Supercharger oil

[AlaskaVX]

O.K. so I just reached 3,000 miles on my SC. Do I replace the SC oil every 3,000 miles? How much does it take? I bought one bottle of GM Supercharger oil, is that enough? Where is the drain and fill holes? Is the drain hole the bolt up front just left of the nose? Is there a way to drain it without getting the oil all over the engine? This was probobally explained in all the paperwork that came with it, but I don't know exactly where I put all that stuff.
Thanks in advance,
Alan

[Dallas4u]

Check:

http://club.vmag.com/ubb/Forum39/HTML/003154.html

You may as well check the level (drain/fill plug is the allen bolt on the front/left side of the rear of the nose cone). If it drips out, it's full.

I feel pretty confident that you don't need to change it very often, but I wouldn't wait the 100k that Magnuson states. I'm thinking more like every 10k - 15k.

[Triathlete]

This was probobally explained in all the paperwork that came with it, but I don't know exactly where I put all that stuff.

Besides, who reads the instructions anyway?

[newthings]

Why, just last week I had to visit Alpine to fix an oil leak showing in and around a top nose piece bolt. I was keeping the oil topped to the front plug bottom.
It turns out, oil is to be kept just below the level that will enter the nose piece. We held up a nose piece next to the gear cover (With fill plug), and estimated the level should be about 1/8" below the plug hole. We actually removed the gear cover and started fresh with new oil. My S/C is one of the first, but just installed, so I think it is still consistant for oil capacity. We found 130 ml (cc) fills to 1/8" below the hole.
We filled to the hole and extracted 10 ml. to hit the desired level.
Oil is added or removed by means of a syringe and a small soft plastic hose. No more oil leak- it was just over filling.
BTW, the oil turns gray after a few 100 mi. This is normal. Alpine believes it is Molydisulfide coming off of the coupling to the input shaft.
Roy

[FeatherFoot]

If your unit is one of the first, I wouldn't reduce the amount of oil. Magnason specified the amount of oil to be used in the nosecone and you may encounter warranty issues.

In the later units They supposedly installed sealed bearings in the nosecone. In the first units, look at the angle of the engine and the level of the oil compared the location of the bearing just behind the pulley. Then let your consience be your guide.

FF

[newthings]

Alpine clearly states "Oiling is via mist not emersion". Besides, if I add more it gets spat out.
Roy

[Green Dragon]

Originally posted by newthings
Alpine clearly states "Oiling is via mist not emersion". Besides, if I add more it gets spat out.
Roy

Very interesting comment as I noticed after refilling my S/C oil after replacing nose cone (Bearing Failure) that I had white smoke out of tail pipe on initial engine start. Figured I had reassembled improperly or messed up the seal between oil containment housing & impeller housing. Thus S/C oil was being sucked into intake manifold. Turns out it appears I just overfilled the S/C oil level. Who'd a thought!

I still can't fathom how the oil lubricates the Nose bearing via mist.

Dragon Bob

[newthings]

Hi Bob,
My oil exit path was around a bolt head. Yours might have been through the gear case to impeller chamber seal. Were you trying to maintain the oil level up to the bottom of the fill hole? Does your new nose cone have the sealed bearings?
Spinning impeller gears make quite a mist generator. (From the mouth of John Conchie.)
I am considering buying a sealed bearing nose cone assembly with the smaller pulley.
Roy

[Green Dragon]

Originally posted by newthings
Hi Bob,
My oil exit path was around a bolt head. Yours might have been through the gear case to impeller chamber seal. Were you trying to maintain the oil level up to the bottom of the fill hole? Does your new nose cone have the sealed bearings?
Spinning impeller gears make quite a mist generator. (From the mouth of John Conchie.)
I am considering buying a sealed bearing nose cone assembly with the smaller pulley.
Roy

Yes, I filled to overflowing at the hole.

New Nose cone supposed to have sealed bearings.

Has to be gear case to impeller chamber leak to get into intake manifold.

Can't see how IMPELLER gears act as Mist generator as they are supposedly sealed from both the Gear coupling housing & the Nose Cone. Has to be the coupling gear shafts that allow passage

Interesting sidebar to this is

In case of S/C problem-VX will still run good enough to get you home if you remove S/C belt.

When nose cone bearing went out. Being out in the Boondocks & Not having spare S/C oil (I now carry 2 spares) I added Mobil 1 Synthetic 5-30 to try & keep things going. When I disassembled the S/C for repair, I discovered the Coupling (Like Hard rubber) had completely disappeared. I suspect xtreme heat & pressure along with the Synthetic oil was responsible.

As I said if you suspect a problem just remove the belt.

Dragon Bob

[ScottinMA]

I have one of the early Alpine SC and would like to change out the oil. Has anyone done this in the last year or two that might share the location of the fill plug and what type of oil should be used?

Many thanks

[newthings]

Hi Scott,
The fill plug is in the front. It is an allen plug with o-ring, so no need to over tighten. I use GM supercharger oil. GM uses the Eaton S/C on many models. I use a large syringe with a clear hose of about 1/8" inside diameter. I extract by putting about 3" of hose into the gear case and filling the syringe. I keep slurping until I can get no more. I fill the same way with out the hose on the syringe. I fill to about 1/4" below the fill hole bottom. I fill until the oil comes out and then extract back to 1/4" down. If you fill more, you will force oil out the front and you will see it collecting in the gear case cover bolt recesses.
Cheers, Roy

[ScottinMA]

Roy,

Thank you! That's my plan for this weekend. So far, replaced timing belt, both front and rear brakes and rotors, tranny fluids, diffs, transfer all with synthetics, new belts, plugs, alignment, front wheel bearings repack, and I'm considering the radiator next.