RIPP Supercharger gets... RIPPED APART!

[JeepLab]

Did the title grab you? Its tense over here. LOL.

Nothing is wrong with the SC, but in this project, im going to dismantle the RIPP unit, clean it out, and change its pulley to the high alt.

Im about half way thru as of this moment. Here's how it all went down.

I was going to install JW speaker headlights, and I just installed the Billet Technology catch can (which I LOVE).

I saw how much oil the can grabbed, in the last 2 weeks since I installed it. It was about a table spoon, more than I expected as it wasnt even a full tank of gas I went thru in that time. I knew oil was working its way thru the system, but had no idea how much.

So since I had the nose ripped apart for the headlights, I decided to go a step further and take the Supercharger out and clean it.

[JeepLab]

PICS!

Here is the nose stripped. Ready to get in there and learn. This is the only power mod JeepLab has, that we didnt install. RIPP installed it, so I havent really played with the components. No time like the present.
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Im intimidated by the SC crammed in the engine bay. I start with the intercooler.
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The first pipe I get disconnected is the one on the intake side of the intercooler. This is what I found. Oil. past even the intercooler.
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This is the SC side pipe of the intercooler.
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[2k13jk]

I would call ripp and ask them i had my pipes apart 2 weeks ago and i had a catch can put in for 2 months now and i had no oil in my pipes. The only things i can see is your hose into the air filter is getting blow by into or your s/c seals are leaking which would we red oil not black

[JeepLab]

The Intercooler -

I took the intercooler out and stood it up in a home depot bucket. I wanted to see how much oil seeps out. I left it there for maybe 40 min. I got maybe a few teaspoons of oil.

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Clean out is really easy. I sealed one side of the intercooler with a trash bag and a pipe clamp, and poured in some gasoline. Shook it up, let the gas get in all the corners, and poured it out. Came out black the first time.

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I did it about 3 more times, the last two looked like clean gas on the way out.

[JeepLab]

I would call ripp and ask them i had my pipes apart 2 weeks ago and i had a catch can put in for 2 months now and i had no oil in my pipes. The only things i can see is your hose into the air filter is getting blow by into or your s/c seals are leaking which would we red oil not black

This oil is definitely black. I emptied the SC oil (red) into a cup. When I put in the new oil ill measure it to see how much i get out. Keep in mind, My SC was the first non-ripp owned ever on a pentastar JK, its a prototype.

I dont think anything is wrong with the system. Vortech dosent think anything is wrong with the system, I just felt that when i saw the oil in the catch can, if there is a film in the intercooler, it will be counter productive to the supercharger.

worth cleaning now that I have the catch can running and the front end torn apart.

[gbaumann]

Awesome thread!! Everyone should be reading this. Can't wait to get your impressions after cleaning.

[JeepLab]

Awesome thread!! Everyone should be reading this. Can't wait to get your impressions after cleaning.

I have to say. You kicked this thing off gbaumann with the mag catch can thread.

I thought from your thread and the catch can would stop things from getting MORE gummed up with oil, (intercooler, blower). It turns out that driving with the catch can felt as if the system had been cleaned when it hadn't.

With regard to this overall experiment. I WAS going to -

- Strip the SC completely

- Clean all SC parts - Everyone, remember, this truck has been cross country, into the desert, in the fine dust of moab, and its got 14k miles since the SC was installed. If your SC is 6 months old, you probably dont have to do this. Id put the catch can on and call it a day.

- Turn truck back to stock - Drive it a little that way to see how much of a power loss i see. The SC has been on for 2 years and personally i have no recollection of the truck without it. Also it was supercharged before the 37s and gearing etc.

- Give the engine an inner cleaning. I just learned how to do this and its going to be a good video. If you know about amsoil, you know where im going.

- Install the Hi ALT pulley to feel the difference from stock to HI ALT. Should be like going from a scooter to an F-15.

The idea you just gave me -

- Dismantle SC - done.
- Clean SC
- Clean Engine
- Re-install SC with standard pulley for before and after comparison of the cleaning. This way I can tell you all if this exercise is worth it.

Which route do you guys like?

SIDE NOTE - Ripp owners this whole thing so far is pretty easy. The one spot i ran into trouble was unbolting the SC without having removed the fan. Stupid. Take the fan out first. Its 4 bolts. I have no experience with this and am working alone. My team of mechanical geniuses is sitting this one out.

The pearl of wisdom here I think will be weather or not its worth it to open the blower itself. Im going to tackle that tomorrow. The intercooler is soo easy, I may take it out in a year and see if the catch can has kept it pristine.

If anyone wants a catch can, I told billet technology about our threads with their gear. I can probably get good pricing for anyone else that wants one. And if you have an SC of any brand, You need a catch can. Dont wait a year for your system gradually becomes less sharp then decide to spend the hundred bucks you should spend today.

My truck was instantly different with the can vs. without it. I think gbaumann will say the same thing. Different Superchargers RIPP vs Mag, but the can he and I have is the same can. (he has better pipes, I cheaped out with heater hose)

[Gunner]

Just a thought Ross. But the catch can should have a drain back path that is gravity fed back to the crankcase. Otherwise it just continues to fill every time you punch it. Another words the can should be mounted higher than the hose feeding it. Then the oil will be able to drain back when the boost is not pushing air to the intake side. Does that make sense. Or did I just confuse you.

[bo9roadking]

Thanks to gbaumann's great idea, I did my catch can install today. I haven't driven it yet, but I'm sure it will be better. I've put about 1000 miles on my Magnuson and noticed oil in the hoses when I took them off and replaced them with new hoses and the catch can.

I'm hoping that the intercooler will clean itself out over time now that little to no oil should be going through it. I used gbaumann's example from his thread, but I mounted the can to my battery tray instead of in the corner near the brake master cylinder to keep the hoses as short as possible.

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[2k13jk]

I recomend putting hose clamps on those lines running to the catch can the slighest vacuum leak that has will cause your jeep to run weird

[JeepLab]

The Billet Technology guys told me that it didn't matter about weather the can was mounted above or below anything.

Does anyone know why you would mount it higher or lower?

[UselessPickles]

If it's mounted higher so that the hose from the valve cover runs uphill to the can, then any oil that condenses on the walls of that hose would tend to run downhill back into the valve cover. If the catch can is low, that oil would tend to run downhill into the can.

I think the difference would be very small and not worth going through extra effort to mount the can higher.

[Gunner]

I was thinking of something like this. With a drain back capability. If not by using a 3rd line then placing the can higher will allow the oil to drain back. The reason for the drain back is to reduce the amount of oil the air has to go thru to get to the intake. It might be overkill but this is the kind of setups that I use to use.
http://www.lingenfelter.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LPE&Product_Code=L200010000&Category_Code=C54#.VGF08ktN2f0

[UselessPickles]

I think the reason for the drain back has nothing to do with efficiency/effectiveness of the catch can. It's simply so that the catch can does not need to be emptied. This is "OEM style" because the average person buying a new car doesn't want to deal with emptying oil catch cans in addition to oil changes. It would be a nifty setup if you had an easy/convenient place to run the drain hose to, but probably not worthwhile if it requires significant modifications to make it work.

Also the drain back feature on this would be completely different than simply mounting a standard catch can up high. The high mounting position will only cause oil in the hose that didn't yet make it to the can to drain back into the engine. The special drain back can allows all captured oil in the can to immediately drain back into the engine, minimizing overall oil level loss over time.

[Gunner]

Yup what he said. It is to keep oil from building up in there can.

[Yoinkers]

They should give the cans with the Superchargers. Its 100 bucks. Your spending 6k. For no other reason, but to make sure that the tune is working with reliable air flowing thru.

Anyone with a tune should toss a can in the kit.

[FLIPmeOVER]

They should give the cans with the Superchargers. Its 100 bucks. Your spending 6k. For no other reason, but to make sure that the tune is working with reliable air flowing thru.

Anyone with a tune should toss a can in the kit.

x2 on this. even if they charge a little more for it. it would be good to have this planned by the manufacturer. The tune would be more reliable if they cut out the oil gumming up the system

[Rexx19]

Are there pics coming of the condition inside the SC? Clean Dirty? Wet (oil) Dry?

[JeepLab]

Are there pics coming of the condition inside the SC? Clean Dirty? Wet (oil) Dry?

yep pics coming. Im trying to catch up. Headlights, SC tear apart, and I have a 1 month old baby at home. So I've had to get creative to make time to get into the garage.

Here are my feelings on the whole clean out process. -

I think the intercooler may be the most important part to clean out. Maybe I can get ripp to comment. I opened the SC itself and it really was not dirty inside. Someone who understands the oil vapor may be able to tell better than I can, but what I think from seeing were the oil was in my system, is that what gets back into the SC is oil vapor, and it goes thru the SC and then condenses in the intercooler. I'll open it all back up next year, and we will see if the catch can has eliminated the problem.

Now how does it drive? I just got it back together a few hours ago, and took it around the block to make sure i'd put everything back correctly. I havent really gotten on it, but I will and will report back.

[JeepLab]

Here are some pics as I took the SC Apart -

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[JeepLab]

So after all that, ive been driving it around lately, and it does feel cleaner.

If you dont have a catch can, dont bother with all this. Its a good bit of work that will be undone as you pump the oil back thru your system.

If you do have a catch can, the intercooler is most important. A clean intercooler is the key to it all. Oil wont pool in the SC. It will pool in the intercooler.

[Deola]

So are you running the high alt pulley now?

[JeepLab]

I couldn't get the freakin pulley off! The thing spins when you try to spin the bolt!

I tried to old the thing and twist it but my technique was not up to the task. Im still on the standard pulley.

I will be changing to high alt if someone knows how to get the freakin pulley off!

[Deola]

A bigger hammer fixes anything

[Timmy]

I couldn't get the freakin pulley off! The thing spins when you try to spin the bolt!

I tried to old the thing and twist it but my technique was not up to the task. Im still on the standard pulley.

I will be changing to high alt if someone knows how to get the freakin pulley off!

Does this mean that your recommendation is to order SC with high alt. pulley from the start?

[Timmy]

http://jeeplab.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1395&d=1415491878

I feel like I'm looking at the Terminator without his face on ;-)
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And a BABY!!! You have a one month old BABY and your work on BB? Wow dude, you've got guts... No wonder your usual Jeep posts have slowed down a bit ;-)

[JeepLab]

And a BABY!!! You have a one month old BABY and your work on BB? Wow dude, you've got guts... No wonder your usual Jeep posts have slowed down a bit ;-)

Ahhh You noticed?

Its been a rough road around here. I read everything, If a question is asked ill catch it.

Trying to keep up with editing video. My mind is shot however. Im typing this now, on about 11 minutes of sleep in the past two days. My kid is super cute tho, totally worth the misery. I cannot wait til he can hold a ratchet.

[Timmy]

Ahhh You noticed?

Well, I noticed maybe just a little. I just figured all of us where slowing down a bit due to holidays and cold weather keeping us out of the garages ;-) I'd be happy step up my game if someone would like to contribute to my Jeep fund so I could go purchase more gear to install!

[gbaumann]

Ahhh You noticed?

Its been a rough road around here. I read everything, If a question is asked ill catch it.

Trying to keep up with editing video. My mind is shot however. Im typing this now, on about 11 minutes of sleep in the past two days. My kid is super cute tho, totally worth the misery. I cannot wait til he can hold a ratchet.

Best thing you'll ever make is the kid. I'm in this jeep world because of my boys (6 and 8 years old). They thought it would be cool. Boy were they right! Blessed with love and wisdom.