Thanks for the welcome :-) I have been reading and learning from this site for some time now. I thought this was a chance to offer some help…..maybe not, there are a lot of knowledgeable individuals here to talk to. I have a ’95 Z/28 with OBDII, and a complete entry-level Vortech supercharger kit and aftercooler. It only runs 6psi, with upgraded injectors (I would have to check what#, I don’t want to pass on bad info), FMU, HV variable output fuel pump, and Crane Cams ignition amplifier w/ timing retard per pound of boost. The kit comes complete with everything you need, right down to clamps, wire ties, & hardware. Vortech recommends running only the stock computer, plugs, & oil. My car has 30,000 blown miles on the clock, I am careful with the timing retard and fuel, I try not to beat it too much, and I feed it a regular diet of rice and Fords. I am not saying that I don’t ever have problems with it, but nothing major has happened, and the motor has never been apart. I am not an engineer or anything, so I don’t have all the answers…..maybe I am just lucky?!?!?!?

 

Just a little update here for ya! I talked to this guy again the other day! His car is still running but he is having some high rpm shifting problems. I told him he should at least get his pcm tuned. But he didn't know where it was!!! So I showed him.
THEN we had a little race and I beat him twice by about 4 car length at 150kph (~95mph)!! I guess that just goes to show you that even if you spend $6000 on a S/C but don't set it up right and haven't done your homework, you can still be beaten by someone who spent $3000 on simple mods!!!!!
Oh, he was VERY upset be the outcome of the race!!!!! I personally was VERY happy!!!!
The moral of this story is "Do your homework before you drop a ton of cash on modifications!!"

 

Silver streek welcome to the board, but I have a couple of questions. Did you install a OBD-II setup on your car? Because OBD-II only came in 1996 and later. The 1995 diagnostic port is a OBD-II port but the computer is OBD-I, sometimes even guys at the chevy dealers don't know that and they try to hook up OBD-II specific equipment and it does not work. The reason I can say this is because I have a 95 dual cat CA car so I get alot of people that ask about OBD-I or OBD-II. In any case it is a common mistake on the 1995 year cars, but I can tell you if the computer is stock it is a OBD-I computer.
As for Vortech being a great company, well I have to say yes and NO. Today they make a great line of SC's and their support of their product is great, but several years ago when they first put out SC systems for the LT1 they had many issues. I know from two seperate cases of my friends putting on Votech SC systems on their cars and within days of the HOT California Summer air going into those systems their ringlands blew. This is with the "safety" stuff that Vortech included with thier kits(I remeber the "big" T-Rex Fuel pump" upgraded ignition equipment). So way back in 1995 Vortech was not really honest with the consumers about how safe their 7psi and 9 psi systems were. I am just saying that they were not 100% honest about how reliable the system is on a completely stock setup, and what was needed to make the system reliable. They may have added things to the SC systems to better makeup for faults in the past.
It is also great to hear how many miles that you have on your setup! I also had alot of miles on my setup with over 95,000+miles on my original setup, The one thing I would tell you to do to keep insuring your longevity is to remove the FMU and get the computer reprogrammed to ensure a proper air/fuel ratio and proper fuel pressure etc... The rubber diafram(SP) went bad on my FMU which caused a lean condition, which lead to #1&#7 ringland giving up the ghost! In anycase great to have you on the board.

 

High perfromance is a whole different ballgame than stock. Period. Putting a blower on a car that was never intended to be boosted is alway dangrous. With the right tunning and a owner who has a good understanding of how it all works a boosted car can last for a long time. A lot of it all comes down to the person who owns it. Either they know a lot about what they are doing and they are not greedy or its the other way. I say have fun with your boosted car but don't think it will last 150k runnin 10psi. Thats just not the way it goes. Thats why its so much fun and thats why most people drive slow stock cars.

Personaly I am the guy who runs the risk...I would rather take the chance and have fun with boost or spray then to drive a stock car.


STOCK SUCKS!

 

To the best of my knowledge, no one on this board has ever just blown up a stock motor by bolting on a charger that was intended for their application.

They blow them up with ignorance, greed, and laziness.

Most people after a while either get greedy with the boost, over-ambitious with the tune, or just won't run the right gas for what they want to accomplish.

Poll after poll regarding stock S/c'd engines shows this to be true. It's like the gun arguement. Superchargers don't kill LT1's- their owners do!



Steve

 

I do not agree with this statement. I had proper tuning, Rich AFR (11.3 to 11.5:1), no knock, 8psi of boost (ATI's twin intercooled kit intended for a stock LT1), and good IAT temps on a low mileage LT1 (25,000miles) and two ring lands let go. I drove the car for 1000miles easily making sure the tune was OK. I then did 3 zero to 140mph runs over the course of 3 hours one day and the ring lands let go. I do not consider this abuse, as who in their right mind would spend that kind of money to increase their performance and not use it every now and then?

I can definitely say from my experience that blow an engine even with no knock, proper AFR's and reduced timing (max of 24 degrees).

Brent M.

 

I'd call a zero to 140mph run abuse...

 

Bottom line is that high compression and boost do not mix! Doesn't matter how you look at it. Sure some motors last quite a few miles with a S/C on it but its really just luck. If you plan on S/C'ing your stock motor, then set aside some money for the rebuild, cuz its going to come eventually.

 

I agree with rooster. For instance, my tuner told me not to make any top speed runs (or let the car naturally shift into 4th) as the tune was not set up for that and I'd pop her.

I hope I dont prove myself wrong!!

 

If a zero to 140mph run is a problem (which isn't even close to a STOCK top speed run) that means that you can't make a 1/4 mile run without blowing the engine.

To spend 6 to 7k on mods and not have a car that you can run a the track once to see how it runs is kind of crazy.

My point is, saying that LT1's last when they are supercharged as long as you don't abuse it is misleading. Sure, if you don't go WOT, the car will handle the supercharger fine. But then you are probably not using much more power than stock. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a supercharger in the first place? That's like saying having a 300hp shot of nitrous on a stock block is OK (just don't ever arm the thing)!

They may last at 4-6psi, but at 8psi on a stock block, it is my experience even with good tuning and no detonation, that if you use the power, you loose the power.

Also, to me, abuse is holding it at redline for long periods of time, or allowing the IAT temps to raise to high levels, or holding top speeds for long periods of time, or sitting out on the highway doing donuts and burnouts.

If you want to be able to enjoy the power and not always worry about the engine, spend the extra 3k when you buy the blower and redo the bottom end at the same time. Sooner or later (most likely sooner) you are going to anyway.

 

I wanna see a guy bolt on a blower to a stock car and run 140 mph in the quarter!! By the time you hit 140 the intercooler is way past taking heat from the intake charge, and those silly little flaps aren't going to keep enough air flowing thru an intercooler to remove the heat at a consant pace.

 

What is a "ring land" you guys keep talking about?

 

Just so you know I put a Vortech blower on my engine, and the only mod was Flowmaster catback. I put ~40K miles on the car and just this summer tore it down, and the bottom end was fine. It's just a little funny you act like this guy is a retard. As someone stated earlier Vortech sells the kits for stock cars and they are intended to last. The fact that people here have had back luck isn't exactly common knowledge. I doubt if you didn't check this site that you'd have the same feeling towards blown LT1s..

 

I'll give you that maybe Vortec's stuff might be made to last but not the pistons in a stock motor LT1. Consider yourself lucky. My motor lasted 15K miles before I broke a ring land on #1 piston, My buddy with a 10 psi Procharger lasted less than 5 miles before he broke 5 pistons, but he did have stock tuning and a 100K+ motor. He rebuilt the motor changing only the pistons and it has lived a long 3 years now with no problems. If you didn't know about this site, you really wouldn't know about how many of us have rebuilt due to piston failures (also some due to bearings). However if one puts some 78cc AFR heads on the stock car and lowers the compression a bit, the stock motor can live quite a while keeping it out of detonation.

Bill

 

I ran my 94 trans-am with 6 psi powerdyne and 100 shot of dry nos for 50,000kms on a stock lt1 with a hypertech tune.
The car hauled *** and still does.