Seals for the TRD S/C
Did you consider since that shield is moving when you hit bumps ....that might be related? I honestly have no clue and wish you luck but wanna throw an option out to you. Since you dont always get th leak and since its only one longer rides ....that might be an option worth looking into.
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currently unable to upload any pics to my site, but the leak was on the bottom, right under where the shaft enters the main housing. that bottom section you can see, under the shaft there, it kind of collected there along the bottom rim. there was never enough of a leak for it to drip.
also, that's an old pic i took when i had just gotten the shield installed. that bracket is no longer there, and that whole area is covered in 2 layers of rather thick heat wrap.
I did a ton of driving today and there is no evidence of leaking.
also, that's an old pic i took when i had just gotten the shield installed. that bracket is no longer there, and that whole area is covered in 2 layers of rather thick heat wrap.
I did a ton of driving today and there is no evidence of leaking.
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I check when it cools down using my finger, or if it was a short drive. Just gotta check...quickly. After a long drive I use whatever I have on hand to prod the wrap to get a view of where the leak was. Haven't noticed anything yet. It's not wrapped to the point where it would be able to soak up anything. I would notice the discoloration as well.
The wrap is.....thick. If you've ever dealt with packing straps, it's like that.
As you can see, pretty thick stuff. It's also ugly as sin (Granted, I've never heat wrapped anything before...and couldn't wrap a present if my life depended on it), but seems to keep the big heat from getting in.
The frictional heat built up by the shaft will remain inside, but it's still a lot less than the headers and even the heat shield end up soaking up. After a long drive, you could cook an egg on that god damned plate. I figured it would work, but all it ended up doing was costing $100 and looking decent enough. If anyone is seeking to get a shield welded up over an aftermarket header, shop around...heh.
Live and learn eh?
The wrap is.....thick. If you've ever dealt with packing straps, it's like that.
As you can see, pretty thick stuff. It's also ugly as sin (Granted, I've never heat wrapped anything before...and couldn't wrap a present if my life depended on it), but seems to keep the big heat from getting in.
The frictional heat built up by the shaft will remain inside, but it's still a lot less than the headers and even the heat shield end up soaking up. After a long drive, you could cook an egg on that god damned plate. I figured it would work, but all it ended up doing was costing $100 and looking decent enough. If anyone is seeking to get a shield welded up over an aftermarket header, shop around...heh.
Live and learn eh?
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ebay has some for cheap, works just as good as anything else, I used it on my a/w headers when I had them and painted them with the extra protection silver paint that you can get from jegs, I didn't use the stainless zip ties but folded the end over, pulled it as tight as it would go and siliconed it together, worked perfect
would insulating the top part of that plate have done the same thing? is the idea here that basically you are trying to keep the radiated heat from the plate from hitting the shaft?
and why is this heat shield any less performant than the stock shield on the stock head?
i know i am full of questions.
and why is this heat shield any less performant than the stock shield on the stock head?
i know i am full of questions.
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I thought about that. It would likely help get rid of the heat in the engine bay more than anything I've tried, but it will still need to radiate up past the charger shaft to get out. Putting your hand 1 inch above a barbecue grill in a strong wind will still burn your hand after a while.
Besides, if the hood didn't work, I'm stuck with 3 friggin hoods and out $900, lol. I'll probably snag one in the future should this solution prove itself over the course of the month. Only time will tell.
I picked up the wrap at a local Action Auto. It was their last 'black' wrap, then they only had white. As ugly as it is now, my charger would look like it had a cast on if I had used white. I'd have had people sign it.
Besides, if the hood didn't work, I'm stuck with 3 friggin hoods and out $900, lol. I'll probably snag one in the future should this solution prove itself over the course of the month. Only time will tell.
I picked up the wrap at a local Action Auto. It was their last 'black' wrap, then they only had white. As ugly as it is now, my charger would look like it had a cast on if I had used white. I'd have had people sign it.
Originally Posted by sleepermod
I've been keeping tabs on the threads on this problem faced and can't help but think if the engine oil is the problem blowing the seals 
I read from the instal manual of the s/c that 5w30 oil is recommended as the car uses it, but my experience has previously taught me that thin oil will get thinner in viscosity when the engine gets hot, not to mention when you are f/ing an n/a engine.
The weather is constantly around 80F or more and travelling times are relatively long, using a heavier weight oil will help.
For me in constant 90F weather and 75% humidity, I always use at least 5w40 or 10w50 for f/i (turbo)
Can't say for sure about the TRD centrifugal s/c though... No experience with it but the interest is there 
I read somewhere before that slower (higher viscosity) oil cools the hot parts more effectively as it has more 'time' to absorb the substrate heat before going back to the oil sump. An auxiliary external oil cooler for the engine is also one other way to maintain the oil weight relatively constant under load situations.
Back to topic......
The general consensus on the s/c issue lies with :
1) Faulty instal (allen bolts too damn tight)
2) Aftermarket headers radiating more heat to the driveshaft
3) Shaft imbalance instal
4) Design/manufacturing defect
5) Oil drain back to oil sump instal faulty
6) Wrong oil weight used (my opinion)
Personally, I think its a combo of all things that come into play. Headers should not affect the shaft as the engine bay is already hot to begin with even on the stock tC (have you put your hand near the heatshield after a run?)
For all the homies who had noticed some oil appearing on the shaft or near it and gettin' paranoid about it, have you considered using a heavier weight oil? Perhap by using redline 5w40 or Torco 10w50 would eliminate this issue with the seals thus saving the time, hassle, heartache and money to send it to Vortech/Rippmods for repairs.... 
Ask your local tuner for advice on the oil weight issue, if they are knowledgeable about all aspects of f/i (whether turbo or s/c), they would point the right direction
Good luck guys, great to see boosted tCs spanking them Evos and Rexs...
I read from the instal manual of the s/c that 5w30 oil is recommended as the car uses it, but my experience has previously taught me that thin oil will get thinner in viscosity when the engine gets hot, not to mention when you are f/ing an n/a engine.
The weather is constantly around 80F or more and travelling times are relatively long, using a heavier weight oil will help.
For me in constant 90F weather and 75% humidity, I always use at least 5w40 or 10w50 for f/i (turbo)
Can't say for sure about the TRD centrifugal s/c though... No experience with it but the interest is there I read somewhere before that slower (higher viscosity) oil cools the hot parts more effectively as it has more 'time' to absorb the substrate heat before going back to the oil sump. An auxiliary external oil cooler for the engine is also one other way to maintain the oil weight relatively constant under load situations.
Back to topic......
The general consensus on the s/c issue lies with :
1) Faulty instal (allen bolts too damn tight)
2) Aftermarket headers radiating more heat to the driveshaft
3) Shaft imbalance instal
4) Design/manufacturing defect
5) Oil drain back to oil sump instal faulty
6) Wrong oil weight used (my opinion)
Personally, I think its a combo of all things that come into play. Headers should not affect the shaft as the engine bay is already hot to begin with even on the stock tC (have you put your hand near the heatshield after a run?)
For all the homies who had noticed some oil appearing on the shaft or near it and gettin' paranoid about it, have you considered using a heavier weight oil?
Perhap by using redline 5w40 or Torco 10w50 would eliminate this issue with the seals thus saving the time, hassle, heartache and money to send it to Vortech/Rippmods for repairs.... Ask your local tuner for advice on the oil weight issue, if they are knowledgeable about all aspects of f/i (whether turbo or s/c), they would point the right direction
Good luck guys, great to see boosted tCs spanking them Evos and Rexs...
Is a good thought, I have been running my sc setup for right at 9K miles now with 0 issues. I have run 10w40 since new as I felt 5w30 was way to thin for FI. thin oils have a tendancy to cause leaks anyplace they can. Last old school 4ag engine I built, the kid insisted on running 0w20 mobile stuff in it for break in despite my reccomendations. Every new seal on the engine leakes like it had no seals. Dropped in 10w40 which is what I told him to run in the first place as it was a moderate boost setup and bam, 0 issues ever again.
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yeah I am running 10w30 now instead of 5w30. No problems ... yet. Although I saw one thing that concerned me near where the shaft meets the supercharger...it was a little discolored yellow. When I wiped it with a white cloth, it looked black. Not sure if that is oil, or just road dirt...or perhaps road dirt stuck to oil. hmmmmmmmmmm.
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a kaminari reverse cowl hood is, and always was, on my list.
and i would keep my stock hood in my garage or in my shed.
I would not want to get rid of it, keep it just incase, maybe even switchout for the winter.
and i would keep my stock hood in my garage or in my shed.
I would not want to get rid of it, keep it just incase, maybe even switchout for the winter.
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From: Asia, NY
Originally Posted by Garage1217
Is a good thought, I have been running my sc setup for right at 9K miles now with 0 issues. I have run 10w40 since new as I felt 5w30 was way to thin for FI. thin oils have a tendancy to cause leaks anyplace they can. Last old school 4ag engine I built, the kid insisted on running 0w20 mobile stuff in it for break in despite my reccomendations. Every new seal on the engine leakes like it had no seals. Dropped in 10w40 which is what I told him to run in the first place as it was a moderate boost setup and bam, 0 issues ever again.
Garage1217 has got it right
The guys who are having this leaky issue should take the que from you who has 1st hand experience with the s/c runnin' with 0 problems 10W40 is a good choice! Yeah
You know your sh*t. This is the exact viscosity oil we use to break in a new s/c instal and after 3500miles run in w/o mashing the throttle...... we change out with 10w50 and thats the permanent oil weight we run since our temps & humidity are high Good luck guys and change the oil to see if it helps.