jwkim

Just installed Vortech S/C few days ago..
S/C belt is making "tick-tick" noise at certain rpm.
But it seems like the noise goes away after car gets fullly warmed up(it's 20F here now)
I adjusted the tension as manual stated.
is this normal?
TIA

xviper

No "tick-tick" here. Just a bit of gravelly sound coming from the blower assembly, which is a common thing.

jwkim

can belt make noise if they are too loose or too tight?

xviper

It's not likely that it's the belt that's making the noise you hear. It's more likely that one or more of the pulleys are not running true and is wobbling, hitting another pulley or part of the engine to make the ticking. How it got that way "could" be from tightening the belt too tight, causing the tension to pull on the pulley and bending the shaft. In short time, the pulley shaft bearings will wear out and then you'll be in some serious guano. You should try to do a visual on all the pulleys to see if any of them have a slight wobble. If in doubt about the tension, have a belt tension gauge applied. Tightening a supercharger belt, even by following the instructions is still a hit and miss thing because it depends on the interpretation of how much strength the installer uses to cause the twist. It's just something that one has to do using past experience and "feel".

jwkim

Thank you so much for advise!!
I will check both tension and pully again

jwkim

xviper.

I just checked pullys and they turn just fine.
No wobbling or anything.
But I discovered belt sometime hits one side of S/C supporter.(one infront of VTEC soloniod). I suspect this is NOT normal.
I guess I have to tighten the belt until belt does not contact supporter at all..right?
As manual is stated, I can twist the belt 1/4 turn right now but I guess I need more tension.

btw...do I HAVE to loose lock nut first to tighten the tension?

xviper

I just looked at mine and I have a good 1/4" gap between the belt and that support.
You said that it only "sometimes" hits that support. This is NOT normal and would indicate that something is oscillating. If it's the belt (and be absolutely sure that it is the belt moving and not the pulley), then yes, it is probably too slack.
As I indicated before, being able to twist the belt 1/4 turn may not be a sure thing. For example, you may apply more or less pressure than I would when doing this test. Therefore, the belt tension on your car would be different than it would be on mine.
YES, you MUST loosen the jam locknut on the tensioner pulley anytime you tighten or loosen the belt tensioner. Failure to do so will only result in stressing the tension assembly and cause to break. Without the locknut undone, you are trying to move an immoveable object. Something's gonna give. The tensioner pulley would not move, thus the belt will not tighten or loosen when you try to change it.

faukengenius

^ hey xviper I recently noticed that my sc pulley(the one that's bolted on the existing pulley?) has a slight wobble to it. I had comptech reinstall my sc and will be bringing it up to them this following monday to have it looked at. My question is I can hear this vibration noise going into the cabin when i'm sitting at idle. I also notice that my engine has a slight vibration. Any pointers as to what i should do before bringing it to them?

The wobble is very little but i'm afraid it can cause major issues in the long run. The funny thing is I never noticed it and my friend actually noticed it when direct sunlight hit it.

xviper

Feeling a vibration that wasn't there before the supercharger was put on is quite normal since the weight of it can disrupt the existing harmonics, however, if there is a "new" vibration, then something needs attention. Hearing a new vibration is also not a good sign.
Make sure that the "visual" wobble you detected in the pulley attached to the crank pulley is clean. Any dirt or stain can give an optical "impression" of wobbling. This is not unlike watching a dirty tire on another car spinning down the road. It may only "look" like it's wobbling when it isn't.
Once you clean the pulley, then run the engine and watch again. If it still wobbles, my guess would be that the pulley was not perfectly seated against the crank pulley whether it be due to some debris that got in between or that there was a slight imperfection that prevented a flush mating. In either case, this is not good. Having a wobble on something that can spin up to 9000 rpm can be dangerous and can produce adverse wear on pulleys, bearings and belts, not to mention interfering even more with the vibration harmonics that is already present. It may be a matter of loosening the belt, undoing that pulley, checking for debris, checking that the pulley hasn't somehow warped, re-installing it in a slightly different orientation and torquing those bolts down evenly (in a criss-cross pattern) and in increasing stages of torque.

faukengenius

^ awesome write up. I appreciate the help but seeing that comptech is only 1.5 hours away from me i don't mind the drive. They told me if it's their fault they'll fix it at their expense. I'll see how it goes. If all is well than at least I got some reasurance.