Forced Induction Maintenance/Upkeep
 

I've searched through the forum and have found here and there people mentioning regular upkeep and maintenance for forced induction but all the sources are spread out and obscure. There's a lot of diversity on this forum with different kits, applications and experiences. I was thinking maybe there could be a one stop source for info on that subject. Maybe even break it down by kit/company, common issues, and preventative maintenance. Thoughts?

Forced Induction Maintenance/Upkeep
 

I'll preface that I don't daily the G anymore but here's what I do every time before I hit the start button.

- Check all fluid levels
- Check all AN hoses and fittings for leaks
- Check all silicon hoses (at least the ones I can see without getting under the car) for signs of heat impact and cracking in general. Make sure all zip ties at splices (i.e. Three ways and Tees) are in good order and there aren't any leaks.
- Visual inspection that kit items (AN hoses, IC piping, etc) aren't rubbing anywhere. I zip tie radiator hose between points of concern to eliminate clearance issues.
- Turn off traction control.
- I run with Cypher open monitoring items very time I drive it. Probably overkill but I have a tablet so it's pretty easy.
- Always monitor AFR and fuel pressure. I make sure both AFR and fuel pressure are working properly prior to WOT. Verify car enters closed loop properly from light acceleration, cruise and idling. Give it slight positive pressure and make sure it switches from closed to open loop and back to cursing AFRs.
- Always warm the car up before any spirited driving. Up to at least 170. I don't boost until she's at oil cooler thermostat temp of 180.
- Always cool the car off prior to shutting it off. If your tuner did his job your fan speed control should have been adjusted. Kick the AC on high to help pull more air through the oil cooler. Get it to 190 or lower prior to turn off.
- Be gentle that last mile or so from home. Don't boost right up to your driveway.
- I don't recommend running much past a quarter tank of gas. Having fuel starvation in a turn and leaning out could pop the motor.
- Change oil every 3,000 miles or six months. Use synthetic. I run Rotella and my oil analysis have never been better.
- Run injector clearer every oil change.
- Every couple months or at least each oil change do the same checks listed at start on the underside of the car.

Probably leaving some stuff out but this should be a good start. It's a car if you take care of it, it should take car of you.

Most importantly, Enjoy the car!

I don't do any of the above...

The car is not a DD, and I put about 5k on it every summer. There is really nothing special that I do outside of the OEM recommended things (oil change, filter cleaning, other fluid checks...etc.)

The car (06 350Z with the BP twin scroll kit) now has almost 40, 000 boosted miles. I have never had any issues.

I do check things over every spring before the car hits the road.

See how large the spectrum is? One person does damn near a 20 point inspection before he turns his car on and the other....nothing. Lol I do appreciate the inputs. If anyone else has any of their rituals or upkeep suggestions, pour em on.

I depends on your setup and how hard you drive.

When I had a factory SCd Pontiac, I changed the compressor lube when I first got the car and just did the occasional visual check after that. But it was a grocery-getter which seldom saw WOT and didn't have a lot of boost.

For a setup with much boost and/or driven hard, I'd go with something similar to what jwick does, just not every time I crank the car.

It's because it's not a DD that I check it over so much but I'm also the guy that pops the hood and does visual inspection and checks oil while I wait for the gas to pump. I've done that on every car I've ever owned.

The checks I do caught what could have been a serious issue. The silicon hose on the charge pipe dried up and started cracking. Had I not been checking it I wouldn't of had any pressure source being fed to the WGs.

I'm also a structural engineer so I believe in overkill :tup:

I should probably amend my statement above. I don't do it every time I start the car. I do it prior to pulling it out of the garage each time.

If it were a factory boosted car I would check much less.

I change my oil every 3000 miles. Sometime sooner, sometimes later. Depends on what I put the car through.

I check oil level very often. Not every time I take the car out, but more often than not.

I don't boost until the oil has warmed up, and I let the car cool down before I shut it off.

I'm usually doing some kind of work on the car so I visually check any components that are in the vicinity of my work.

I should probably change/clean the air filter. I've been putting it off because it's a pain in the nuts to get to.

:werd:

Although it's much simpler with the V1.5 IC piping.

as long as your kit is installed correctly and tuned correctly, i would think oil changes every ~3-4k miles is fine and like once every week or two check all parts of the kit you have access to and make sure nothing is coming loose over time from vibration and keep an eye on all fluid levels. maybe check to see if any wiring harness are melting from heat too, depending on your kit (top mount kits come to mind)

If it aint broke don't fix it!

edit; if you track the car regularly on the weekends - maybe a little more care that normally goes with inspections before you race anyway. but a DD zipping around to work and grocery store shouldn't be too harsh.

Does running meth shorten oil change intervals?

I understand completely...hence my post about the opposite side of the spectrum. I think it a personal thing, and the amount of maintenance an owner feels is necessary can vary drastically. Your kit and my kit for example are very much the same even though they are two different platforms, but as you can see I am quiet the opposite when it comes to maintenance/inspections.

The one thing I will say is that I sometimes check under the car for signs of oil leaks...usually when I back out of the garage. Never been an issue, but it is important.

I also have a Haltech EMS on my car, and it has a lot of safety features that UpRev does not, so there is a certain comfort level with that as well. Such a shame that Haltech has not developed anything for the VHR cars.

Absolutely. You also personally designed, fabricated and installed the kit you have so that's a level of comfort none of the rest of us have.

Yeah having a standalone is light years better than the crappy hackjob known as UpRev. Can't wait to upgrade to Ecutek

I didn't do too much extra from when it was NA. I would check all of my vacuum and oil lines every time I changed the oil though. That's what I was always concerned about. As long as your tune is spot on and you check your lines routinely, you shouldn't really have any issues.

So there is no "special" upkeep that people keep referencing in other threads?

stock - stick with the scheduled maintenance.
boosted - also be mindful of and periodically check for fluid leaks and loose parts and heat management (assuming built & tuned correctly)

Depends on what you mean by "special." There's more stuff to check and everything needs to be checked/serviced more often ... but nothing all that special. Things will break more often - you're putting more stress on the drivetrain - but it's the same things that break with a "normal" engine, they just break more often.

A properly engineered and installed system that doesn't push itself or the engine to the limits can be very reliable, but it takes some effort to keep it running right.

Change oil 4k miles, check ground when pulling out of parking for oil, check oil level about every 2 weeks or before I plan to go pedal smashing, check under car whenever I get it up for any maintenance. Also wash car when dirty. Got to keep her clean.

I'm trying to add keeping engine bay clean to the list. Clean bay will make it easier to look over things and find problems faster such as oil leak or whatever.

YzGyz