had before, and replace it with an OEM sized or get a whole set of OEM lug nuts and put those onto the wheels - get rid of all the aftermarket, extended ones on the car currently

[ ] Raise the car a bit because the oil pan spacer is now the lowest part of the vehicle, so raise it a little maybe so it's less dangerous when driving out and about

[ ] Replace the front brace under the engine with a new one because the current one is bent due to someone using a jack on it and bending it - disallowing the proper hole alignment for the splash undercover to be put back on

[ ] Get a driver side (LH) fender liner because the last one was busted

[ZontheRocks]

In the span of 48 hours, you have changed your mind from:

I don't want anyone else touching the vehicle other than just Eugene and Seb at this point. I learned my lesson, lol

To:

I am going to take my car to my high school friend's cousins performance shop

[cupcakez]

Originally Posted by ZontheRocks

In the span of 48 hours, you have changed your mind from:



To:

Yeah cause I forgot about the guys shop that was near my house and that his work is solid. I know, seems hasty and all but reason why i forgot about his shop was cause last time I contacted his shop he never got back to me so I forgot all about it.

Plus it's closer so less chance of me being stuck in the mid of CA while driving down to LA.

[Chuck33079]

So you’re taking it to your friend’s cousins’s roommate’s sister’s boyfriend’s Honda shop and you think it’s going to turn out well? You thought the last guy was a good idea too and he completely messed up your car.

There isn’t a single picture of a Nissan on that shop’s Facebook page, much less a Z. Why not let a shop that has built boosted Zs work on your car?


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[OMGWTFBBQ]

Take this advice from me: have Seb work on and complete your car. Specialty z knows their sh!t. I had a shop who works on Lambos and exotics install my supercharger. Botched the install. You can tell because my Defi gauges are zip tied to my dash. So install errors everywhere. Then I had it tuned by a legendary tuner in the industry. But here’s the thing, he only works on Honda’s so he’s familiar with the platform but not the z platform. Tune sucked and has been misfiring and running horribly for years. I finally said it was enough and towed my car 100 miles to Seb. He’s been working through the issues one by one and has kept me updated with every step of the way. I highly recommend Seb and wouldn’t take my z anywhere else.

[Chuck33079]

Whoever you pick, pick one guy and stick with it. You're not helping yourself by bouncing around all over the place. Slow down. Take a breath and make a plan before your enthusiasm costs you even more money. You seem to be going about this project in a "ready, fire, aim" fashion and that is never good for the wallet or the blood pressure.

[cupcakez]

Thank you for all your feedback everyone!
I will take it to heart and listen for once lol.

I emailed Seb just now asking if he would be able to fix said issues (the ones listed above) with a budget of 3k or less, but instead, I also included dyno runs because I want to make sure the car can run safely throughout the entire power band without parts falling off, breaking, or things leaking.

I have been talking to Seb this past weekend via emails, and I tried to inform him the best I could regarding my car'a condition currently


Do you guys think its safer and better for me to spend some money and tow it from Sacramento to Sebs place or, or just risk driving it very casually (cruise control at 70 or so the entire time to LA) in Hope's that nothing will make it so I cant continue the trip alone?

We will see what Seb says!

[Chuck33079]

The last time you drove it when you weren't 100% sure about it you had to replace the entire ******* car. Tow it.

[cupcakez]

Haha ok. I think it costs like 1k+ to tow it that far but it probably worth it

[Chuck33079]

Originally Posted by cupcakez

Haha ok. I think it costs like 1k+ to tow it that far but it probably worth it

Doing it the other way has already cost you that much many times over. The rest of your build needs to be you doing things the right way, not the fast way or the cheap way.

[cupcakez]

Alright

[OMGWTFBBQ]

If Seb is booked out at least three months (90 days) consider getting AAA and upgrading to the highest plan as soon as you can. I think it’s about $110 a year or something like that but you get a free 200 mile tow once a year and the rest are 100 mile tows. Towing to Specialty z is obviously farther than that but you’ll only be responsible for the overage past the first 200 miles. That’s how I covered my tow to specialty z and I’m going to drive the car home once Seb is done with my car.

[Hotrodz]

I have been working with Seb for six years and I tow or drive the my car to his shop. I am about five hours away from his shop which is about the same distance for you. It is worth every penny.

Also, you have spent a truck load of money for car that does not run safely and now you are going to take it to one of the best Z mechanic in North America with a budget? Seb will not gouge you but he ain't cheap, it will be done right and he will stand behind his work. He will probably not give you an estimate because he doesn't know what he will find even as detailed as you are with information. Anymore, I don't ask I just open my wallet because he has never let me down and he will always ask my me if I want to do something more than what I brought the car in for if he thinks it will beneficial and the cost is high. If is less than 1k he just does it because he knows I'm good with his decision making.

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[Hotrodz]

Originally Posted by OMGWTFBBQ

If Seb is booked out at least three months (90 days) consider getting AAA and upgrading to the highest plan as soon as you can. I think it’s about $110 a year or something like that but you get a free 200 mile tow once a year and the rest are 100 mile tows. Towing to Specialty z is obviously farther than that but you’ll only be responsible for the overage past the first 200 miles. That’s how I covered my tow to specialty z and I’m going to drive the car home once Seb is done with my car.

Haha 90 days out, my build hasn't budged and we made plans and he started ordering parts the first part December 2018. He has plenty of time to change his insurance!

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