I've got about 10k miles on my 1220sl. I had grown accustomed to its normal noises but I did a track day a couple weeks back and right afterward it got noticeably louder. It reminds me of what you'd imagine it would sound like if it didnt have enough oil in it.

I did check the oil level and it is exactly where it's supposed to be. I've changed the oil according to the schedule that came with it. Other than the noise it doesnt show any differences, still makes same boost, seems to be working the same. I'm just concerned that it may be a warning sign of something gone wrong.

Thanks,
J

 

My 1220SL blower noticeably got louder last summer during a ~30 mile canyon run during a heat wave (some 5 – 7k miles on SOS S/C kit). Just to let you know, I am very attentive when it comes to maintenance, checking fluid levels, torque specifications, etc on my cars. There was always enough blower oil and no abnormal shaft play. During my last S/C oil change, the fluid was really black. The recommended oil change interval was followed.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago (over 11k miles on S/C kit in 11 months)… I started my s2K one day and noticed the blower really sounded like crap. The sound was deafening. I checked for shaft play and it was obvious that something was wrong with the blower. I was really disappointed.

I called SOS complaining about a different issue and sent my blower to Paxton for repairs (estimated almost $400 for rebuild). It’s been over 2 weeks and Paxton hasn’t inspected my blower yet to give me the the actual cost for repairs.

From this, if I were you, I would religiously check for shaft play and the blower fluid level.

 

wow this is all pretty interesting...

 

When does it make the sound? At idle? All the time? Does it make the noise on cold starts or after it has warmed up?

My blower makes a pretty loud bearing noise at idle only, but it doesn't make it on cold starts when the oil pressure is up. Once it's warm and the oil pressure drops at idle I can hear the noise which is pretty loud/horrible sounding. Once I rev it it goes away only to come right back when idle/oil pressure drops.

I have been doing research and can't find ANYTHING very solid on supercharger noise. I'm pretty sure it is the bearings and it needs to be rebuilt. I'm going to be sending it to either Paxton or Superchargerrebuilds.com. From the post above it sounds like Paxton is not the way to go for a reasonable time frame.

 

Check belt tension, you may need to ease off a bit. Novi 1000 blowers will also sound like birds chirping at idle if too tight and as rpm increase if real tight. You can prematurely wear out your bearings this way. its hard to always get the tension spot on when changing belt/pulleys with out slipping or getting too tight so Ive experienced this several times over the years, not all is lost if you catch it soon, don't drive with it making that noise for long or you will need a rebuild.

Now it may be that the new sl blowers have their own inherit issues that we are not aware of yet since they are new on the market. Sounds like a potential lubricating issue, but I don't know much about what type/weight oil they take or what the proper change intervals are suppose to be. I would be interested to know this.

 

I usually change my vortech oil after a track day as the oil usually gets cooked at the track.

 

Mine is loudest first thing in the morning when it's cold. The sound gradually quietens down as it warms up.

How does one check for shaft play?

J

 

You would have to take all tension off the belt. There should be no up and down play. There will be a little play if you rotate the pulley back and forth, that's fine.

 

Just an FYI, I just off the phone with Paxton. They said my 1220SL blower needs new gears, bearings, and impeller (no bits/shards broke off) to be replaced. A brief explanation was that the blower needs repairs (under warranty thank God) due to vibration. They recommended to use an oil-fed blower if I want to run more boost.

 

It only lasted 10k before it needed to be rebuilt? Yikes.