Hello XterraNation!!!
My name is Benjamin Marcy, I go by Ben Albuterol on FB. (I wonder if the FB is even allowed to be mentioned here!?) I haven't used the forums much in the past but I'm hoping I can change that going forward. I have put together a list and some helpful tips for a supercharger swap DIY. I thought I would share it here, I don't even know if it already exists. Big thanks to Michel Fortin and JS for helping me through the initial swap process.
SC Swap list:
What you need working from the Throttle body to the SC to the heads and down
-Throttle, for backup, plus throttle cable. (plus MAF for backup)
-Brake Booster Line (slightly different shape and possibly different valve location)
-Intake tube (from throttle to blower, plus all the tubing connected under the intake, (vacuum and coolant hoses)
-pcv valve and hose from SC *see note 1*
-Blower and attached bypass valve
-Intake adapter
-Fuel Rail and injectors with it. (pull the fuel rail, injectors are attached to the rail, and grab all the little o-rings and plastic spacers)
-Intake manifold
-Boost Control Solenoid (BCS) ..................*see note 2*
-Pulley Bridge for AC/blower plus belt if it looks okay.
-A/C Compressor (ACC) .............*see note 3*
-Harmonic Balancer ...............*see note 3*
-ECM .............*note 4*
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 1: The PCV valve on the NA motor is attached directly to the intake plenum, on the SC engine it's attached to the passenger side valve cover. You can either pull the cover or make a homemade PCV line with two pieces of tubing. The homemade line is what I did and it runs fine.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 2: You don't actually NEED the BCS, the reason I put it on the list is for people that don't want a constant Check Engine Light (CEL). If you swap the ECM, and you should, it will look for the BCS and when it doesn't see it, it will throw a code for serial link fault and/or turbo something or other. For daily operation it is absolutely fine to run the blower from only vacuum and atmospheric pressure to regulate the blower bypass. You will want to make sure you always run quality 92+ octane though as the ECM will have no way of limiting the boost if it needs to go into limp mode (ie for misfire or knocking).
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 3: I've been told from someone who did the swap before me that you can run the S/C off the stock balancer and ac compressor by using a GM belt. I have more recently heard that the pulleys (NA and SC) are different sizes on the balancer and will cause a different pulley ratio for the blower. You can measure this to confirm, I have not. That being said it is recommended that you use the 6 rib balancer and ACC pulley, especially if you upgrade pulley sizes or switch to a solid coupler (which almost every reman kit uses).
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 4: Regarding the ECM, I've been told the NA ECM will run the blower fine, but very rich at idle. If you drive almost all highway it wouldn't be a problem but if you do any real amount of stop and go or city driving (or offroading) it's recommended to get the SC ECM so you aren't running a rich idle, plus the fuel maps are designed for boost. I've heard from other sources that the NA ECM can act ufcky when it sees boost. ***My suggestion is to swap to the SC ECM*** Either way you will get a CEL, the above mentiond BCS or a EGR Valve for 02-04 NA ECMs.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 5: Unless you get a fresh reman SC, and I don't know if they are available, you will most certainly need whatever donor SC you find rebuilt, either yourself or sent out. If you do it yourself the Cobalt SS uses the same inner parts according to what I've read in the D22 SC group. My rotors weren't bad enough for me to send them out or to buy new. I personally got a full rebuild kit from the UK and only needed to replace the coupler, oil and needle bearings. If you are comfortable with engines and porting/polishing you can follow some youtube videos to learn how to port and polish the blower so it runs more efficiently and slightly cooler. Be careful though, if you widen the outlet too much you'll lose boost, if you widen it just enough you'll run a bit cooler.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 5a: If you rebuild the blower yourself, DO NOT drain the oil anywhere except a garage, shed or outside. The used oil is by far the worst smelling substance on planet earth. ***This is NOT an over exaggeration***
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 6:
You can use a UHMWPE intake spacer for an NA motor for the SC, you just need to modify it slightly to fit the SC pattern, i've seen the pics of this myself. You'll need longer bolts for the intake adapter and possibly a body lift (or cut a hole in the hood)
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 7: I only had this happen to 1 bolt during my entire install, but one of my intake bolts yielded during install and nearly broke off in the intake manifold. Make sure you inspect all the bolts you pull and tighten everything in 3 phases even if the FSM doesn't say to. Finger tight, 1/2 spec, full spec.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 8: You don't have to remove the dizzy to do all this but it makes life a lot easier. Just PLEASE if you remove don't do what I did and lose timing. Make sure you clock your motor to TDC and mark the dizzy before you pull it.
Attached are the Alldata (FSM) sheets needed to help with the install:
Enjoy!!
My name is Benjamin Marcy, I go by Ben Albuterol on FB. (I wonder if the FB is even allowed to be mentioned here!?) I haven't used the forums much in the past but I'm hoping I can change that going forward. I have put together a list and some helpful tips for a supercharger swap DIY. I thought I would share it here, I don't even know if it already exists. Big thanks to Michel Fortin and JS for helping me through the initial swap process.
SC Swap list:
What you need working from the Throttle body to the SC to the heads and down
-Throttle, for backup, plus throttle cable. (plus MAF for backup)
-Brake Booster Line (slightly different shape and possibly different valve location)
-Intake tube (from throttle to blower, plus all the tubing connected under the intake, (vacuum and coolant hoses)
-pcv valve and hose from SC *see note 1*
-Blower and attached bypass valve
-Intake adapter
-Fuel Rail and injectors with it. (pull the fuel rail, injectors are attached to the rail, and grab all the little o-rings and plastic spacers)
-Intake manifold
-Boost Control Solenoid (BCS) ..................*see note 2*
-Pulley Bridge for AC/blower plus belt if it looks okay.
-A/C Compressor (ACC) .............*see note 3*
-Harmonic Balancer ...............*see note 3*
-ECM .............*note 4*
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 1: The PCV valve on the NA motor is attached directly to the intake plenum, on the SC engine it's attached to the passenger side valve cover. You can either pull the cover or make a homemade PCV line with two pieces of tubing. The homemade line is what I did and it runs fine.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 2: You don't actually NEED the BCS, the reason I put it on the list is for people that don't want a constant Check Engine Light (CEL). If you swap the ECM, and you should, it will look for the BCS and when it doesn't see it, it will throw a code for serial link fault and/or turbo something or other. For daily operation it is absolutely fine to run the blower from only vacuum and atmospheric pressure to regulate the blower bypass. You will want to make sure you always run quality 92+ octane though as the ECM will have no way of limiting the boost if it needs to go into limp mode (ie for misfire or knocking).
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 3: I've been told from someone who did the swap before me that you can run the S/C off the stock balancer and ac compressor by using a GM belt. I have more recently heard that the pulleys (NA and SC) are different sizes on the balancer and will cause a different pulley ratio for the blower. You can measure this to confirm, I have not. That being said it is recommended that you use the 6 rib balancer and ACC pulley, especially if you upgrade pulley sizes or switch to a solid coupler (which almost every reman kit uses).
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
-Note 4: Regarding the ECM, I've been told the NA ECM will run the blower fine, but very rich at idle. If you drive almost all highway it wouldn't be a problem but if you do any real amount of stop and go or city driving (or offroading) it's recommended to get the SC ECM so you aren't running a rich idle, plus the fuel maps are designed for boost. I've heard from other sources that the NA ECM can act ufcky when it sees boost. ***My suggestion is to swap to the SC ECM*** Either way you will get a CEL, the above mentiond BCS or a EGR Valve for 02-04 NA ECMs.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 5: Unless you get a fresh reman SC, and I don't know if they are available, you will most certainly need whatever donor SC you find rebuilt, either yourself or sent out. If you do it yourself the Cobalt SS uses the same inner parts according to what I've read in the D22 SC group. My rotors weren't bad enough for me to send them out or to buy new. I personally got a full rebuild kit from the UK and only needed to replace the coupler, oil and needle bearings. If you are comfortable with engines and porting/polishing you can follow some youtube videos to learn how to port and polish the blower so it runs more efficiently and slightly cooler. Be careful though, if you widen the outlet too much you'll lose boost, if you widen it just enough you'll run a bit cooler.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 5a: If you rebuild the blower yourself, DO NOT drain the oil anywhere except a garage, shed or outside. The used oil is by far the worst smelling substance on planet earth. ***This is NOT an over exaggeration***
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 6:
You can use a UHMWPE intake spacer for an NA motor for the SC, you just need to modify it slightly to fit the SC pattern, i've seen the pics of this myself. You'll need longer bolts for the intake adapter and possibly a body lift (or cut a hole in the hood)
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 7: I only had this happen to 1 bolt during my entire install, but one of my intake bolts yielded during install and nearly broke off in the intake manifold. Make sure you inspect all the bolts you pull and tighten everything in 3 phases even if the FSM doesn't say to. Finger tight, 1/2 spec, full spec.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................
Note 8: You don't have to remove the dizzy to do all this but it makes life a lot easier. Just PLEASE if you remove don't do what I did and lose timing. Make sure you clock your motor to TDC and mark the dizzy before you pull it.
Attached are the Alldata (FSM) sheets needed to help with the install:
Enjoy!!
