Supercharger whine too loud??

[Olson1288]

Originally Posted by Wpomp

That sounds just like my system does. I've always thought it sounded louder than it should considering people say rotrex's should be "silent", but its always been that way. I have replaced my supercharger, as my first one actually got WAY louder, to the point it couldn't be run with the hood open without causing ear pain. But the new replacement unit (And the first one) both have a similar level of whine as yours when operating. First unit lasted 2 years until I sent it off, new one has been on since June, always with that sound.
Just my experience. If someone comes and says that what the video shows is wrong, then guess I have had an issue for 2.5 years *shrug*. Seems to be working fine for me though. Good luck!

Also, move/secure that hose next to your right most pulley, problem waiting to happen!

Well I’m glad I’m not the only one at least. It doesn’t seem right to me, trying to get some opinions from other Kraftwerks users. As for that hose I had it tucked behind the oil filter but it must of popped out, I didn’t notice but it’s zip tied now.

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Rotrexes are indeed quiet. It's that belt system that is whining.

Here's a video with a Jackson Racing supercharger, which uses an identical Rotrex unit. Note that you hear the engine like a stock car, and don't hear the SC or belt whine at all. This is how a supercharger system should be.

The more I listened to it and tried to depict exactly where the noise was coming from, I was also starting to suspect the belt system. I know it’s not overly tight and all the pulleys are properly torqued, so who knows
And that Jackson is super quiet compared to this kit right now. It’s so annoying.

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by Wpomp

That would definitely be refreshing if my car was that quiet. But if that's the case, and the whine is inherent in the design of the kraftwerks pulley system, most of our kits should have a similar whine. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, having looked at the pulleys the tolerances they have for the bearing bores on the pulleys is really wide so I've seen pulley wobble on both my 20 and 30mm wide kits. However, When my first supercharger unit got so loud I needed to replace it, the first step we took in diagnosing the problem was switching from 20mm to 30mm belt kit, and the noise did not change at all. So if it was ALL belt system with the KW kit, I would have expected at least a noticeable difference in upgrading to the different belts.
Perhaps the KW kit is causing the rotrex to sound whiney by loading it incorrectly or restraining it on the plate in such a way that is is bending or inducing load where it shouldn't.
Not sure, but just some thoughts. Don't think its only the belts per my experience.

Both your issue with the belt system whining and the rather consistent issues with belts snapping on the KW system, as well as other reliability issues with the KW kits are all tied to the fact that Kraftwerks has their own pulley design instead of using Rotrex approved pulleys on the supercharger, in contravention to the Rotrex technical manual. This causes issues with the belts failing, bearings in the pulleys failing, and excessive whine in the belt system. All of this has been thoroughly documented elsewhere on the forum.





I have yet to install/run any FI on my car, so I have no personal experience with this or any other kit, but I've thoroughly read every page of the owners thread on every kit and most of the other content on this forum and elsewhere about FI. It's pretty clear if you want to do a Rotrex-based kit to get a Jackson Racing SC kit, not the Kraftwerks, for pretty much this very reason. A centrifugal supercharger should be nearly silent when properly installed, if using properly designed pulleys and belts.

[Olson1288]

Well at this point at least I know it’s driveable, I hope.. no issues yet from what I can tell besides the whine. Boost is definitely working, oil levels are good. Checked belt tension again today just for the heck of it and it’s still good. Belt looks fine, pulleys seem stable.

[Ultramaroon]

Holy shit, that's bad. I don't have experience with the Kraftwerks kit but I do have plenty of experience with improperly adjusted timing belts.

For a novice, a properly adjusted timing belt can easily feel too loose. The problem is in equating them to the feel of a serpentine belt or even older v-belt.

When a timing belt is stretched, the pitch of belt teeth no longer matches the pitch of the teeth on the sprockets. That's what causes the whine. It's the sound of impending failure.

Are you absolutely sure that it's not too tight?

[Olson1288]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Holy shit, that's bad. I don't have experience with the Kraftwerks kit but I do have plenty of experience with improperly adjusted timing belts.

For a novice, a properly adjusted timing belt can easily feel too loose. The problem is in equating them to the feel of a serpentine belt or even older v-belt.

When a timing belt is stretched, the pitch of belt teeth no longer matches the pitch of the teeth on the sprockets. That's what causes the whine. It's the sound of impending failure.

Are you absolutely sure that it's not too tight?

Yea man tell me about it. I’m trying to avoid even driving the car right now but I have no other vehicle. I tightened the belt per Kraftwerks’ instructions using the Gates app which measures by frequency, tightened to their specs. I’m going to loosen it up a bit tomorrow and see if that helps.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Olson1288

Yea man tell me about it. I’m trying to avoid even driving the car right now but I have no other vehicle. I tightened the belt per Kraftwerks’ instructions using the Gates app which measures by frequency, tightened to their specs. I’m going to loosen it up a bit tomorrow and see if that helps.

Definitely follow their instructions over my armchair advice. Follow your gut. Toothed belts do not rely on friction to transfer energy but running them too loose invites other issues. I know, "Duh."

That clip sounds EXACTLY like a way-overtightened timing belt.

[codec]

What have you done to fix the noise? After 30mm kit upgrade I have the same problem