Anyone interested in a pulley party in or around Sacramento? Just putting a feeler out for Way to come out for a pulley party

 

I'd be down with coming to Sac for one, I'm in the South Bay Area tho...I got a MCS two weeks ago and just got the pulley and belt last week...just chomping to put it in!

 

If you don't want to go to Sacramento you can check out Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland or Johns European in Dublin. We have had events at both places they do good work at resonable prices.

 

Thanks Larry, I called John's European...they quoted a 3 hour job (~$300). Based on other threads I've heard, this should only be a 45min job for someone competent... which of these is wrong? I'm suspecting that if I take it to an "event" I can get this done cheaper and quicker...is that right?

 

I did it with a friend in about 2 hours worth of work, over roughly 4 hours (we took our time and chatted and got sidetracked looking at other mechanical bits under the engines of a few MINIs)

If you get with people who know that they're doing it's really not a bad install job at all. 3hrs from a shop sounds perfectly normal, it's when you do just an intake that it should take 20-45min.

 

just had another shop tell me that doing the supercharger pulley w/o upgrading engine software and fuel pump will likely blow-up my engine...I understand some of this is comes from just stating the extreme case, but I'm looking for some real-world data.

Does anyone listening have an upgraded CAI (Alta), stock exhaust, 15% supercharger pulley, upgraded ignition coil (MSD), and no engine software upgrades? ....and no real issues? or should I expect issues?

 

I haven't touched the coil yet, but if the coil works now I don't seeit causing you trouble. Pulley and CAI just giving you more air, the stock computer already accounts for that to a certain degree, and what it doesn't account for is just un-released HP, fuel pump again irrelevant, you might be a candidate for bigger injectors but certainly not required.
I'd go to a different shop on principal and lack of MINI specific knowledge.

 

Yeah, I don't think the coil is really a factor. Their point was that you could wind up running the engine too lean...lean enough to cause issues. Of course their solution is more $.

I plan on doing a chip later, good to know that the stock chip can/will compensate to a certain degree...and hopefully stay within CA smog req's...

Thanks for the help Motor!

 

It was cheaper during our event. And the time was shorter. I know quite a few people that have done it and have never heard the fuel pump or programing story. Call Bay Bridge Motors in Oakland they are very good wih mods.

 

ECU upgrade is not a requirement for the 15% pulley, although it is recommended. When we first introduced this pulley, we had many customers
running without ECU upgrade and there were no problems despite claims of doom and gloom by others. Never had an engine failure because of the lack of ECU software.

 

Thanks Ken,
My impatience is getting the better of me and I've heard from several people now that melting a piston due to the 15% pulley is prolly somewhat of a farce...so I'm going to try to install this myself next week.

I've got your "loaner" Alta pulley puller on it's way to my house now...so I hope to save $300 while investing 3-4 hours of my time...

If anyone has any words of wisdom to tell me that may make this go smoothly, please speak up! I did read the thread about the guy who got sent screws that were too short, but upon inspection, mine look like the right ones....so hopefully that won't be an issue.

cheers
Tim

 

Only the standard advice - be patient and don't force things. Also, using two floor jacks to raise the engine makes it easier when re-aligning to bolt things up.

When you have the pulley off, check to see if you have evidence of fluid seepage around the nose of the supercharger. Things happen when the 'lifetime' fluid leaks out. (The same is true for the rear of the supercharger, but it's a little more difficult to check.)

Make sure the pulley is fully bottomed out (assuming you have the self-aligning pulley). A mis-aligned pulley will shred the belt over time. We recommend you replace the belt once a year after you install the pulley.

Use the correct torque on the pulley bolts - usually in INCH-pounds. Check the torque after you install, then check again. And maybe one more time just to be sure.

If you have any problems, give us a call.

Ken

edit: 3 - 4 hours is 'normal' for a 1st-timer. Some take longer, others less. Experts can do this in about an hour - but they've done dozens or more.

 

This is the version 1.0 Alta Pulley, so I don't think it's self-aligning....is it?

What should I do if I do have seepage around the base of the pulley stem coming out of the supercharger? ...or the other side for that matter? can I just replace a seal? or does that mean a new SC? I'm thinking that this is fairly likely to have some seepage, the motor has over 100k on it...

Thanks for the advice, sounds good...I'll have to go borrow another floor jack from my neighbor

 

Alta is self aligning, make sure it bottoms out on the shaft - they should have instructions for it. Shouldn't be difficult. If you see signs of seepage, there is a plug that can be removed for adding fluid (both in front and in the rear). You can find replacement fluid on our site - NME7250. There isn't an easy way to check the 'level', so I would maybe add 1/2 to 1 oz. You don't fill to the fill-hole like a trans - it needs just enough fluid for the gears to dip into.

good luck!
Ken

edit: It would be difficult to repair the leaks on the s/c since you won't be able to find the parts for it. You'll need to send it to someplace like PSE superchargers for rebuild, or replace it...