Vortech Supercharger Questions

[huskyfan23]

I've got a Vortech supercharger in the mail and have some questions:

1. I've got an Apten chip which is probably garbage now since Apten no longer exists (?). Would I be able to run the supercharger with my Apten chip safely or would I need to pull it and run stock timings? I'm thinking about a Bama chip but have lots of plans in mind. I'd rather tell him the mods I plan and him burn the chip for those, then I install it after I complete them. I know supercharger's are supposed to work on stock tunes but wonder about Apten's tune?

2. The only thing not included with the supercharger is a Vortech inline fuel pump. I'm assuming I'll need an inline pump? Is that in conjunction with the stock pump or a replacement for it? I read somewhere about Lightning pumps. Would that work instead of the Vortech pump?

3. Current mods: Borla headers, Flowmaster dual 2.25" exhaust, custom air intake w/ 7" K&N cone, 66mm BBK TB, Apten chip (can remove). Would I be fine daily driving with these mods and the supercharger?

Thanks.

 

[Ronin8002]

Your safest bet is to not run the chip. Get a custom chip burned....too much advance under boost will do bad things unless you have water injection or race gas.

You have a few options for the fuel pump....an inline pump is easy to install and works fine but you can also use an in-tank Walbro 155lph or 190lph pump that is made for a 94+ Mustang GT (5.0). This of course will require you to drop the fuel tank but it will hook right up where your old one went with little to no modification. Plus you don't have to do extra plumbing or wiring as with the inline pump.

Your mods are fine for daily driving....it should pretty much act like the same truck until you spool up the Vortech and then it'll feel like your truck is being pushed by a faster one

Glad to see we'll have another Vortech blown 4.0 around here You'll love it when you're done with the install!

One thing though, not to bum you out but I hope you've done something to beef up your A4LD and keep the fluid really really cool because my A4LD went out once I put on ported heads, headers, cam, and the blower (all at the same time)

 

[Rick]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Paul Bredhoft ran that SC on his Explorer and it didn't work so hot. He said it sucked fuel like no tomorrow and the power increase was minimal. For some reason Vortech could never get it to run right on the OHV Explorer.

Who knows though, maybe it was just his bad luck. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Ronin8002]

Husky, which model vortech did you buy....is it a V-2 SQ?

If you are using an FMU for fuel enrichment you may want to recalibrate it to a 6:1 or 4:1 fuel pressure to boost pressure ratio.....I had an 8:1 with my 24# injectors and it DID suck fuel and lose power under boost due to an over-rich (but safe) fuel ratio.

Let me know if you have any install questions.

 

[huskyfan23]

Damn you Rick! I'm expecting a nice gain, if I'm not satisfied I'll rip the ******* off the next weekend (and I'm hoping the install will go smooth and complete in a weekend).

Thanks for the pump idea, that seems like the one to get. The unit is a V2. My tranny was torn apart last October and has some upgraded parts. I don't have a tranny cooler, probably be a good idea to get one. The FMU is whatever comes with the kit. I know nothing about these things. I'm sure I'll have lots of install questions, glad there's still a Vortech blown first gen on here I already have a couple questions!

Do you know what belt size I should get to bypass the A/C compressor?

Anything the manual misses or doesn't cover well during the install that I may have trouble with?

Thanks!

 

[Ronin8002]

Here's a link to the install instructions if you don't have it already.

http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/pdf/manuals/4fd218im.pdf

Definitely get the biggest tranny cooler you can find and run it in conjuction with the radiator tranny cooler.

I had posted a really long reply but my puter crashed....I will repost again tmw night because I have an EARLY morning tomorrow.

 

[Ronin8002]

You should be able to get it done over a weekend. I think dropping the gas tank to install to new fuel pump will be the hardest part....but that is one thing you could do in advance.

I think the install will go fairly smooth, Husky, but here are some things to be on the lookout for.

-The instructions will tell you to mount the hard oil drain tube to the blower and then run that to the soft oil drain tube mounted on the valve cover. I suggest doing it the other way around....it can be difficult to get the hard line to line up with the soft one when you're trying to fit the blower in the bracket.

-Sometimes you will find with Vortechs that it doesn't seem to fit right in the bracket because the discharge hole in the housing is hitting up against the top of the A/c compressor, or it's too high up which means the tubing won't fit. This is a simple fix....just loosen the allen screws that run around the perimeter of the scroll housing...this will allow you to rotate the scroll housing independently of the impeller and gear box so you can get it to fit in the bracket. make sure to tighten it back down when you're done.

-There is a plastic elbow that fits on the intake side of the blower that is going to be a pain in your a$$ because the brake booster will be sticking out right there and make it hard to get the elbow on. You can heat the elbow with a torch and dimple it a bit so that you'll clear the brake booster, or, if you don't mind buying something else ....you can buy Vortech part # 4FG112-022 ("inlet duct w/ring") and that will fit a lot better. It also eliminates some of the metal tubing and I think it is better flowing than what comes with the kit so that is also good. Only downside is you have to move your washer/radiator overflow tank to the other side of the engine bay....but that isn't too hard.

-Lastly, I had to cut one of the metal intake tubes a little bit shorter to get it to fit well when I put it all together.

That was about it I think. Not too bad considering.

I don't think you can bypass the A/c compressor because of the way the pulleys on the blower are set up. You will have to experiment with belt size if you try it. I do know that the tighter the belt, the better (for the most part) because you'll eliminate belt slip.....this will also help you build boost a bit earlier and faster.

Just remember to take your time and not half-a$$ stuff because you're eager to get it fired up (I know, it's hard!).

 

[Ronin8002]

Any updates?

Also, I forgot to mention, if you want more boost you can go with a 6 rib 2.62" pulley from Vortech...that is the smallest 6 rib pulley they make so after that you'll have to do other things to get more power, i.e., cam, ported heads, etc.

If you go with the 2.62" pulley just buy a 104.5 inch belt....you will definitely need a friend to help you get it on there because that thing is TIGHT....but you won't get any belt slip and you'll get more boost once you spin the blower up into the boost range.

Something I've noticed with my Vortech is that boost is not RPM dependent only....throttle position is a factor also. For example....in 1st or 2nd gear I might be at 3500 RPM but not making boost because my foot isn't in the throttle too much. However, if I floor the pedal....RPM as well as boost go up because you are allowing that compressed air to pass the throttle body because it's fully open.

This is one of the nice things about centrifugal blowers because they don't stress your motor as much....you are not in boost all the time, only when you need the power.

 

[huskyfan23]

Sorry, been meaning to update this thread. He got my payment but said he wouldn't be able to ship it out for another week. With gas prices the way they are and the stories I heard about this model I just had him refund me. I think I'll be holding off for a while now, the economy is so iffy at this time.