do superchargers require an oil feed

[obi_waynne]

If you fitted a supercharger to your engine would it require an oil feed?

Is it best to extend the existing belt to drive it our to fit a secondary pulley and run it off this?

 

[stamford]

From what I have seen and read they do need an oil feed for the nose bearings and this is a common failure point on some charger systems. The belt is a longer version on some. To fit another pulley and run another belt will need room and the slave unit running the extra pulley must have the bearing capacity to accept the offset load.

 

[T9 man]

^^ I note what you are saying about the additional pulleys needed; is this why the installation of an aftermarket supercharger on an engine often requires the sacrifice of the AC pump to make room to fit it then Stamford?

 

[claymore]

Most SC's have an oil bath, so they don't need an external oil feed like a turbo.

 

[TommyTwinCams]

Coming from someone whose family has OWNED a supercharged car, I can positively tell you that they DO NOT share their oil with the engine nor do they require an oil feed line. Superchargers have their own oil, which, for those who don't know, is among the worst smells in the world when you change it.
Here's the car we had (not the exact one. Same model. It was my sister's car. The SOB is FAST.)

The car was a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP.
The engine was a GM L67, a 3.8L supercharged V6 making 240 HP and 280 ft-lbs (240 HP in a family sedan was a huge deal in the 1990's). The cars were automatic only unfortunately, but they have an aftermarket comparable to Hondas and the engine respond well to mods. The stock supercharger on the car is an Eaton M90 roots type blower.

 

[Yugguy]

Supercharger oil in the uk seems to be like auto fluid oil, one of those "filled for life" stupidities that if you do change it will extend the life of your supercharger.

 

[TommyTwinCams]

on GM's L67 engines, it's recommended you change it once a year. and the oil is specific to those superchargers. You can only get replacement oil from GM and it comes in 8 oz bottles.

 

[Yugguy]

Aye - we just don't seem to have a culture of doing it in the uk, even autobox fluid can be a specialist job, not like a simple oil change that your tyre fitter could do. You guys are lucky in the states, you can get cheap gearbox oil changes from any street corner lube place. I suppose it's cos autos are common in the states but not here.

 

[TommyTwinCams]

Aye - we just don't seem to have a culture of doing it in the uk, even autobox fluid can be a specialist job, not like a simple oil change that your tyre fitter could do. You guys are lucky in the states, you can get cheap gearbox oil changes from any street corner lube place. I suppose it's cos autos are common in the states but not here.

I think it has more to do with American culture in general. Most people are lazy. This is why automatics are so popular. Only 6% of all cars on the road in the USA have manual transmissions.

Another thing is that most people don't consider cars to be complicated, but rather an appliance to get you from point a to point b. I've met people who have no idea of the concept of car maintenance and think the only thing you have to do for a car is put gas in and go. I personally firmly believe that if you have no interest in cars, you shouldn't be driving. If you have no interest in something, generally, you can't do it well. You wouldn't ask me to rebuild a computer.

 

[stamford]

I can tell you that the Sprintex chargers used on the KV6 engines used a custom oil feed for the nose bearings as this was a weak link in the design. So to say they do not need them is incorrect. Sprintex got it wrong hence why they pulled them from the market, coupled with engine issues at the time.

 

[TommyTwinCams]

I have NEVER seen a supercharger with an oil feel line, and I've seen quite a few supercharged cars.
Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (2004-2005.
Chevrolet Impala SS (2004-2005. Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Buick Regal GS (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged (Eaton M62 supercharged 2.0L I4)
Saturn Ion Redline (Eaton M62 supercharged 2.0L I4)
first gen Toyota MR2
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford GT
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

And I've seen quite a few of these with aftermarket supercharger kits on them never requiring an oil feed.
1999-2005 Pontiac Grand AM (3.4L pushrod V6. centrifugal type supercharger)
1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero (3.4L pushrod V6. centrifugal type supercharger)
1999-2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 (2.4L DOHC I4. Kit uses an Eaton M45 supercharger)
1999-2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT (2.4L DOHC I4. Kit uses an Eaton M45 supercharger)
2002-2005 Chevrolet Cavalier (2.2L DOHC Ecotec I4. Similar set up to Chevrolet Cobalt SS)
2002-2005 Pontiac Sunfire (2.2L DOHC Ecotec I4. Similar set up to Chevrolet Cobalt SS)
Honda S2000
Honda Civic Si
Acura TSX
VW Rabbit (MKV VW Golf. This one was custom made using a Cobalt SS Supercharger)
Toyota Yaris
Scion xB
Scion xA
Scion tC
Pontiac Vibe
Toyota Matrix
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Tacoma
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Landcruiser
Scion FR-S (Toyota GT86 to you)
Chevrolet Silverado
Ford Expedition
Ford Mustang
Chevrolet Camaro
Pontiac Firebird
etc.

So when I say I have never seen a supercharger with an oil feed, I mean it.

 

[SLEEPER]

One thing is for sure superchargers require lubrication and oil is the obvious choice
And it may well be true that most are sealed BUT.......... some are not

There are kits out there for vortech superchargers so there must be some with seperate oil feeds

just because you have not seen one and can write a long list doesnt mean oil feeds dont exist.

 

[Yugguy]

I think it has more to do with American culture in general. Most people are lazy. This is why automatics are so popular. Only 6% of all cars on the road in the USA have manual transmissions.

Another thing is that most people don't consider cars to be complicated, but rather an appliance to get you from point a to point b. I've met people who have no idea of the concept of car maintenance and think the only thing you have to do for a car is put gas in and go. I personally firmly believe that if you have no interest in cars, you shouldn't be driving. If you have no interest in something, generally, you can't do it well. You wouldn't ask me to rebuild a computer.

You could ask but I would have to politely decline. :cheesy:

 

[claymore]

I have NEVER seen a supercharger with an oil feel line, and I've seen quite a few supercharged cars.
Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS (2004-2005.
Chevrolet Impala SS (2004-2005. Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Buick Regal GS (Eaton M90 supercharged 3.8L V6)
Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged (Eaton M62 supercharged 2.0L I4)
Saturn Ion Redline (Eaton M62 supercharged 2.0L I4)
first gen Toyota MR2
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford GT
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

And I've seen quite a few of these with aftermarket supercharger kits on them never requiring an oil feed.
1999-2005 Pontiac Grand AM (3.4L pushrod V6. centrifugal type supercharger)
1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero (3.4L pushrod V6. centrifugal type supercharger)
1999-2002 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24 (2.4L DOHC I4. Kit uses an Eaton M45 supercharger)
1999-2002 Pontiac Sunfire GT (2.4L DOHC I4. Kit uses an Eaton M45 supercharger)
2002-2005 Chevrolet Cavalier (2.2L DOHC Ecotec I4. Similar set up to Chevrolet Cobalt SS)
2002-2005 Pontiac Sunfire (2.2L DOHC Ecotec I4. Similar set up to Chevrolet Cobalt SS)
Honda S2000
Honda Civic Si
Acura TSX
VW Rabbit (MKV VW Golf. This one was custom made using a Cobalt SS Supercharger)
Toyota Yaris
Scion xB
Scion xA
Scion tC
Pontiac Vibe
Toyota Matrix
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Toyota Tacoma
Toyota Tundra
Toyota Landcruiser
Scion FR-S (Toyota GT86 to you)
Chevrolet Silverado
Ford Expedition
Ford Mustang
Chevrolet Camaro
Pontiac Firebird
etc.

So when I say I have never seen a supercharger with an oil feed, I mean it.

Just because you haven't seen a supercharger without an oil feed doesn't mean they don't exist (whitch is why I acurately put 'Most' superchargers)
ther was no actual point to your post after mine, apart from your constant need to write paragraphs of pointless drivel

 

[TommyTwinCams]

I'm not saying they don't exist, but that 99.9% of the time, they don't have an oil feed line.
You say pointless, I say informative.

 

[stamford]

Coming from someone whose family has OWNED a supercharged car, I can positively tell you that they DO NOT share their oil with the engine nor do they require an oil feed line.

I'm not saying they don't exist, but that 99.9% of the time, they don't have an oil feed line.
You say pointless, I say informative.

Make your mind up.

 

[SLEEPER]

Just because you haven't seen a supercharger without an oil feed doesn't mean they don't exist (whitch is why I acurately put 'Most' superchargers)
ther was no actual point to your post after mine, apart from your constant need to write paragraphs of pointless drivel

I disagree - think of the entertainment value

 

[ninjasta]

Basically it depends the super charger design as to whether they need oil or not.
My Magnussen TVS2300 roots uint is sealed for life and uses some form of high pressure grease/or oil rather than since internal bearing are mounted at each end of the rotating pump rotors.
By contrast a Rotrex Centrifugal charger uses internal oil pump and an hydraulic traction mechanism to step up the rotation speed of the compressor turbine. These designs have "dry sump" style lubrication driven by an internal pump and specific lubrication formulation for the job.
Another Centrifugal design from Vortech uses engine oil to lubricate the bearings.

A large proportion of OEM supercharged engine use Eaton MP s/c's which are a roots blower designs using internal sealed lubrication.

 

[HugoBoss]

http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/...s2000_comptech_supercharger_kit/photo_15.html

This one needs a oil feed and a coolant line.

 

[38stang]

*Removed URL as per our T&C's* ...ing on supercharged engines for 13 years now.

 

[T9 man]

Greetings 38stang and a Warm Welcome to our TorqueCars Forum my Friend!

Good to have you along with us

 

[38stang]

Greetings 38stang and a Warm Welcome to our TorqueCars Forum my Friend!

Good to have you along with us

Thanks man its good to be here.

 

[obi_waynne]

I'll ditto what T9 says, thanks for your contribution to the discussion.

 

[jarrus]

Rotrex superchargers have there own oil system and an oil cooler circuit specifically for it, oil is only available from them at 100 quid a time
http://www.rotrex.com/media/e4af675...9b75654f/Images/Other/Oil_Circuit_2_jpg?w=350