Kraftwerks Supercharger Owners Thread

[MartyMcfly]

Thanks guys. I think my question about the PCV check valve has been answered. I'm thinking I'll just run a VTA can for the CCVs and cap off the manifold.

From what I've read about the KW kit, the metal recirc valve is their new valve that they began including with all their kits. They also sell it seperately. In the beginning the kits came with a plastic bosch valve that apparently sucked. They replaced it with the metal one.
I tend to suspect the recirc valve as well. btw, it was all gummed up. I took it apart during install and cleaned it and it does run smoothly now. I'll take it off though and test it with compressed air to see what it's doing. I'm also going to run a proper boost leak test on the entire system.
Another possible cause of this issue could be some faulty check valve somewhere leading to the manifold. Perhaps it's getting stuck open or closed one way then the other every time I start the car? It would explain the binary behavior of the boost "leak"

The HKS kit instructions are very thorough. The number of modifications required is daunting. Yup, page 36 goes over the recirc hookup for autos just like the JR and Vortech kits. Same deal. Page 17 of the HKS guide also talks about a canister purge solenoid.. hm. I think I'll check that out.

Thanks All for the input!

And thanks for the kit @pgranberg11 It was packaged very nicely and is in great shape!

With the $$ I saved by buying a used kit, I was able to buy an oil cooler and mocul sandwich plate setup (I read your post on that), boost gauge, koyo radiator, and some other odds and ends. I'm tuning through Delicious. So far it is a great experience. They're very responsive and professional. I'm going to run this issue by them to see what input they may have about it.

[pgranberg11]

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

Thanks guys. I think my question about the PCV check valve has been answered. I'm thinking I'll just run a VTA can for the CCVs and cap off the manifold.

From what I've read about the KW kit, the metal recirc valve is their new valve that they began including with all their kits. They also sell it seperately. In the beginning the kits came with a plastic bosch valve that apparently sucked. They replaced it with the metal one.
I tend to suspect the recirc valve as well. btw, it was all gummed up. I took it apart during install and cleaned it and it does run smoothly now. I'll take it off though and test it with compressed air to see what it's doing. I'm also going to run a proper boost leak test on the entire system.
Another possible cause of this issue could be some faulty check valve somewhere leading to the manifold. Perhaps it's getting stuck open or closed one way then the other every time I start the car? It would explain the binary behavior of the boost "leak"

The HKS kit instructions are very thorough. The number of modifications required is daunting. Yup, page 36 goes over the recirc hookup for autos just like the JR and Vortech kits. Same deal. Page 17 of the HKS guide also talks about a canister purge solenoid.. hm. I think I'll check that out.

Thanks All for the input!

And thanks for the kit @pgranberg11 It was packaged very nicely and is in great shape!

With the $$ I saved by buying a used kit, I was able to buy an oil cooler and mocul sandwich plate setup (I read your post on that), boost gauge, koyo radiator, and some other odds and ends. I'm tuning through Delicious. So far it is a great experience. They're very responsive and professional. I'm going to run this issue by them to see what input they may have about it.

no problem, sorry about the bypass valve; I never really figured to check it out since it was working when I had it on mine. I just wonder why it's every time you turn your car on/off/on. I feel like if it was the bypass valve and it wasn't working properly, it wouldn't work at all period. But I'm not sure. I want to believe that it's a faulty check valve somewhere; but with an auto I wouldn't know where to look. I hope you figure it out and it's something simple. I would say maybe try to contact kraftwerks...... but their customer service when I tried calling them were.... well... I'll let you decide.

[MartyMcfly]

I have a bit of an update. The issue persists.
I did confirm that the Evap lines under the manifold are all secure as well as where the line leads out to the canister.
I also took apart the recirc valve and it is in good operating condition.
I'm working with my tuner doing idle logging. First run while I'm seeing good boost, and again while I'm seeing poor boost. There's a possibility that the map sensor could be flaky and I have no leaks at all. We'll see.

[pgranberg11]

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

I have a bit of an update. The issue persists.
I did confirm that the Evap lines under the manifold are all secure as well as where the line leads out to the canister.
I also took apart the recirc valve and it is in good operating condition.
I'm working with my tuner doing idle logging. First run while I'm seeing good boost, and again while I'm seeing poor boost. There's a possibility that the map sensor could be flaky and I have no leaks at all. We'll see.

Wow I'll be kinda pissed if that map sensor is flaky. That particular map sensor is brand new... It was sent to me by accident from moto east when they sent me their ecutek kit. That map sensor was for some reason inside my ecutek kit box. I had originally used the map sensor that came from kraftwerks. (Also Omni). That one I originally was going to give to you, but upon removal it broke so I figured I'd give you that brand new one that came from moto east. I hope and it better not be flaky since that map sensor has never been installed. It's lived in it's plastic bag all it's life.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

[MartyMcfly]

Originally Posted by pgranberg11

Wow I'll be kinda pissed if that map sensor is flaky. That particular map sensor is brand new... It was sent to me by accident from moto east when they sent me their ecutek kit. That map sensor was for some reason inside my ecutek kit box. I had originally used the map sensor that came from kraftwerks. (Also Omni). That one I originally was going to give to you, but upon removal it broke so I figured I'd give you that brand new one that came from moto east. I hope and it better not be flaky since that map sensor has never been installed. It's lived in it's plastic bag all it's life.

Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

Turns out it's not the MAP sensor. Still troubleshooting otherwise though. I'm waiting for the proper sized reducer to arrive so I can use my boost leak tester.
In the meantime, I capped off the EVAP line under the manifold and clamped it. Mostly just to eliminate it as a possible cause. While I had the TB off, I went ahead and blocked off the coolant feed to it.
I learned more about this engine in the process of all this too. On the autos, the brake booster bypasses the manifold completely and goes to a vacuum pump. Not sure why, but it does. The pump is located on the passenger side of the head right behind the injectors. It receives its air from the front of the head. To eliminate it as a possible cause, I capped that biotch off and am running the brake booster off the back of the manifold like a manual car would. My vacuum line and boost gauge is T'd off of that as well, like we would for a manual car.
Another thing I learned is there is no EGR on this car in the traditional way. It recirculates exhaust gas by use of an overlap of exhaust and intake timing. I found this out when trying to eliminate causes of a boost leak. i.e. EGR leak.

I also ordered a bunch of t-bolt clamps for the rest of the system. The worm type clamps with the kit are really not sufficient. If once I verify absolutely no boost leaks, and this intermittent problem still persists? LS swap?

[pgranberg11]

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

Turns out it's not the MAP sensor. Still troubleshooting otherwise though. I'm waiting for the proper sized reducer to arrive so I can use my boost leak tester.
In the meantime, I capped off the EVAP line under the manifold and clamped it. Mostly just to eliminate it as a possible cause. While I had the TB off, I went ahead and blocked off the coolant feed to it.
I learned more about this engine in the process of all this too. On the autos, the brake booster bypasses the manifold completely and goes to a vacuum pump. Not sure why, but it does. The pump is located on the passenger side of the head right behind the injectors. It receives its air from the front of the head. To eliminate it as a possible cause, I capped that biotch off and am running the brake booster off the back of the manifold like a manual car would. My vacuum line and boost gauge is T'd off of that as well, like we would for a manual car.
Another thing I learned is there is no EGR on this car in the traditional way. It recirculates exhaust gas by use of an overlap of exhaust and intake timing. I found this out when trying to eliminate causes of a boost leak. i.e. EGR leak.

I also ordered a bunch of t-bolt clamps for the rest of the system. The worm type clamps with the kit are really not sufficient. If once I verify absolutely no boost leaks, and this intermittent problem still persists? LS swap?

your tuner hasn't said anything about probable cause? I feel like they should be helping you in checking the right direction. It seems like it could be a software/ecu thing as well... you mention it happens every time the car is shut off/on/back off again. Maybe try reflashing the tune? I'm running out of ideas what I would do. Or see if you can have your tuner check they have the latest rom file. Idk, throwing out ideas.

[MartyMcfly]

Originally Posted by pgranberg11

your tuner hasn't said anything about probable cause? I feel like they should be helping you in checking the right direction. It seems like it could be a software/ecu thing as well... you mention it happens every time the car is shut off/on/back off again. Maybe try reflashing the tune? I'm running out of ideas what I would do. Or see if you can have your tuner check they have the latest rom file. Idk, throwing out ideas.

Yeah, I hear ya. I was sort of expecting they may have run into this problem before, but nada. At first they thought I was grabbing my boost readings off of the MAP, and that's why they said it may be MAP related. Once they realized I was grabbing boost physically from tapping into the manifold, they really have no idea what the cause may be. There isn't anything that they can control from a tune for boost on a supercharger. There is no boost controller or actuator that the ECU can control which would change boost levels. As we all know, SCs are simple as they just produce boost based on RPM level. The recirc valve is the only thing in the line that could change boost levels besides a leak. I'm contemplating replacing the recirc valve if after I get my boost leak tester sorted, I find no leaks, but still have the problem.
I did find a boost leak at the MAF the other day, and fixed that. I have also replaced my worm gear clamps with T-bolt clamps for the 3 3.5" locations. Still waiting for my 3" T-bolt clamps to arrive so I can get the rest. I'm starting to think that the MAF sensor leak is what's doing this weird shit with the intermittent boost leak. Since fixing the MAF leak, I'm running into the low boost problem less frequently. Nothing scientific there, just an observation that may be wrong based on the random nature of the issue. There may still be a slight leak there. I won't know more until I get my leak test done.

[vgi]

@MartyMcfly so, did you resolve the issue? could help some other people if you posted here

[MartyMcfly]

Originally Posted by vgi

@MartyMcfly so, did you resolve the issue? could help some other people if you posted here

I definitely plan on posting the solution once It's confirmed.
I think I may have fixed it, but because of the intermittent nature of the issue, I'm going to wait a few more days before I post so I don't accidentally misguide anyone.

[pgranberg11]

Originally Posted by MartyMcfly

I definitely plan on posting the solution once It's confirmed.
I think I may have fixed it, but because of the intermittent nature of the issue, I'm going to wait a few more days before I post so I don't accidentally misguide anyone.

I'd be curious what you think the solution would be. I'd feel terrible if there was something that I was unaware about since it was working great for me at the track and has been in storage since it was sold and have video of that track day too.

[MartyMcfly]

$100 to the paypal account of the first person to solve this mystery!

If you make a suggestion, and I try it, and it solves the issue, I'll paypal you $100. I'm serious. Of course if you suggest replace the engine, I'm not going that route unless you pay for me to take it to a shop and verify that it needs replacing.
But, simple shit which I think the solution probably is, will win you $100. I'm totally stumped!

Ok, so I really thought I had this intermittent boost/vacuum issue resolved. After resolving all vacuum/boost leaks, I found that the KW recirc valve was leaking in two ways:
1. Leaking from the vacuum fitting trough the recirc port if I just blew though it.
2. Blowing a ton of air out to recirc during idle.

I replaced the recirc valve with a Turbosmart TS-0203-1022 Kompact 25 mm Dual Port Universal Fit Blow Off Valve. Very nice valve with a tension adjuster and includes washers to shim the spring. It can be converted between recirc and BOV. I have it set to BOV. Tested and no leaks at all. I adjusted it so it leaks no air at idle, but opens appropriately to not induce compressor surge. It seemed to have solved the issue. For a week I drove the car and the problem did not resurface. i.e. After every start, it held boost and produced what I think is good vacuum and did not revert to bad boost/vacuum once.... Until today! it's back to the intermittent boost/vacuum issue!

So, to recap:

• No existing vacuum leaks at any of the possible manifold and intake locations: Evap, PCV, MAP, MAF, and throughout the SC boost gauge and lines, and intake system at all the clamps. Tested and verified with a boost leak test at the compressor intake.
• Recirc valve is brand new and working flawlessly
• PCV to crank at the back of the manifold is blocked at the manifold.
• Brake booster is working and eliminated as a possible cause. As a test I blocked off the brake booster line, and the problem persisted.
• I blocked off the Evap port under the manifold. The problem existed before and after I made this change.
• Vacuum for the BOV is taken off the brake booster line on the manifold side of the brake booster solenoid.
• For the Auto, there's an air pump that runs off the head, that is blocked off. I'm running the brake booster off the back of the manifold like the manual cars. I did this to eliminate the pump as a possible cause, and to simplify the setup. The problem existed before and after I made this change.
• crank breather is VTA, and from what I've researched would have no impact on vacuum/boost.

To show you exactly what it's doing, here is a continuous 2 minute video which displays the issue exactly. The first 3 starts I have almost no boost when revving the engine and the vacuum reads about -20 at idle. The 4th and 5th start, I get "good" boost when revving the engine and the idle vacuum is about -13. Then the last few starts it reverts back to the -20 idle vacuum and poor boost. You can hear the difference too between the good/bad starts.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrBPw89zLkw"]FR-S Intermittent boost/vacuum - YouTube[/ame]

[MartyMcfly]

Originally Posted by pgranberg11

I'd be curious what you think the solution would be. I'd feel terrible if there was something that I was unaware about since it was working great for me at the track and has been in storage since it was sold and have video of that track day too.

I really believed I had the problem solved after replacing the recirc valve, but nope!

[vgi]

well, this is an SS which theoretically should produce constant boost at specific rpm. considering your problem is intermittent i would take a close look at electronics/tune. the only mechanical part i was thinking about was recirc valve which, depending on design - eg spring actuated - could potentially give you intermittent problems, but then you replaced it. are you sure your boost gauge/line is fine? is the blower itself ok (shaft, blades, anything)? if you can find some else who has boost gauge you could ask what the behavior is on the other car, perhaps (with subu idle tuning depending on the engine temp, mp, o2, pi/di, and all the other logic which may control throttle body plate opening) what you see is normal? what did your tuner say? maybe try to start a thread in tuning section.

[MartyMcfly]

Originally Posted by vgi

well, this is an SS which theoretically should produce constant boost at specific rpm. considering your problem is intermittent i would take a close look at electronics/tune. the only mechanical part i was thinking about was recirc valve which, depending on design - eg spring actuated - could potentially give you intermittent problems, but then you replaced it. are you sure your boost gauge/line is fine? is the blower itself ok (shaft, blades, anything)? if you can find some else who has boost gauge you could ask what the behavior is on the other car, perhaps (with subu idle tuning depending on the engine temp, mp, o2, pi/di, and all the other logic which may control throttle body plate opening) what you see is normal? what did your tuner say? maybe try to start a thread in tuning section.

Thanks. My tuner said there's nothing in the tune for a supercharger that would alter the boost levels. He said that it may be a vacuum leak or a problem with the recirc valve. There is no electronic boost controller for superchargers, or at least not for this supercharger, so nothing in the tune that would cause intermittent boost problems. No DTCs either.