Go Back   JeepBBS > Discussion Battleground > Jeep Friends Forum

Jeep Friends Forum This is a forum for jeep friends to hang out. For more formal atmosphere hop over to the Technical Forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 19 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-02-2004, 02:35 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Project TJ Kompressor

Project TJ Kompressor

Hi folks, I am about ready to start a late winter project; one that I have really no real need for, just a desire to have.

This Friday my custom made (just for me) Supercharger will be shipped to my shop. Soon I will begin the installation on my 97 TJ 4.0L

I have a lot of work to do prior to even beginning the installation


Here is a barrowed picture of what the main elements will look like once installed.




And here is a picture of my under hood.




I have a lot of stuff under here already.

There are more then a few tasks I have to complete or re-engineer prior to even thinking about starting this installing.

Here is a small list.

1. Snorkel / Stock Air Box, already relocated must be relocated again.

2. Hydraulic Solenoid/Control Valves for my MM winch must be relocated and lines re-routed.

3. OBA York Main air hose re-routed and air management system (Filters, regulator, air distribution manifold) relocated

4. AiROCK ACU (Hanging on underside of hood must be relocated.

5. "Power Bump" must be developed and implemented for the hood to clearance the supercharger pulley. (I have a 1" motor Mount lift I am unwilling to give up.)

6. Relocated the ARB Compressor.

7. Set up an appointment with a freind who dyno-tunes "Indy Type" racecars up in Indianapolis to dyno test (HP and Torque across the RPM band) my TJ as it is at the rear wheels right now. I will do this dyno testing a second time once I get the project completed.

As this project progresses I will post highlights of my experience, as I experience them, and as time permits.


Jeep Profile

Some of this may be pertinent, some not, but I figured I would post a profile of my Jeep at the start of this project.

1997 Jeep TJ 40.L with 82,000 miles.
This is the 116 Jeep TJ ever made. I was Manufactured in March of 1996 and is not 100% OBDII compliant. (Sensors are different, as is the computer)

Engine
My engine is in pristine condition, having used only Mobil 1 and Fram filters since new.

Compress testing and leak down testing are all within 98% of new engine condition.

I have been using an OilGuard By-pass filtration system for approximately 15K miles.

Engine has an "oil to coolant" cooler installed and an experimental evaporative cooling system, which I will write up shortly.

An automatic engine pre-oilier / accumulator of my own design feeds the engine oil prior to starting or in any case when the oil pressure should drop below 10 PSI.

Air intake system has a Safari Snorkel with a pre-filter to keep summertime bugs out, a K&N filter in a re-located stock air box, and a post filter of my own design.

Exhaust system consists of Doug Thorly Headers (Stock manifold cracked) and a Borla Cat Back System.

There is a 1" motor mount lift and a flat t/case skid plate.

The only engine problem I have had to fix was a leaking rear main oil seal at about 40K miles.


Rest of Jeep

Tranny is a granny gear NV4500

T/case is an Atlas II 3.8

Rear is a Super 35 with Air Operated Ox Locker 4.10 gears

Front is D30 with ARB Locker 4.10

Tires are BFG MT 32x11.50. I have 35's and do run them at times, but don't need most of the time.

Currie Anti-rock

Suspension is a conglomerate of what works best for me. OffRoadOnly AiROCK Springs, Some Stock and some Adjustable control arms. Both front and rear are 5 link setups.

There are two complete air compressors on the Jeep; an ARB system for the lockers, and an OBA YORK system for the suspension and tire inflation. Each system can and does form a redundancy to the other system with a simple flick of two manual valves under the hood.

Mile Marker 10,500 Hydraulic Winch

That's about it for anything I think maybe pertinent to this project and to paint a picture of the project. I'm sure something else will come out later as my mind is getting old, to say nothing of my back!

As I start solving some of the problems I mentioned above and start the installation I will post more.


At the start of this post I fessed up to the fact that I personally do not have any strong need to do this, just the desire. I have given a lot of thought to other engine projects, including stuffing the (almost) new 6.0L Power Stroke with A/T Tranny that is sitting on my shop floor into the TJ.

I felt the Supercharger was more to my liking and clearly within my skill base to do on my own at this time, as I find the energy and time to do the work.

Besides, I want to see if I can create enough torque to break my Super 35 axles!

Have a great day,

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-02-2004, 02:40 PM
cbassett cbassett is offline
Who changed my user title?
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SF-Bay Area, CA
Posts: 1,189
Send a message via Yahoo to cbassett
Very exciting project Frank!

What are the projecting HP and torque output values for your engine?
__________________
Back in the saddle.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-02-2004, 03:04 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by cbassett
Very exciting project Frank!

What are the projecting HP and torque output values for your engine?
Hi Chuck,

I'm not sure what I am going to get out of this but I do plan to find out, exactly!

I currently have three vehicles with superchargers on them, and I can tell you they fly. But what I want to go after on the Jeep is a lot more torque. What makes this attractive is the bolt on, un-bolt off nature of the project.

I have read a lot and spoken with quit a few folks on this, both at Avenger and Kenne Bell's shop. I find it a bit amazing how talking about basically the same thing they all use a different language.

Jeep lists HP and torque at the fly wheel, not at the rear wheels. I want to determine what is at the rear wheel prior to starting the project. What's at the wheels is really all that matters to me.

Given everything I can find on various supercharger installations at a given boost I am looking to improve the torque, across the rpm range in the 50 to 60% range.

HP I would expect to be much more of a curve at the higher rpm's.

Time will tell, and so will I on how well this works out.

Wish I had better, more factual info to go on at this time, but then again, that's what makes this so appealing to me.

I also have a line, through my freind, on a four wheel Dynamometer that might be available for me to take the benchmark and post install tests on.

Frank

PS: I have a backup plan. If I don't get at least 300 ft/pounds of torque at the rear wheels I have a stock crankshaft on the shelf that I am quite willing to send out to be stroked for me!
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-03-2004, 12:33 PM
Scratch Scratch is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Posts: 196
What are you using for the supercharger? It is a kit or are you piecing the parts together yourself?
BOb
__________________
Living on the edge is one thing, falling off is quite another!
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-03-2004, 01:12 PM
Paradiddle Paradiddle is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: So Cal
Posts: 3,190
Question Frank - are you going to pay the speeding ticket you get, or frame it next to the smoking ticket in your den?



Jeff
__________________
Now I've always been puzzled by the yin and the yang - It'll come out in the wash, but it always leaves a stain
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-27-2004, 07:52 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Hi Folks,

Sorry I haven?t been around very much to share this project with you. But I will in time.

It?s done! Care to see?










Stay tuned, as I took more then 300 pictures during this project. (Maybe that is why it took me so long to do this.....Yea that's it! I'm not old and feeble, it was all the pictures I was forced to take!! Works for me!)


What do I think about it?

Well I only have about 50 miles on it, but so far I?d have to say WOW!

The improvement in power is very noticeable.

Once I run the PCM through the ?fast Learning Mode? which I have it in right now (about 500 miles of driving and 50 on/off cycles), I will put it back on the Dyno in four wheel drive and get the real numbers vs. what the seat of my pants feels.


Frank
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 03-27-2004, 09:03 PM
NAILER341 NAILER341 is offline
I showed Matt my twinkie and he like it.
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: LAKEWOOD CA
Posts: 1,926
that is a cool mod! looks like it costs a pretty penny. with that type of supercharger, do they recomend you use it on a lower milage engine?
__________________
ERIK
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WWW.DANA30.COM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 03-27-2004, 09:34 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Prior to starting this project I went over my Jeep very well. Making sure everything was tuned up and all pertinent parts where replaced. Things like Ignition Wires, Cap, Rotor, and plugs, ECT.

Then I contacted my friend up in Indy to make an appointment on his Dynamometer. Turns out I never made it there. Instead he directed me to one of his friends who just recently opened up a shop in Lexington and installed a Four Wheel Drive state of the art Mustang Dynamometer.

To make a long story short I was given 3 hours on this machine and made three recorded runs in my TJ with a stock engine while in Four Wheel Drive.

This Dyno is like no other. Basically it is an ego breaker. This machine not only applies force against the tires but also compensates for weight and wind resistance based on frontal profile of the vehicle. (Read that, Jeep has aerodynamics, it is just the functional equivelent of a brick!!)

In Stock form Jeep advertised that my 97 4.0L engine put out 181 HP and 220 ft/lbs of torque.

As fact would have it there is no way on earth for me to be able to verify this as Jeep measures it at the flywheel and not at the tires. Nor does Jeep compensate for the Jeeps Weight or Wind Resistance. Basically not very useful for me to use in comparison.

So, I have to work with what I have; a real Jeep, in four-wheel drive, and having the ability to measure working torque at the tires.

(Horse Power, on any dyno is calculated based on Measured Torque. Read that; Dyno?s only measure Torque in foot/pounds, not Horse Power)

Anyway here are the Torque and Horse Power Curves for my Jeep in Four Wheel Drive, at the tires, compensated for weight and wind resistance, and of course Friction Losses.






Told you it was an ego buster!

But even so I was surprised just how much power was lost between what the dyno said my Jeep had at the tires and what Jeep said it had at the flywheel when new.

Was this caused by everything already mentioned? Or was it simply my engine was not in anywhere near as good a shape as I thought it was?

Well one way to find out! Pull a 2004 Rubicon up on the Dyno with ony 4K miles on it.

Here is how that looked in data format, as compared to my Jeep.




As I think you can see, the losses at the tires for both my 1997 Jeep TJ and an almost new 2004 Rubicon are very similar when compared to the factory published power output at the flywheel.

I feel better now. (So it is legitimately an ego buster regardless of which vehicle.) I'm a happy camper!

That?s about it for tonight. Time to go to sleep.

Hopefully more tomorrow.

Have a great night folks.

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 03-27-2004, 09:54 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
I have one more graph to put up. My apologies for the quality. The color choices used by the dyno printer leave a bit to be desired. The Black Line represents the A/F Ratio. I have it in full size if anyone needs it.

This graph came off the Dyno and shows the Air/Fuel Ratio across the RPM band for my Jeep. I will be using this stock data to tune-in the engine after the blower is installed.





Frank

PS: In a week or two I will have similar charts from the dyno testing with the Super Charger installed. I need to run it through 50 on/off cycles and 500 miles.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 03-28-2004, 06:13 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by NAILER341
that is a cool mod! looks like it costs a pretty penny. with that type of supercharger, do they recomend you use it on a lower milage engine?
Hi Erik,

I am not at all sure mileage has a lot to do with it as much as engine condition. They recommend engine condition as follows

1.Good Compression and Leak Down Testing
2. Fuel Pressure between 44.5 and 54.5 PSI
3. Ignition system tune-up

My compression and leak down testing came in at the top end of FSM Specs; all within 98% of the "top range". I was quit pleased with that.

Fuel Pressure is a steady 49 PSI right on the spec, +/- 0.5 PSI

Ignition system on the 97 4.0L is a distributor, Cap, Rotor and wires so I replaced each.

I also reverse flushed my cooling system and installed a new stock 195 F thermostat and all hoses, just to make sure all was in good working order.

I also re-installed the stock fan clutch. I go back and forth between it and a flex-a-lite electric unit as I test different things. I wanted this to be as close to stock as possible as I figured that would present the truest picture of any performance increases to most folks. I can always go back to the electric in the future.

I debated if I should replace the two oxygen sensors and eventually I did. I figured at 83K Plus miles it wouldn't hurt. Besides I wanted to make sure I could get the most accurate mVolt readings from the lead sensor to calculate and tune the Air/Fuel Ratios in the future if I find that is needed.

I dislike doing two things "changes" at the same time. Seems to me all that does is to present one layer of complexity on top of another.

Therefore I did all the checking and tuning up 500 miles prior to the start of this project. I wanted to make sure that what I started with before the Super Charger installation was working correctly. Then if I had a problem afterwards the odds are it would be with the Super Charger itself.

After making all these changes to the stock engine I forced the PCM into "Fast Learn Mode". This is a Chrysler procedure that is little known to most folks as they do not publish it.

Give me a few minutes and I will post info on how to do this.

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 03-28-2004, 07:32 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
PCM Fast Learn Mode

I think most people know that the PCM performs several functions controlling Air Fuel ratios via Injector Pulse Width and Ignition Timing.

These ?outputs? are controlled using the ?inputs? received from all the sensors and then comparing these reading against a set of data tables burned into the PCM.

These ?memory tables? are the brains that keep the engine running at low emissions and peak economy across the RPM band

What most people don?t know is that these memory tables change. They are ?adaptive?, based on sensor readings, driving habits, engine performance and sensor tolerances.

Over time, the PCM Memory Tables become tuned to your engine.

Most folks know that disconnecting the battery for 15 to 20 minutes will reset the PCM to get rid of a Ceck Engine Light or Error Codes stored in the PCM.

However this DOES NOT reset the Adaptive Memory Tables in the PCM. Until recently I did not know how to do this.


This procedure first came to me from the folks at Avenger. I then verified it with a phone call to a Chrysler Engineer who had called me a year or so ago to ask about my experiences with a certain part on my TJ. I figured he owned me a favor. He had to check up on this for me. He called me back a week later and did indeed verify this procedure and what it does.

To the best of my knowledge it isn?t documented in any of the FSM.



Forced Flash

This very simple procedure will Erase the ?Adaptive Memory? stored inside the TJ PCM and allow a new ?Adaptive Memory? to be developed.

After performing this procedure the PCM will re-learn and store into Adaptive Memory your engines performance characteristics.
  • 1.Disconnect the POSITIVE battery Terminal and touch it to ground for 30 seconds. (This is to discharge the PCM capacitors, which maintain the Adaptive Memory.)
    2.Reconnect the Battery Cable
    3.Turn Ignition Switch to the ?On? position but DO NOT start the engine
    4.Turn Headlight ?On?
    5.Turn Headlights ?Off?
    6.Turn Ignition Key ?Off?

The Adaptive Memory has now been flashed, or erased from the PCM.

When you start the engine it will be running off a set of pre-programmed tables that come with the PCM from the factory.

When you get the engine up to operating temperature the PCM will start to collect data for the ?Adaptive Memory?.

The PCM will collect data for Adaptive Memory for the first 50 Warm-up Cycles.


Warm-up Cycle

A warm-up cycle happens when all of the following conditions exist.
  • 1. Engine is running
    2. A raise of 40F in engine temperature must occur ABOVE the engine temperature at start-up
    3. Engine Coolant Temp must reach at least 160 F.


Once your engine has gone through 50 warm-up cycles in at least a 500-mile distance the PCM adaptive memory is set. It WILL NOT Change unless you flash it out and start all over again.

This procedure is vitally important for this installation as the install includes much larger fuel injectors and a lot more air being forced into the engine.

However I believe a lot of folks may find it useful on their won Jeeps.


Does it work?

Yes!

You best performance will happen when the Adaptive memory is set to the current conditions of your engine. I tested this on the Dyno.

My test was to dyno run my Jeep after flashing the PCM and resetting the adaptive memory as I described above, with 50 warm-up cycles over a 525-mile distance.

You see the results in the charts posted above.

The last dyno run I did was performing after I flashed the PCM Adaptive Memory while on the dynamometer. We then ran the test again, using in essence the Base Setting that come in the PCM from the factory. This resulted in a loss of 9 HP and 17 ft/lbs of torque.

While this was only one test it certainly is an indicator to me of the importance of having the ?Adaptive Memory? inside the PCM controlling the engine outputs based on the most current engine condition and not those set by the factory or those set in Adaptive Memory 83K miles ago.

I hope some folks will find this useful. I do believe it is a worthwhile task to do from time to time.

Frank

PS: We do not check for emissions here where I live, I would imagine if we did and if My Jeep failed I would be flashing the PCM Adaptive Memory and running the 50 warm-up cycles over 500 miles to reset things to optimum performance.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 03-28-2004, 07:47 PM
NAILER341 NAILER341 is offline
I showed Matt my twinkie and he like it.
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: LAKEWOOD CA
Posts: 1,926
this is a FANTASTIC bit of information you provided. THANK YOU! one question though.. i'm assuming you verified all of this for your jeep tj. will the same thing work for my 95 yj pcm?
it would be great if it did. i have done a few things to my engine that i dont believe are optimized. i have the larger injectors, bored throttle body, and k&n filter. i'd guess that the pcm would have a few adjustments to make for this. i have seen some notable performance changes with these upgrades, but i'll bet there is more to be had with the info you just gave
i'll be flashing this thing tomorrow!
you have sure done your homework on this project!
2 big thumbs up for your effort and shared knowledge!
__________________
ERIK
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WWW.DANA30.COM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 03-28-2004, 08:07 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by NAILER341
this is a FANTASTIC bit of information you provided. THANK YOU! one question though.. i'm assuming you verified all of this for your jeep tj. will the same thing work for my 95 yj pcm?
it would be great if it did. i have done a few things to my engine that i dont believe are optimized. i have the larger injectors, bored throttle body, and k&n filter. i'd guess that the pcm would have a few adjustments to make for this. i have seen some notable performance changes with these upgrades, but i'll bet there is more to be had with the info you just gave
i'll be flashing this thing tomorrow!
you have sure done your homework on this project!
2 big thumbs up for your effort and shared knowledge!
Hi Erik,

I'm sorry to say I can only verify this flash procedure for the Jeep TJ.

However I don't think it would hurt any to perform the procedure on your YJ. The worst case I believe would be that it doesn't erase the Adaptive Memory, if indeed there is Adaptive Memory in the YJ PCM.

Wish I could be of more help to you on this.

I'd call this Chrysler Engineer back and ask him if I thought he would be willing to give me an answer. In truth the only reason he did the investigation on his end was becuase I made him feel guilty that he owed me for taking up 3 hours of my time a while back.

He did however call me back a week after I called him and read to me over the phone the exact same steps to Flash the PCM as I had been given from the folks at Avenger. So I feel confident, that two independent sources gave me exactly the same thing.


Thank you for your kind words.

I have a tendency to be a bit anal about projects like this, but that is where I find a lot of pleasure. In learning new things and trying to find out the "facts" as apposed to all the marketing hype that surrounds so many things.

My testing efforts are not always the most scientific, but I do try to make them real world. (On my Jeep, in the world I live in and not in some lab.) My efforts are to satisfy my needs to Know what is going on and what the benifits are to me. I try to think through what I want to measure or test, make sure it is important to me, explain how I did it and what the factual results are to the best of my ability.

Nothing I do or say should be taken as gospel, but rather just as my best efforts and certainly with a grain of salt by anyone who reads it.

I'm having fun here! And if in the process other folks can get some value out of it then that's great too! Part of the hobby of Jeep'n, and why I enjoy it so much.

Have a great evening,

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 03-29-2004, 03:46 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Selecting the Super Charger

As I said at the start of the thread, putting a super charger on my TJ, with it?s short wheelbase and what I use it for really can?t be justified under any other category then ?I wanted it!?

In stock form my 4.0L and gearing provided all the power it needed for the off roading that I do. Now it just has a lot more! And I must say a lot more fun to drive, so far on road.

I narrowed down my choice to an ?AutoRotor? type super charger. AutoRotor type compressors are available from Kenne Bell and Avenger.

After checking both of these similar designs out and getting an understanding of the pros and cons that each company?s unit presented I settled in on the Avenger Super Charger.


As luck would have it, while at the SEMA show in Las Vegas I sat down next to Jack and Ed, the owners of Avenger Superchargers in the hotel lobby coffee shop. While enjoying morning coffee and a bagel I had their undivided attention for an hour and all we did was talk about this unit.

After returning home I contacted the folks at Kenne Bell to try and learn all I could about their design, which is basically the same with a few additional twists. Here are the differences, pro and con as I see it between the two systems.


Kenne Bell Unit

Only Available for 1999 and up 4.0L
Self contained ?splash? oiling system for the Blower
Re-programmed PCM for Air/Fuel and Timing
Larger Fuel Injectors
Water to Air Intercooler


Avenger Unit

Available for all 4.0L TJ?s (2.5L too)
Pressurized Blower Oiling System via engine oil system tap
Oil return to engine via ?punched? hole in oil pan
No PCM code changes, uses built in (inside the stock PCM) ?Flash Mode? to re-learn correct A/F and Timing
Larger Fuel Injectors
Water to Air Intercooler



My thoughts

I liked the fact that the Kenne Bell unit comes with a bunch of experience in building these units for all kinds of applications. I particularly liked the PCM re-programming to re-map the A/F Ratios and Ignition Timing Management.

What I didn?t like is their 100% unwillingness to even entertain the thought of doing this for the PCM in my 1997 TJ.

At Blaine?s suggestion I gave some thought and investigation into converting my TJ to the 1999 or newer PCM but this would involve a complete re-wiring harness, including all sensors, the harness and the PCM. If I had to I would have done this, but I decided it wasn?t worth the cost or my time.

I also did not like the self-contained ?splash type? oiling system built into their blower. It just bothered me.

I don?t have any evidence this wouldn?t work great. I just feel that any oil used to lubricate and cool parts that are moving this fast should be pressurized and filtered.

I realize that a case can be built to say; ?Yes but, engine oil can be dirty and that might cause a problem too.? Good point! But one I am willing to live with for the benefit of a pressurized and filtered oiling system to the blower bearings.


One of the things that really bothered me about the Avenger System was the need to ?Punch? a hole (Above the oil line) in the oil pan, to be used for the low-pressure oil return to the engine. The process to do this is to use a ?Round Air Chisel? to punch the hole and then to tap the hole out and thread a fitting in

I have to tell you I my first thought on this was ?Mickey Mouse?!

But I figured my worst-case scenario, if this didn?t work to my satisfaction was to drop the oil pan, drill the hole out, and then weld a ?bung? onto the pan for the oil return line fitting.

It is unnerving to do this, but it worked out great! (Read that; It worked to my satisfaction quit well, and I can be picky at times.)

I will tell you more about this later. (If you knew how soft the metal is that makes up your oil pan you would never even consider driving it out of your driveway without a skid plate there!) (Heck I?m afraid now to even tighten down the oil pan drain plug like I used to now!)



In fact, the decision for me was almost made by defaults. I couldn?t get the Kenne Bell Unit cause they won?t program my PCM for it.

What helped me accept this was learning about how to ?flash? the PCM in my TJ to let it learn or adapt to the new air/fuel volumes.

Also, I figured if the a/f ratios do not manage themselves via this ?adaptive? process then I will just tune things myself.

I do have the tools to measure and record A/F Rations against the RPM band and various other sensor readings. All I will need to do is acquire a ?piggyback? Air Fuel Controller. A?PEX makes a great unit that I have investigated to do this. I do not plan to go down this path any farther unless or until I am convinced it is needed.

More later as time permits.


Frank
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 03-31-2004, 10:55 AM
Chuck K. Chuck K. is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 242
Frank, fantastic job as always on your write up , you are going to cause me to have to live in the 5th wheel for a while if I go out and get one of those .. How did you deal with the hood clearance issue we talked about? If you get the time would post more pics and some of the details of the install. I would like to know if its a job I could handle (remember I have an IQ equal to that of a head of cabbage)
With this "force flash" business do you think there is any validity to the article we spoke about where an individual is reflashing or reprogramming TJ PCM's ?
Thanks, Chuck
__________________
Growing old is mandatory.
Growing up is optional.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 04-01-2004, 02:15 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by Chuck K.
Frank, fantastic job as always on your write up , you are going to cause me to have to live in the 5th wheel for a while if I go out and get one of those .. How did you deal with the hood clearance issue we talked about? If you get the time would post more pics and some of the details of the install. I would like to know if its a job I could handle (remember I have an IQ equal to that of a head of cabbage)
With this "force flash" business do you think there is any validity to the article we spoke about where an individual is reflashing or reprogramming TJ PCM's ?
Thanks, Chuck



Hi Chuck, how are you my friend?

I?m about ready to post a few General comments and observations that I have made so far. And a few criticisms too. I?ll cover the hood issue there.

Then I plan to go into a bit of a detailed write-up on the installation. Bare with me and I think you will see what?s involved. Bottom line, I have no doubts you?d be able to install this. It really is bolt on for the most part and one minor grinding function.

You might be right about how the forced flashing and how they go about reprogramming the PCM. I would imagine it someone discovered exactly how the interface worked into the PCM one could simulate the 50 warm-up cycles and flood (fool) the PCM?s Adaptive memory all at once.

It possible, but I don?t have a clue how to do it myself. Read that; I?m stuck driving it and shutting it off to cool down for 50 cycles before I reach peak benefit of the Adaptive Memory function.

I have to tell you, I am at 275 miles now with 32 warm-up cycles. Soon I should have this done. I can tell you, there is no doubt things are working a lot more smooth then now then right after I fired it up after the installation. This ?adaptive Memory? process appears o be working as far as I can tell, but then again maybe that my imagination too.

Soon I?ll do the dyno runs and find out for sure.

More in a bit,

Frank

PS: Thanks for the call last week. It?s always a pleasure chatting with you. One of these days perhaps we?ll get an opportunity to wheel together in the same place!
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 04-01-2004, 04:12 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Please note: these observations and opinions are my current feelings and thoughts.

The proof is in the pudding and that still needs to be determined based on how this system performs over time.

I still have to finish the PCM Adaptive Learning Process before I can get the full effect of the blower and get the Jeep back on the Dyno to see exactly what power improvements have been realized. Right now I have nothing to share but seat of the pants opinion in that regard.




General Thoughts, Observations and Experiences

Before I get into the detail of this installation I thought I would give a few more general thoughts and observation and a few minor criticisms too.



Out of the Box

The Avenger Super Charger I installed on my 97 TJ is a very complete and well engineered kit in every way. The quality of everything in this kit is first class. All machined parts fit perfectly with no exceptions.

Over the years I have purchased a number of Jeep products only to find CNC machined parts that simply do not line up. This drives me nuts!

There is nothing of the sort here. Jack and Ed have taken the time to do this right and it is evident even at first glance.

The Super Charger kit arrives packaged in one big box filled with those little packing peanuts. (I?m still picking them up off the shop floor)

The Super Charger and Intercooler are bolted to a piece of plywood that fits the box perfectly. All the other parts, and there are a lot of them, are laid up against the Supercharger and packaged with shrink-wrap type saran wrap.

Here a picture.




Kinda looks like a cocoon. Hey yea, that?s what it is.

Instead of little caterpillars waiting to be released into butterflies there are a bunch of baby horses in there just waiting to come out, grow up and become big boys and big girls horses under my hood!)



When you unpack things it looks a bit like this.




Is everything there?

Well yes, and then some.

Because of minor differences between the TJ intake models for various years in the end you will find you have a few extra fittings and hoses to wonder about. LOL

Obviously all the big stuff is easy to identify, but there are a bunch of fitting, screws and small parts. I would have liked to see a ?packing list? that gave a description and quantity of everything in the kit.

I should have inventoried everything and created that list from the start, but I didn?t. I would recommend to the folks at Avenger to include a packing list in the future. Not a big deal, but I would have felt more comfortable at the start if I could have verified everything was there before I started.


General Installation Observations

While I believe there are some opportunities to improve the instructions that come with this kit. (read that: More Pictures!) I also believe anyone with a reasonable mechanical ability can install this system without any problems.

This is for the most part a bolt on installation. There are only a couple of grinding operations, and of course you need to punch and thread a hole in the oil pan.

I will go into detail on all of this later.

I also believe the order of the steps in the instructions can be re-ordered so that many of the sub-tasks can be done in stages. This would allow someone to do small parts of the work at a time without taking the Jeep down until the project is totally complete.

This is the approach I took and what I will document.

All in all the instructions worked for me, but I think a few more pictures and a little more explanation of ?How to do it? would be helpful.



Customer Service and Technical Support

World Class folks, what else can I say.

During my installation I had the need to call Jack or Ed with questions six (6) times.

The phone was always answered (by a person, not a machine), and either Jack or Ed or another technical support person was available to answer my questions.

Each time I was made to feel like I was a ?Customer? and answering my questions, even the not so bright questions, was not a burden at all.

It?s nice to do business with folks like this. Folks who encourage you to call and folks who have answers to your questions promptly and with courtesy.

Kudos? for great customer and technical service!

That said, I would not have had to make four (4) of the six (6) calls had there been a few more pictures in the instructions! LOL! I?ll fix that! I took 300 of them!



Misc. Other comments on the kit

In addition to the packing list and a few more pictures in the instructions I would like to see a list of special tools needed to complete the installation and a list of supplies you need to have on had.

Most of the tools you will use are hand tools, and most will be found in any decently equipped shop. But there are a few you may not have and need to acquire or borrow to complete the installation.

As I did my installation I took note of these tool (i.e. 5mm Allen wrench, grinder, pneumatic chisel, ect) and the required supplies. I will put these lists up later.



Installation Bottom Line

This is not a difficult installation, it is however time consuming. If you follow the order of the installation instructions that come with the kit your Jeep will be down until you are finished with the installation.

I found you can perform a lot of the installation is stages, over time. This enabled me to continue to drive my Jeep between these tasks. As I document my installation you will see what I mean.

ANYONE with reasonable mechanical skill should have no problem installing the Avenger Super Charger on his or her Jeep. Just read through the directions, make sure you understand them and go have at it.



Pre-Install Requirements and Your Hood

As I shared with you before, your Jeep has to be in good tune, good compression and good fuel pressure before you start.

Another requirement is to have a 1-inch body lift. This is needed so that the nose of the Super Charger (where the drive pulley is) will clear the underside of the hood.

My Jeep has a 1-inch body lift, but I also have a 1-inch motor mount lift using the M.O.R.E. polyurethane bushings. I am here to tell you that this set up does indeed clear the underside of the hood. BARELY! By about 1/8-inch when the engine is torqued over under power. I?d like to get another 1/8-inch in there and will figure a way to do that somehow.

To check hood clearance Play Dough works great! Just put a glob of it on the top of the Super Charger Pulley. (Engine Not Running) and close and latch the hood! Then open it and measure the Play Dough like you would Plasti-Gauge



Please note, I neglected to mention that prior to the initial Dyno testing, and tuning everything up, prior to the blower installation I also removed and cleaned the throttle body. I typically do this every 30K or so but thought it would be good to do it now as well. I forgot to mention this before.

When I get the time I will post a detailed description on how I do this for those who may be interested.



NEXT

I want to compile the lists of tools and supplies next and then get into my write-up on my installation and the order of tasks I choose to do them in.

Bare with me as this is as time and energy levels permit.

Have a great day!

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 04-01-2004, 09:24 AM
blupupher blupupher is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Katy, Republic of Texas
Posts: 59
Send a message via AIM to blupupher Send a message via Yahoo to blupupher
Good write up so far. Very good reading. Just curious, what is the bottom line on the cost for the SC?
__________________
My Jeep Page
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 04-01-2004, 12:22 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Required Tools

In addition to your normal every day hand tools in both SAE and Metric you will need the following to do this installation.
  • Air Compressor
    Pneumatic Air Chisel
    Air Chisel Bit, Round = 0.460 ? 0.475-inches in diameter
    ?-inch NPT Thread Tap
    Hand Punch
    Grinder
    Fuel Line Disconnect Tool
    Electric Drill and Bits
    Soldering Iron
    Torx T-25 bit
    1 and 1/16-inch Open End Wrench
    ?-inch Nut Driver
    Fuel Pressure Gauge
    Engine Compression Gauge
    Allen Wrenches in these sizes; ?-inch, 5/32-inch, 5MM, and 6MM


Needed Supplies
  • Sensor Safe Clear Silicon Sealer (RTV)
    Loctite ? Medium Strength, Blue
    Thread Sealing Compound or Teflon Tape
    Solder
    6-inch of 1/8-inch Wire Heat Shrink Insulation
    18-inches, Red 18 gauge insulated wire
    18-inches, Black 18 gauge insulated wire



Optional Items I used
  • 1 Steel Hose Barb for 3/8-inch hose with ?-inch NPT threads
    1 Throttle Body Gasket (Napa Part # G33268 or Mopar # 53007543)
    4 extra 1.5-inch stainless steel hose clamps. (Worm gear type.)
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 04-01-2004, 01:29 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by blupupher
Good write up so far. Very good reading. Just curious, what is the bottom line on the cost for the SC?
I paid $3,800 for it during a Pre-Moab Sale which took $200 off the regular price.

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 04-01-2004, 02:48 PM
blupupher blupupher is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Katy, Republic of Texas
Posts: 59
Send a message via AIM to blupupher Send a message via Yahoo to blupupher
OK, thats about what I had been hearing, $4000 for it.
It will be interesting to see the actual gains and where they are at.
What kind of mileage you getting, or have you really driven enough to get a good average?
__________________
My Jeep Page
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 04-01-2004, 07:44 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Quote:
Originally posted by blupupher
What kind of mileage you getting, or have you really driven enough to get a good average?
I have a record of every gallon of gas I have ever put in my TJ and can provide MPG figures for the last 84K miles it has been driven

I don?t have nearly enough miles (only 325 now) on it since the Super Charger to feel comfortable to compare things yet.

I will do this, probably over a 2 or 3 thousand mile period of driving to get a good sample.

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 04-01-2004, 08:38 PM
NAILER341 NAILER341 is offline
I showed Matt my twinkie and he like it.
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: LAKEWOOD CA
Posts: 1,926
Quote:
Originally posted by Daless2
I have a record of every gallon of gas I have ever put in my TJ and can provide MPG figures for the last 84K miles it has been driven

I don?t have nearly enough miles (only 325 now) on it since the Super Charger to feel comfortable to compare things yet.

I will do this, probably over a 2 or 3 thousand mile period of driving to get a good sample.

Frank
YOU ARE A WILD MAN! i dont know where i bought my gas on the last fill up but i'm glad you take such good notes for us. it makes for some fantastic write ups.
how do you feel about post-its?
__________________
ERIK
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WWW.DANA30.COM
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 04-02-2004, 05:00 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Good morning folks, I think I finally have some time to be able to document the actual installation steps. I will document this as Numbered Steps, 1 through the end, as I did this installation.

I have these steps farther categorized into three main chapters so to speak.
  • Preliminary Tasks
    Pre-Down Time Tasks
    Down Time Tasks



Please Note: I am writing these instructions based on my installation experience on a 97 TJ 4.0L engine and the instructions, which came from Avenger. There are and may be more minor differences between the model years. When I know what these differences are I will includes that information. But please know I do not know everything.






Preliminary Work

The work steps listed in this section are those which you really do need to do first, either before you order your Super Charger or while waiting for it to arrive.

While these few steps may seem boring, they are actually vital in importance.

Please don?t skip them. I believe you are asking for trouble if you do.



Step 1 ? Premium Fuel:
Run your gas tank fuel level all the way down toward empty and then fill the tank with Premium (92 Octane) gas. (High Test if you?re an old guy like me.)

Ouch!!!! But get used to it. Your Jeep will require a stead diet of it from now on.



Step 2 ? Pressure Testing:

You really need to validate the mechanical condition of your engine by performing Compression and Leak Down testing of the cylinders and Pressure Testing of your Fuel System.

You will have to consult your Factory Service manual for the procedure for Compression and Leak Down Testing as the specs vary slightly from year to year.

If you do not have one, barrow a fuel pressure gauge and connect it up to the fuel nipple towards the front of the fuel rail.

Here is a picture showing a fuel pressure gauge connected to the fuel rail.





Start your engine and make sure that the fuel pressure stays between 44.2 and 54.2 psi while you rapidly accelerate the throttle by hand.

If the pressure falls below 44.2 psi you need to resolve this issue; probably with a new fuel pump.



Step 3 ? Tune Up:

While you have the plugs out for the compression and leak down testing you are all set to pop in a new set of plugs. I use either the Champion Truck Plug 4412 or the AutoLite NASCAR Plug 985.

If your engine has a distributor as mine does, I would replace the cap and rotor as well.

Also , if you have 40K or more miles on the spark plug wires I would replace them too. Stock replacements work great. I prefer Jacobs?s custom fit wires myself.

I would strongly advice you to replace your ignition wires if you have more then 40K miles on them

If you have more then 30K miles on your engine and you have never cleaned the throttle body I would advise you remove it and clean it well. The underside of the throttle plate, as well as the Idle Air Manifold will be full of carbon. Better to bench clean it now and put it back on and make sure it works perfectly before you begin the Super Charger installation. There is no value in doing both at the same time as this would lay one layer of complexity on top of another.

If you plan to flush (or reverse flush, as I did) your cooling system you might want to wait till you need to install the intercooler radiator that comes with the Avenger kit. This will save you a lot of duplicate work.

Just add this task to your list of ?to do?s? when you get to that point in these instructions. (Don?t worry I will add it there for you!)



Step 4 ? Body Lift:

If you do not already have a 1-inch body lift on your TJ now is a good time to install one.

An alternative to the body lift is to either cut your hood or somehow install some type of ?power bump? in the hood where the blower drive pulley will stick through it.

I would not cut this hole at this time if that is the way you decide to go. I?d wait on that till the blower is on the engine.

I?d do the Body Lift and leave the hood alone.

However, if you don?t like that and want to see where the Super Charger pulley will come through the hood here is a picture.




I marked the spot with a piece of yellow electrical tape.


Again, if you want to cut your hood to clearance the Super Charger I WOULD NOT do this now. I would wait till it was bolted on the engine.

This step is to get the 1-inch Body lift installed or get you thinking about that hood situation and how you are going to handle it.


++++++++++++++++
This is the end of the Preliminary work. Your Jeep should be running perfectly on Premium Fuel and have the body lifted 1-inch for hood clearance at this time

Next will be instruction on how to do the Pre-Down time tasks.

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 04-02-2004, 09:09 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Pre-Down Time Work

Here are the tasks that I have found can be done piece meal in the evenings that will enable you to still be able to drive your Jeep in between each task. In other words, do one each night during the week and still have the Jeep available to drive to work the next day.

This will greatly limit the down time when your Jeep will not be drivable at all. More then 50% of the install can be done this way if you prefer.



Step 5 ? Lengthen the IAT Sensor Wiring Harness:

The wiring harness going to the Intake Air Temperature (IAT) sensor must be lengthened by 14-inchs. This is required so that the plug can reach the IAT sensor in its new location, under the Intercooler once the blower is installed.

You will need one piece of Red wire, 18 inches long, 18 or 20 gauge, and a second wire, same length, but Black in color.

You also need a soldering iron, some solder and some heat shrink wire insulation.


Disconnect your battery.

Disconnect Plug ?A? from your PCM. This is a precaution. You will be soldering wires on the IAT wiring harness. The other end of these wires connects to plug ?A? at the PCM. By disconnecting this plug you eliminate all risk to the PCM before you start.

Here is a picture of Plug ?A? location. It is the plug closest to the outside on the passenger side of the Jeep on the PCM. (Sorry about the picture quality. Guess I moved.)





Find the IAT sensor and disconnect the wiring plug from the sensor.

This sensor is located on the top of the intake manifold toward the rear of the manifold. There is a two-wire plug attached to it. It will be the only wired device directly attached to the intake manifold. (read that, the picture I took to show its location really sucks and I don?t want to embarrass myself with it!)

You unplugged it, right? Good!

Now cut the two wires about 3-inches from the plug.

With a wire stripper remove about ?-inch from the ends of all four wires. (The two attached to the plug, and the two attached to the harness.)

Cut a strip of Red wire from your shops supply to 14-inchs and strip both ends.

Place two 1.5-inch pieces of Heat Shrink-wrap on the Red wire toward the middle.

Connect one end of the Red wire to the wire on the plug with the Red Trace Line on it.

Connect the other end of the Red wire to the harness wire with the Red Trace Line on it.

Solder both of these connections and then slide the heat shrink-wrap over the joints. Heat the heat shrink insulation with a hair dryer (or a lighter in a pinch) to tighten it up.

Take your shop supplied Black wire and solder it in place on the remaining wire between the plug and the harness.

++++++++++++
WARNING: Do not cheat here. Solder these wires. Do NOT use butt connectors or crimp on connectors. If you do you run the risk of introducing unwanted resistance to the IAT signal. This can and probably will give you fits later.
++++++++++++

Once you shrink the heat shrink insulation around the joints, wrap the wiring extension with electrical tape. Do it right and make it look factory!

Plug the newly extended IAT Plug into the sensor.

Here is a poor picture of what it should look something like.




Plug the PCM Connector ?A? back in.

Reconnect the Battery and start the Jeep.

Take it for a test-drive and verify everything appear to be working fine.

See! Just 30 minutes before dinner and you have ? of all the electrical work needed for this installation done already. Your good! Now go eat dinner. (You might want to cook it first!)

You can drive your Jeep to work in the morning if you want too!


Frank
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 04-02-2004, 10:11 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Step 6 ? Mount and Wire the Intercooler Pump:

+++++++++
Comment: In my experience tasks related to installing the Intercooler components for this project took more then half the time and half my efforts.

If you break these work efforts down into manageable units of work I believe you can decrease your Jeeps down time dramatically.

+++++++++


Here is a picture of the Intercooler pump and mounting bracket.




The inlet port is on the nose of the pump, and the exhaust port is on the side. There are two wires to the pump, one Red and one Back.

The pump slides into the clamp-type mounting bracket and the bracket bolts to your Jeep.

You are going to have to figure out where to mount the pump given a set of rules you need to follow.

The pump head must be located at the lowest point of the intercooler system. That translates into ?No Higher then 1 inch above the top of the Jeeps intake manifold.?

The pump can be mounted Vertically or Horizontally.

However it you mount it Horizontally the exhaust port must be position so that it falls anywhere between the 12 O?clock and 3 o?clock positions. If you don?t follow this rule you run the risk of having air cavitate in the pump housing. (read this as not a good thing to let happen to you!)

Avenger recommends you mount the pump on the ABS tray behind the driver-side wheel well, or on the driver-side inner fender.

I had no chance of mounting my pump there as that real estate was already completely filled up.

I found a location on the firewall to mount my pump vertically with the pump head pointing down in a position that would insure the lowest point on the intercooler system.

Here is a picture.




Notice how nicely the exhaust port is pointing over to the intake manifold? That?s where the intercooler intake port will be located when you install the blower on the manifold.

The pump slides in the bracket and the bracket is bolted to the Jeep. I didn?t like the idea of just bolting this in place because of potential vibration problems through the sheet metal..

I did a quick trip over to Ace Hardware and came back with two Expandable Rubber Nutcerts and Bolts to use as the mounting hardware for the pump and bracket.

This worked out great to physically insolate the pump from the Jeep?s sheet metal. I can barely here that the pump is on. The rubber Nutcerts act like little vibration shock absorbers. I?m happy! (Which always makes for a good day!)

So pick your poison as to where you want to mount the pump and be sure to follow the mounting rules. If you want to eliminate any chance of vibration through the sheet metal go spend $0.38 at Ace and use the rubber expandable Nutcerts to mount the pump and bracket.



Now you have to wire the pump up!

The red wire needs to be connected to an Ignition Switched Power source. In other words, +12 that turns on when the key is on, and off when the key is off.

I used the cigarette lighter circuit inside the Jeep.

I also elected to install a 5 amp mini fuse and weatherproof fuse holder about 6-inches from the pump. This was immensely helpful later on when I had to purge the intercooler system of air. Plus it gives me a dedicated fuse to protect the pump circuit.

The black wire needs to go to a good ground. I used the grounding bolt on the firewall, which attaches the already existing ground strap to your Jeeps hood.

If you are installing the pump now without the rest of the supercharger system DO NOT connect the Red wire to the power circuit yet. You don?t want the pump running dry tomorrow morning on your drive to work. Just get the wire in place and you will connect it up later on during the installation process.

If you install a fuse like I did, simply remove the fuse and your safe to drive to work!


At this point you have completed 100% of all electrical work involved in the installation of the Super Charger.

And..... You can still drive it to work in the morning!

Frank
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 04-02-2004, 06:11 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Step 7 ? Mounting the Intercooler Radiator and Hoses:

Note: This step will require you to remove your radiator. If you feel you have a need to flush your cooling system now might be a real good time.

I did, using a Prestone Product, followed by a reverse flushing of the radiator and the heater core. I also replaced my Thermostat with a new Stock 195 degree F unit.



You need to mount the intercooler radiator to the front side of the V-bracket located inside the Jeeps grill.





In order to do this you have to remove the following items.
  • Fan/Clutch Assembly
    Radiator Overflow Bottle
    Fan shroud
    Radiator

DO NOT lay the fan/clutch down flat Keep it standing up. There is an oil filled viscose clutch inside that can leak oil if it is stored flat. This may cause it to malfunction when you put it back.







You will also need to remove the four bolts (two on top and two on bottom) that hold the A/C Condenser to the grill if your Jeep has A/C.

DO NOT disconnect the A/C lines from the condenser. This is not necessary. You will be able to slide the condenser out of the way enough to get to the v-bracket inside the grill.


You should now have access to the V-bracket in the grill. Remove the three bolts that hold it in place and put it on your shop bench. You will be mounting the intercooler radiator to the front side of this V-bracket.







WARNING!!!! This is Vital!!! Please read this carefully and learn from my mistake!

You are going to want to mount the intercooler as high up the V-bracket as possible, especially if you have a winch installed on your Jeep.

Be aware, there is a limit as to how high you can go.

If you exceed this limit you will find that when you close your hood, the hood safety latch will hit the intercooler radiator.

(Read this; Best case, you will end up taking it all apart and doing this work over a second time, Worst Case you will damage the intercooler radiator.)

Look at the V-Bracket. See the hole in the end of each leg? Make sure you mount the intercooler radiator at least 3.5-inches below the centerline of these holes.

If you go any higher the hood latch will hit!

End of warning!!!!!


OK, you should have the V-Bracket on your bench now. If you need to clean it up and mount some masking tape down each leg like this.




Use the tape to mark the location of the top of the intercooler radiator.

Do you see that 2x4 to the right? It is exactly 3.5 inches wide. If you lay it even with the centerline of the V-bracket holes you can mark the location of the radiator on the tape as I did.

Then all you need to do is drill four holes in the V-bracket to be used to mount the radiator using the supplied ties.


Let me save you a phone call. When you look at the intercooler radiator you will see the input and exhaust ports are not centered.






It does not matter which way you mount this, just as long as the hose ports are pointing toward the driver side of the Jeep.

Whichever port ends up on the top will be the intercooler radiator ?inlet? coming from the intercooler, and the port on the bottom will be the ?outlet? going to the intercooler pump.


Break open the package that contains the radiator mounting zip ties and push one zip tie through each drilled hole from the back

Then slide a protective pad over each tie from the front. These pads protect the intercooler radiator from contacting the V-Bracket





Next you want to work the zip ties through the intercooler radiator. Don?t force things. They will slide in nicely, without damaging anything with just a little pressure.





Now slip a zip tie locking grommet over each zip tie. Push these down as far as you can until the radiator is held firmly in place
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 04-02-2004, 06:12 PM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
CONTINUATION OF STEP SEVEN. I exseaded the picture limit in this step for this forum





Now just cut the excess ends of the zip ties off
It should look like this when done.





Now you need to remount the V-bracket in the grill. Make sure you have the intercooler radiator facing the front of the Jeep, being held by the V-bracket to its rear.

It should look something like this when it is in place.





OK, now you need to do some rough plumbing of the intercooler hoses.

Before you can connect the hoses to the intercooler radiator you are going to have to cut an oval shaped hole in the rubber wind dam located on the driver side of the radiator opening.

Remove the rubber wind dam and on your workbench cut out this opening inline with the inlet and outlet ports on the radiator.






Once you have this trimmed up nicely and in the right location re-install the rubber wind dam and route two pieces of the included ?-inch heater hose from the engine compartment, through the grill, and the rubber wind dam, to the intercooler radiator.

Secure each hose with the supplied Hose Clamps


Here is a picture of the hoses coming through the rubber wind dam looking through the grill from in front of the Jeep





Here is another shot from inside the engine compartment showing the same two hoses going through the front grill sheet metal via a rectangular opening already there.





It is very important to make sure your hose routing does not bend a radius to small that it kinks the hose.

Double check this, and please when you are done with that check it again.

If you find that no matter what you do you still end up with a kink in one of the hoses I have a trick for you.

Put an extra Hose Clamp around the hose right where the kink is. Tighten this clamp down only enough to secure it to the hose and remove the kink. I have been using this trick for years. An old timer gave it to me, and now I realize I am an old timer giving it to you.

The hose, which you attached to the bottom port of the intercooler radiator, should be extended to the pump inlet, which is the port in the center of the pump. You can attach this end of the hose now with a clamp like this.





The hose that is attached to the upper port on the intercooler radiator should be routed up to the radiator support rod on the driver side and secured there with a wire tie for the time being like this.





You wouldn?t be able to attach this hose to its final home until after the Super Charger is installed. Consider this hose ?roughed in plumbing?.


Start putting things back together.

Re-bolt the A/C Condenser back in place. (two bolts on top, two on the bottom.) With each item make sure you are not pinching off the two intercooler hoses as then come into the engine compartment from the grill.


Reinstall the Radiator. Again check the hoses for clearance.


TEST FIT the Fan Shroud. Odds are you will find a fitment problem here like I did.

All you need do is trim a small piece off the bottom of the plastic fan shroud to clearance the two hoses.

Here is what it looks like after the trimming.





Considering the Fan Shroud had to be clearance a bit and given the location of the intercooler hoses to the Radiator Overflow Bottle you might want to install the bottle to test if there will be any issues there.

In my case the bottle did press on the sides of the hoses just a bit.

I solved this by elongating the four mounting holes in the fan shroud by about ?-inch on the drivers side of each hole. This allowed me to push the shroud to the passenger side a ?-inch, relieving the pressure on the intercooler hoses.

OK, now that you have ?clearance? everything you can install the fan shroud and fan/clutch assembly for real, as well as all the radiator hoses and the overflow bottle.

Time to re-fill the coolant system. I used a ?pre-mixed coolant? for the first time in my life on this project; Wal-mart SuperTech brand. at $3.47 per gallon. (You will need two gallons of the ?green stuff? if you go this route.)

Do your regular thing to get all the air out of the coolant system and the radiator filled to capacity.

Check leaks, and take it for a test drive. When you get back let it cool off and then check the coolant level as you normally would. Top off as needed and don?t forget the recovery bottle level too.


At this point you have 90% of all the Intercooler work done for this installation.

The few remaining items dealing with the intercooler will have to wait until the blower is installed.

By doing the installation this way you in effect remove the need to fill your engine cooling system at the same time you are first firing up the Super Charger. I like this because it eliminates a layer of complexity for a simple-minded man like myself.

Now you don?t have to worry about your cooling system. You know it is working properly because you have filled and tested it for leaks before the blower is put on.

And?

Your Jeep is still drivable in the morning to go to work! (or Wheeling if you absolutely positively have too!)


Frank
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 04-04-2004, 04:42 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Step 8 ? Mounting the Intercooler Radiator and Hoses:

This is the last of the Pre-Down Time tasks.

Here you will be ?punching? a hole in the Jeeps oil pan above the oil line. This hole will then be taped to fit a ?-inch NPT thread and a fitting screwed in to connect the Super Charger oil return line.


Here are the tools you will need.




The first three (top down) are hand punches used to put a small dimple in the oil pan to mark the stop where you want to make the hole.

On the bottom is a pneumatic air chisel. This is what will actually punch the hole in the pan.

Obviously you will need an air compressor to power the pneumatic chisel.


Very Important! The chisel bit that you use must be the right size to allow a ?-inch NPT pipe tap to put threads in the oil pan. I used a chisel that had an outside diameter of 0.460 ?inches. It was a little on the tight side for my tap.

I believe you could use a chisel bit up to 0.475 ? inches in diameter and still be able to thread this hole. If in doubt I would strongly suggest you punch a hole in a piece of scrap metal and make sure the tap can indeed thread it. If you go too big with this hole the tap will not bite enough to form the threads.


One additional tool not shown is the ?-inch NPT thread Tap.


Comments:

Punching a hole in my oil pan with an air chisel was more then a bit unnerving to me

I had a fall back plan if I didn?t like how this worked, I?d drop the pan and weld a ?bung? on.

Prior to actually doing this I practiced punching holes in some scrap metal around the shop. I found it took two hands to hold and control the air chisel when doing this to the scrap metal. And that it took about 5 seconds to punch the hole through neatly and without having the chisel jump all over the place.

This was not the case on the oil pan. What I found when actually punching the hole in my pan was scary.

The chisel went through the pan like a hot knife through butter. I mean right in, in about one nanosecond! You cannot believe how soft the metal of this oil pan is. (Read that, don?t dream of leaving your driveway without some type of oil pan skid protection!)

The chisel causes the pan metal to mushroom around the edges of the hole. This allows the tap to put threads in about 3/8 of an inch of metal all the way around. More then enough for the hose barb to be screwed in securely.

In hindsight this ?punch a hole in the oil pan with an air chisel? process worked great. (And I?m more then a little picky about these things.)

End of comments



My Apologies
The quality of some of these pictures leave more then a bit to be desired. I don?t know if the problem was with the camera or my being so scared to punch a hole in my oil pan that I couldn?t hold the camera still. At any rate, they are the best I have. Please bare with me and squint.



Here is a picture of the oil pan from the driver side.

See that round block casting? Look down to the pan from there about ?-inch onto the pan, between the two studs that are sticking down.

That is where you need to punch the hole.






Better yet, just take a look at this picture, after the hole has been punched to locate it in your mind.






How do you do that?

Well unless you have monkey arms longer then mine (34-inch sleeve) you are going to need to jack the driver side tire up off the ground, put the frame on a jack stand and remove the front tire.

I also had to remove the driver side shock. I just couldn?t get the air chisel in there to punch the hole any other way.






Now that you have access to the driver side of the oil pan take a hand chisel and mark the stop where you need to punch the hole at with a dimple. This should be between the two studs/bolts as shown above and about ?-inch below the pan gasket lip.

Work the Air Chisel and Bit (You are using the right size bit, Right?) into place and press the chisel point down hard into the marked dimple.

Pull the trigger and hang on cause this is going to happen fast!







Here it is exactly 1.274 nanoseconds later; one perfectly formed, mushroom-lipped hole in my oil pan above the oil line!





Now dig out your ?-inch NPT thread Tap and your grease gun.

What you want to do is cover the tap with lots of grease. This will help catch any thread filings as you run the tap into the hole to thread it.

As you can see in the picture I used a ratchet , extension and socket to turn the tap. All of my tap handles were too big to turn in this space.






Once the threads are cut clean the hole with a shop rag and install the blower oil return hose barb.

While this barb is well above the oil line be sure to use some thread compound or black RTV to seal the threads.







Please Note: The hose barb that comes with the super charger kit is made of brass. I decided to install a replacement made out of steel so that I could weld it in place. Why? I guess it just made me feel better knowing it could never ever back out. (I?m eccentric, what can I say!)


Being I did this work before I was ready to install the rest of the super charger I had to close this hose barb off, or run the risk (likely) of dumping oil all over the place.

I took a 4-inch length of 3/8-inch hose and plugged one end with a bolt, some RTV and a hose clamp.

I then put the other end on the hose barb and held it there with a hose clamp. This worked fine.






You will take this piece of hose off later when you install the super charger and run a hose from the blower to the oil pan to the hose barb you just installed.


Re-install the shock, put the front tire back on and remove the Jeep from the jack stands.

Take it for a test drive and make sure there are no leaks.


Down Time Coming

If you follow my order of installation tasks you will find you are more then half done with the installation in both time and effort.

Yes this was all the boring stuff, but it did enable you to do the work piecemeal and still be able to drive your Jeep after each task was complete.

From here on out, count on your Jeep being down, out of service, until the super charger installation is complete.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 04-06-2004, 03:28 AM
Daless2 Daless2 is offline
The king of shotgun debate
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 1,303
Down Time Tasks

Folks, here is my attempt to provide some detailed instructions for the remainder of the Avenger Super Charger installation. These remaining steps all involve the Jeep being down and out of service until the project is complete.


Step 9 ? Prepare the Intake Manifold:

See all those hoses and other ?stuff? on the top of the intake manifold?

Oh wait, here?s a picture;




It all has to come off.

Here?s a list of what I did in the order I did it.

Disconnect the battery.

Remove the air tube from the Throttle Body.

Disconnect the Throttle Cable from the Throttle Body. (it is a plastic clip that slides off)

Take the three 10 mm bolts out of the three legs of the Throttle Cable Bracket and move the cable and bracket off the passenger side of the engine compartment.

Disconnect the Throttle Positioning, Idle Air Motor and MAP sensor plugs from the Throttle Body.

Disconnect the plug going to the Intake Air Temperature Sensor. (this is the one you lengthened by 14-inches in an earlier step.

Slide the wiring harness out of the way to the passenger side of the engine.

Remove the four bolts holding the Throttle Body to the intake Manifold. Be sure to save the gasket you will be using it later. Put Throttle Body and Gasket in a clean location of your shop.

Cover the Throttle Body Opening on the intake Manifold with Duck Tape to prevent dropping anything in there.

Remove all the vacuum hoses and fittings from the top and sides of the intake manifold.

Please Note: On early model TJ like mine, all the vacuum ports are threaded into the intake manifold. On late model TJ some are threaded and some are pressed in. Here is a barrowed picture from the Avenger site showing what a late model manifold looks like with both types of vacuum fittings.




Obviously those that are screwed in come out with a wench. Those that are pressed in should come out with pliers.


Also remove the Intake Air Temperature Sensor and set it aside with the Throttle Body. You will need to re-install it in the bottom of the Intercooler before you install the blower.

Use the supplied NPT thread plugs, a ?-inch Allen wrench and some gray or clear sensor safe RTV plug each threaded vacuum hole in the intake manifold, ACCEPT for the one on the side of the intake manifold. This vacuum port on the side of the manifold will be used later to plumb to the MAP sensor.

Use the supplied ?Mini freeze plugs? to close off those holes in the intake manifold that had pressed in fittings. Use a bit of RTV here too, to insure an airtight seal.

On late model manifolds there is a casting nipple that must be ground off. Being mine isn?t late model I didn?t have to do this, but if you look at the picture above you can see the nipple that must come off to ?clearance? the intercooler once it is bolted on.

The intake manifold is now readied for the blower a bit later on.

Next step is dealing with the larger fuel injectors.

Frank
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Daless2 Project Rebuild - TJ at 98,000 miles Daless2 Jeep Friends Forum 8 11-24-2006 06:03 PM
My New Jeep Project Macgyver Jeep Friends Forum 3 04-14-2005 11:48 AM
AZ: Streetable XJ rockcrawler project f/s or trade Blatant Buy/Sell Jeep Stuff 5 07-15-2004 10:13 AM
Round spring project, almost there! ChrisO Jeep Friends Forum 16 07-15-2003 07:18 AM
Community G-Tech Project TObject Jeep Friends Forum 0 09-25-2001 06:34 PM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:27 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
We are not affiliated with Chrysler LLC. Jeep is a registered trademark of Chrysler LLC.
©2001 - 2016, jeepbbs.net. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy