HOW-TO: ProCharger P-1SC Rebuild
04-24-2010, 02:18 PM
#1
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
HOW-TO: ProCharger P-1SC Rebuild
This applies to an early P-1SC, but many of the techniques and the design applies to the superchargers like it. You could probably rebuild a Vortech or Paxton as well using this as a guide... Powerdyne superchargers are a little different (belt-driven, poor suckers) but I plan to cover a little bit of everything here. I want to aim this guide at those who may not necessarily have much experience pressing bearings or doing machine work, but have access to the tools, so a MAJOR disclaimer is necessary:
THERE IS A RISK THAT YOU CAN DESTROY YOUR BEARINGS, IMPELLER, SUPERCHARGER HOUSING, OR ANY OTHER PART OF YOUR BLOWER BY WORKING ON IT. LACK OF EXPERIENCE GREATLY AMPLIFIES THIS RISK. THESE PARTS ARE EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO FIND. PROCHARGER WILL NOT SELL REPLACEMENT PARTS TO YOU, AND MAY REFUSE TO WORK ON YOUR SUPERCHARGER IF YOU HAVE MESSED IT UP. I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE WHICH MAY OCCUR. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
That being said, the process is pretty simple and as long as you take it easy and have the right tools available, you shouldn’t have any problems. If things go smoothly, you will be left wondering why anyone would pay so much to have their supercharger rebuilt by ProCharger.
My biggest reason to rebuild my blower was that it, like all ProChargers, leaked like a sieve and sounded like it was grinding rocks at idle. Neither of these are catastrophic problems but they both are very annoying. The oil made a mess of my engine bay and would pool in the intercooler and pull through and burn at high RPM occasionally. Having a clean whistle at idle instead of sounding like there was loose rocks in my blower at idle would be a nice plus too.
ProCharger uses a proprietary seal on the output shaft and the input shaft seal is a standard seal. I’ve managed to locate part numbers for all the major components online.
2 ea- Koyo Brand 6000 Radial Bearing (oil gear shaft)
2 ea- Koyo Brand 6206 Radial bearing (input shaft)
1 ea- GMN Brand bearing p/n S 6204 TA A7 (output shaft zero clearance)
1 ea- GMN Brand bearing p/n S 6205 TA A7 (output shaft press-on)
1 ea- National Seal p/n 223020 (input shaft)
1 ea- Output shaft seal (proprietary!)
I’ve seen varying prices around online. The 6205 bearing is $145 from superchargerrebuilds, $285 from McMaster-Carr, and I found a ceramic hybrid bearing for $68 that supports higher RPM than either of them. You’ll have to do some looking around. Worst-case, superchargerrebuilds.com has all parts available.
Anyway, most credit goes to Jeed. I just found his instructions to be a little incomplete and it left me guessing through the process. I’ve also read some conflicting information about the construction of the blower which almost resulted in disaster. But, here goes:
Remove your head unit. Drain the oil.
Mark the clock location of the impeller housing. Remove the hex screws holding the impeller housing on. I had six or seven. Gently pull the impeller housing off. And here’s where I’m going to deviate – there is no way your impeller will just come off here.
Remove the bolt in the center of the impeller. I ended up cutting up an allen wrench and made it fit the impact gun. My bolt was a little corroded and it fought the whole way out. It’s right hand thread. One of the guides I found said it was left hand thread so I almost destroyed it. Lefty loosey here. The round metal cap just sits on the output shaft, wiggle it off by hand. You may have to spin it to get it off. Additional tips… A nice thick rag worked to hold the impeller, but this took two people. It’s pretty sharp and the impact is going to put a lot of force on it. Just be careful and don’t break any fingers! You can probably also use the pulley to hold it still but keep in mind the impeller is going to have a 4:1 mechanical advantage on the pulley.
Remove your pulley. I used an impact gun to get the bolt out and a simple puller to remove the pulley. You may want to put a small nut between the puller and the hole in the shaft so you don’t damage the threads. I was able to hold the pulley by hand when using the impact gun. It was a regular right-hand thread, so lefty loosey
Remove the small hex screws that hold the case together. Take a small flathead screwdriver and gently tap it into the seam of the case to open it up. BE CAREFUL! There is a small rubber gasket that goes around the case, if the screwdriver only goes in a little bit you shouldn’t have any problems. If you push the screwdriver in farther just be careful and be aware there is a small gasket there, you don’t want to break it. The case should come apart by hand, but it may take a little convincing. Mind the gasket when you open it up.
Keep note of how everything is together here. The oiler gear will be opposite of the fill plug, and you’ll put the oiler gear in the same location as the drain plug. That’s pretty much the only variable. Here's a picture for reference:
Pull off the output shaft bearing that is on top. It’s zero-clearance, not press-fit. With a little bit of hulk smash anger it pulled off by hand. I didn’t need to press it off. If you can’t get it off, press it off but be gentle. Here's a picture of the orientation of the bearing. It doesn't matter which way it goes, but if you want it to be exactly the way it was, this matters
Pull off the input shaft. Same here as with the first output shaft bearing. It’s zero-clearance fit in the case, not pressed in. It should come out with a little bit of upwards force by hand. I grabbed on the shaft and wiggled up and out it came. I didn’t have to pry on the case or stick my fingers under the gear.
Remove the snap ring inside the case which is holding the output shaft in. It’s a pretty big one, I modified a pair of needle nose pliers into fantastic snap ring pliers.
Flip it over and press off the impeller. I screwed the original impeller bolt back in a ways and it was enough to get the shaft out the back. There is a small zero-clearance washer on the shaft behind the impeller. It may or may not come off when the impeller does, just watch out for it. Mine stayed on the shaft and went through the seal. The impeller kept slipping and getting stuck while sliding off the shaft, that seems to be normal. It took a surprising amount of force to get it to start.
Basically, it’s apart. The other bearings need to be pressed off if you are going to be replacing them. I haven’t done it (yet) so I can’t comment, but some of them seem to be pretty tricky.
Both seals can now be removed, the input shaft seal is easy to remove with a standard axle seal puller. The output shaft seal has a snap ring which must be removed, then the seal is again easily pulled out with an axle seal puller.
Here's the layout of the output shaft, which may or may not help depending on how you took things apart. I made a mistake when I took this picture, the snap ring on the left side goes on the impeller side of the 6205 bearing. It really only goes in one spot.
Reassembly is simple with a few notes…
You can press the input shaft seal in easily and it can be done first. As far as the output shaft seal, here is what I would recommend:
Assemble the output shaft (press the bearing on), insert it into the case again, put the inside snap ring back on before putting the seal on. Slide the seal on from the outside after lubing it up. When it gets low, use a jeweler’s screwdriver to assist the seal in sliding over the shaft. It’ll take a little time and patience. Once it’s over, press the seal down all the way, and reinstall the snap ring.
Heat up the little washer that was under the impeller, and shock the output shaft with CO2. It should slide all the way to the bottom by hand (maybe using a rag if you get it hot enough).
Now, press the impeller back on… and this is where I went wrong. Be sure the back of the press is pressing against the output shaft, not the case. I was an absolute idiot and destroyed my bearing doing this. I pressed the bearing right apart out the back. If I hadn’t made my little mistake I could be driving the stang now
The impeller seemed to take a lot of force to press back on, and here is where I got stuck. I heated the impeller using an electric heat gun and shocked the output shaft with liquid CO2. You should be able to press it all the way to bottom. Once it’s back on, put the little metal sleeve back on top and put the bolt back in it.
Now slip in the input shaft and oiler gear. Heating the case and chilling the bearings should make it go in by hand.
Be sure the o-ring around the outside is in its groove and put the top case back on, be careful when putting the shaft through the seal, but it should go easily.
Reinstall all the bolts, put the impeller housing back on, put the bolts back in. Reinstall your pulley and torque it down.
Refill it and go.
It’s really pretty simple and the biggest risk comes in pressing bearings and the impeller. Heat+cold should make things easier as most of it is aluminum but be careful because aluminum doesn’t let you know it’s getting too hot, it just melts.
I’ll be adding more to this and pictures when I get a replacement bearing (or set of bearings) and I get mine back together. Sigh. I hope this helps though. Just trying to get a little more information out there because this is definitely a relatively easy task as long as you take it easy and have the correct tools available.
Much of my beginning information came from Jeed @ themustangpitstop.com. You can view his thread at the following address:
http://themustangpitstop.com/forums/...11&postcount=1
Edit: Pictures available here for now, in no particular order.
http://tinypic.com/a/204mu/3
Edit 2: 5/3 - Well it's all done, looks like my oil leak is fixed. I only replaced one bearing so the grinding rocks sound is still there, but everything seems to be grand. Adding a few pictures in here as is, but I didn't get the chance to take any more. Next time it comes apart I'll add more
THERE IS A RISK THAT YOU CAN DESTROY YOUR BEARINGS, IMPELLER, SUPERCHARGER HOUSING, OR ANY OTHER PART OF YOUR BLOWER BY WORKING ON IT. LACK OF EXPERIENCE GREATLY AMPLIFIES THIS RISK. THESE PARTS ARE EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO FIND. PROCHARGER WILL NOT SELL REPLACEMENT PARTS TO YOU, AND MAY REFUSE TO WORK ON YOUR SUPERCHARGER IF YOU HAVE MESSED IT UP. I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE WHICH MAY OCCUR. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
That being said, the process is pretty simple and as long as you take it easy and have the right tools available, you shouldn’t have any problems. If things go smoothly, you will be left wondering why anyone would pay so much to have their supercharger rebuilt by ProCharger.
My biggest reason to rebuild my blower was that it, like all ProChargers, leaked like a sieve and sounded like it was grinding rocks at idle. Neither of these are catastrophic problems but they both are very annoying. The oil made a mess of my engine bay and would pool in the intercooler and pull through and burn at high RPM occasionally. Having a clean whistle at idle instead of sounding like there was loose rocks in my blower at idle would be a nice plus too.
ProCharger uses a proprietary seal on the output shaft and the input shaft seal is a standard seal. I’ve managed to locate part numbers for all the major components online.
2 ea- Koyo Brand 6000 Radial Bearing (oil gear shaft)
2 ea- Koyo Brand 6206 Radial bearing (input shaft)
1 ea- GMN Brand bearing p/n S 6204 TA A7 (output shaft zero clearance)
1 ea- GMN Brand bearing p/n S 6205 TA A7 (output shaft press-on)
1 ea- National Seal p/n 223020 (input shaft)
1 ea- Output shaft seal (proprietary!)
I’ve seen varying prices around online. The 6205 bearing is $145 from superchargerrebuilds, $285 from McMaster-Carr, and I found a ceramic hybrid bearing for $68 that supports higher RPM than either of them. You’ll have to do some looking around. Worst-case, superchargerrebuilds.com has all parts available.
Anyway, most credit goes to Jeed. I just found his instructions to be a little incomplete and it left me guessing through the process. I’ve also read some conflicting information about the construction of the blower which almost resulted in disaster. But, here goes:
Remove your head unit. Drain the oil.
Mark the clock location of the impeller housing. Remove the hex screws holding the impeller housing on. I had six or seven. Gently pull the impeller housing off. And here’s where I’m going to deviate – there is no way your impeller will just come off here.
Remove the bolt in the center of the impeller. I ended up cutting up an allen wrench and made it fit the impact gun. My bolt was a little corroded and it fought the whole way out. It’s right hand thread. One of the guides I found said it was left hand thread so I almost destroyed it. Lefty loosey here. The round metal cap just sits on the output shaft, wiggle it off by hand. You may have to spin it to get it off. Additional tips… A nice thick rag worked to hold the impeller, but this took two people. It’s pretty sharp and the impact is going to put a lot of force on it. Just be careful and don’t break any fingers! You can probably also use the pulley to hold it still but keep in mind the impeller is going to have a 4:1 mechanical advantage on the pulley.
Remove your pulley. I used an impact gun to get the bolt out and a simple puller to remove the pulley. You may want to put a small nut between the puller and the hole in the shaft so you don’t damage the threads. I was able to hold the pulley by hand when using the impact gun. It was a regular right-hand thread, so lefty loosey
Remove the small hex screws that hold the case together. Take a small flathead screwdriver and gently tap it into the seam of the case to open it up. BE CAREFUL! There is a small rubber gasket that goes around the case, if the screwdriver only goes in a little bit you shouldn’t have any problems. If you push the screwdriver in farther just be careful and be aware there is a small gasket there, you don’t want to break it. The case should come apart by hand, but it may take a little convincing. Mind the gasket when you open it up.
Keep note of how everything is together here. The oiler gear will be opposite of the fill plug, and you’ll put the oiler gear in the same location as the drain plug. That’s pretty much the only variable. Here's a picture for reference:
Pull off the output shaft bearing that is on top. It’s zero-clearance, not press-fit. With a little bit of hulk smash anger it pulled off by hand. I didn’t need to press it off. If you can’t get it off, press it off but be gentle. Here's a picture of the orientation of the bearing. It doesn't matter which way it goes, but if you want it to be exactly the way it was, this matters
Pull off the input shaft. Same here as with the first output shaft bearing. It’s zero-clearance fit in the case, not pressed in. It should come out with a little bit of upwards force by hand. I grabbed on the shaft and wiggled up and out it came. I didn’t have to pry on the case or stick my fingers under the gear.
Remove the snap ring inside the case which is holding the output shaft in. It’s a pretty big one, I modified a pair of needle nose pliers into fantastic snap ring pliers.
Flip it over and press off the impeller. I screwed the original impeller bolt back in a ways and it was enough to get the shaft out the back. There is a small zero-clearance washer on the shaft behind the impeller. It may or may not come off when the impeller does, just watch out for it. Mine stayed on the shaft and went through the seal. The impeller kept slipping and getting stuck while sliding off the shaft, that seems to be normal. It took a surprising amount of force to get it to start.
Basically, it’s apart. The other bearings need to be pressed off if you are going to be replacing them. I haven’t done it (yet) so I can’t comment, but some of them seem to be pretty tricky.
Both seals can now be removed, the input shaft seal is easy to remove with a standard axle seal puller. The output shaft seal has a snap ring which must be removed, then the seal is again easily pulled out with an axle seal puller.
Here's the layout of the output shaft, which may or may not help depending on how you took things apart. I made a mistake when I took this picture, the snap ring on the left side goes on the impeller side of the 6205 bearing. It really only goes in one spot.
Reassembly is simple with a few notes…
You can press the input shaft seal in easily and it can be done first. As far as the output shaft seal, here is what I would recommend:
Assemble the output shaft (press the bearing on), insert it into the case again, put the inside snap ring back on before putting the seal on. Slide the seal on from the outside after lubing it up. When it gets low, use a jeweler’s screwdriver to assist the seal in sliding over the shaft. It’ll take a little time and patience. Once it’s over, press the seal down all the way, and reinstall the snap ring.
Heat up the little washer that was under the impeller, and shock the output shaft with CO2. It should slide all the way to the bottom by hand (maybe using a rag if you get it hot enough).
Now, press the impeller back on… and this is where I went wrong. Be sure the back of the press is pressing against the output shaft, not the case. I was an absolute idiot and destroyed my bearing doing this. I pressed the bearing right apart out the back. If I hadn’t made my little mistake I could be driving the stang now
The impeller seemed to take a lot of force to press back on, and here is where I got stuck. I heated the impeller using an electric heat gun and shocked the output shaft with liquid CO2. You should be able to press it all the way to bottom. Once it’s back on, put the little metal sleeve back on top and put the bolt back in it.Now slip in the input shaft and oiler gear. Heating the case and chilling the bearings should make it go in by hand.
Be sure the o-ring around the outside is in its groove and put the top case back on, be careful when putting the shaft through the seal, but it should go easily.
Reinstall all the bolts, put the impeller housing back on, put the bolts back in. Reinstall your pulley and torque it down.
Refill it and go.
It’s really pretty simple and the biggest risk comes in pressing bearings and the impeller. Heat+cold should make things easier as most of it is aluminum but be careful because aluminum doesn’t let you know it’s getting too hot, it just melts.
I’ll be adding more to this and pictures when I get a replacement bearing (or set of bearings) and I get mine back together. Sigh. I hope this helps though. Just trying to get a little more information out there because this is definitely a relatively easy task as long as you take it easy and have the correct tools available.
Much of my beginning information came from Jeed @ themustangpitstop.com. You can view his thread at the following address:
http://themustangpitstop.com/forums/...11&postcount=1
Edit: Pictures available here for now, in no particular order.
http://tinypic.com/a/204mu/3
Edit 2: 5/3 - Well it's all done, looks like my oil leak is fixed. I only replaced one bearing so the grinding rocks sound is still there, but everything seems to be grand. Adding a few pictures in here as is, but I didn't get the chance to take any more. Next time it comes apart I'll add more
Last edited by ShadowDrake; 05-03-2010 at 10:28 AM.
04-25-2010, 11:47 AM
#3
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
I kind of expected this to fall off the front page and just be gone with ~100 views... that's kind of the state of MF lately. Maybe a mod will find it and it will make it's way into the how-to section with my often-neglected cobra brake swap how-to.
Thanks, though. I'm gonna hit up some local shops which stock bearings in hopes I can find one, and I'll come back with a ton more pictures and I'll liven this up. If you're reading this while taking it apart, the whole thing is really self explanatory. The pictures kinda prove it, it's very simple inside.
04-26-2010, 11:01 AM
#6
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
The seals can be had for $65 from superchargerrebuilds and this is easily done in a day with no experience. If you've taken it apart before, the whole seal replacement would probably only take about two hours start to finish.
04-26-2010, 12:03 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Illinois, Chicagoland
Posts: 68
very nice write-up...love to see the pics posted later though. Just remember, if Procharger charges 400....you could always charge 300 flat (not bad for 2 hrs. work, you'll make bank in no time)
04-26-2010, 02:59 PM
#9
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Whitehall, Michigan
Posts: 2,638
Gonna be a bit longer delay on me getting the rest of the pictures up. I was hoping that a local bearing shop would have my replacement bearing but they don't so I'm going to order a new set, if all goes well they will be here before the end of the week - looks like I'm doing a full supercharger rebuild after all! Can't wait to drive the thing again.
