The 3.4L TRD Supercharger Thread

[pygmy warrior]

Good to know! Thanks 4Reak.

 

[pygmy warrior]

Intake Silencer

The installation instructions are not clear to me for a 2001 3.4l Tacoma on the intake silencer. Does the vacuum line to it simply get plugged? Can it be removed if so?

 

[gamefreakgc]

The installation instructions are not clear to me for a 2001 3.4l Tacoma on the intake silencer. Does the vacuum line to it simply get plugged? Can it be removed if so?

Yeah, it gets capped since the line has no where to go now. I have a 98 and when the intake silencer was still on there, it was just capped. The supercharger was installed by the dealer.

 

[pygmy warrior]

Thanks Jerod.

 

[gamefreakgc]

I have been looking out for some headers as an upgrade down the road. How bad was the install? What kind of response are you seeing so far?

I haven't romped on it all that much yet, giving it a little time to break in (don't want to blow a gasket!). Someone told me a odd side-effect of having headers on a supercharged 4Runner, and I'm noticing it as well. My boost levels have gone down, but it's not a bad thing. My fuel controller is activated by boost, and I can give it some gas to where I know it would have kicked on before, and it's not until much higher. I was told that there's less backpressure in the exhaust headers now so it evacuates exhaust faster out of the engine, reducing boost and reducing fuel consumption but flowing the same amount of air. It's very interesting.

The install was somewhat of a nightmare. I saved up to have a shop do it, no way I was going to try since it required welding for my year. If I were to rate the install of a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning it doesn't fit and 10 means easiest bolt-on job ever, I'd rate it a 3. Almost didn't fit my vehicle. Took the mechanic 10 hours.

 

[4Reak Show]

Good to know! Thanks 4Reak.

Yeah sure thing! Remember this system is designed by Toyota & TRD (and I'm almost certain the Magnuson one is a direct copy) so they've worked all the bugs out. Even including the little check valve for a breather in the back. Essentially give it a problem since, like you said, a vacuum line is now under pressure. Check valves alleviate that.

 

[tx_shooter]

I haven't romped on it all that much yet, giving it a little time to break in (don't want to blow a gasket!). Someone told me a odd side-effect of having headers on a supercharged 4Runner, and I'm noticing it as well. My boost levels have gone down, but it's not a bad thing. My fuel controller is activated by boost, and I can give it some gas to where I know it would have kicked on before, and it's not until much higher. I was told that there's less backpressure in the exhaust headers now so it evacuates exhaust faster out of the engine, reducing boost and reducing fuel consumption but flowing the same amount of air. It's very interesting.

The install was somewhat of a nightmare. I saved up to have a shop do it, no way I was going to try since it required welding for my year. If I were to rate the install of a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning it doesn't fit and 10 means easiest bolt-on job ever, I'd rate it a 3. Almost didn't fit my vehicle. Took the mechanic 10 hours.

Dang that does sound like a job to hire out to get done. I wonder if you could run a smaller pulley to regain some of the lost boost.

 

[poopypants]

Yeah sure thing! Remember this system is designed by Toyota & TRD (and I'm almost certain the Magnuson one is a direct copy) so they've worked all the bugs out. Even including the little check valve for a breather in the back. Essentially give it a problem since, like you said, a vacuum line is now under pressure. Check valves alleviate that.

Actually, it was made for TRD by Magnuson... So it's the exact same thing... Sorry, it's been updated, so it's actually better.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Dang that does sound like a job to hire out to get done. I wonder if you could run a smaller pulley to regain some of the lost boost.

I am 2.1" pulley. But the lower boost isn't a problem, it's a good thing since I don't have to dump so much methanol into the engine AND I make more power.

 

[digitalferg]

I haven't romped on it all that much yet, giving it a little time to break in (don't want to blow a gasket!). Someone told me a odd side-effect of having headers on a supercharged 4Runner, and I'm noticing it as well. My boost levels have gone down, but it's not a bad thing. My fuel controller is activated by boost, and I can give it some gas to where I know it would have kicked on before, and it's not until much higher. I was told that there's less backpressure in the exhaust headers now so it evacuates exhaust faster out of the engine, reducing boost and reducing fuel consumption but flowing the same amount of air. It's very interesting.

The install was somewhat of a nightmare. I saved up to have a shop do it, no way I was going to try since it required welding for my year. If I were to rate the install of a scale of 1 to 10, 1 meaning it doesn't fit and 10 means easiest bolt-on job ever, I'd rate it a 3. Almost didn't fit my vehicle. Took the mechanic 10 hours.

So other years could perhaps be an easier install? I have some brand new OBX headers I picked up on the cheap and been thinking about throwing them on... I was thinking it was a bolt-on affair for my year.... 2003 non-EGR 5VZ Tacoma....

Has anybody seen a good header thread around anywhere that might give some good insight....?

 

[gamefreakgc]

So other years could perhaps be an easier install? I have some brand new OBX headers I picked up on the cheap and been thinking about throwing them on... I was thinking it was a bolt-on affair for my year.... 2003 non-EGR 5VZ Tacoma....

Has anybody seen a good header thread around anywhere that might give some good insight....?

There's about to be one for the Doug Thorley headers in a day or so when I write it! OBX are not smog legal for me, so I know very little about them.

Headers are a bit more friendly to Tacomas than 4Runners.

 

[robb1887]

Since the brake booster is meant to use vacuum and the brake booster is hooked up to the supercharger, why doesn't the pressure from the s/c damage the booster?

Booster is hooked up to the intake side of the charger and does not see boost

 

[pygmy warrior]

So the two ports on the side of the sc are on the vacuum side?

 

[gamefreakgc]

So the two ports on the side of the sc are on the vacuum side?

From what I understand, the only port on the supercharger that actually "pushes" out boost and not pulls vacuum is the boost port, the small brass barb on the back that goes to the Fuel Pressure Regulator. Only ports that are below the rotors have boost, anything above or before the rotors still just pull vacuum.

 

[pygmy warrior]

The vacuum diagram for the 2001 shows the fuel pressure regulator connected to the intake noise silencer box. It gets switched to the boost port after installation of the s/c. How does it get pressure from the box?
The diagram can be seen on page 62 of this thread.

Update...After researching this it seems that there is no pressure or vacuum in the factory location. It only provides clean air. So why would it be hooked up to a port that provides pressure?

 

[pygmy warrior]

The vacuum diagram for the 2001 shows the fuel pressure regulator connected to the intake noise silencer box. It gets switched to the boost port after installation of the s/c. How does it get pressure from the box?
The diagram can be seen on page 62 of this thread.

Update...After researching this it seems that there is no pressure or vacuum in the factory location. It only provides clean air. So why would it be hooked up to a port that provides pressure?

After more digging I found this on Gadgets site.
While testing the Cartech FMU and the TRD Fuel pressure regulator I decided to see if I could run my 305cc injectors without an FMU stumbled across something. I removed the Cartech FMU and went for a test drive. I was surprised to see that my fuel pressure was increasing when I was in boost at a ratio of 1:1. How can this be?

I checked out my connections and found that I had the stock fuel pressure regulator (FPR) hooked to the boost port. The stock connection is to the main air induction tube which is really nothing more then a vent and gives a constant 43 PSI all the time.

With the FPR hooked to the boost port it will react to boost pressure and increase the fuel pressure under boost at a perfect 1:1 ratio. This offsets the boost pressure differential that I discussed earlier and really does a good job of stabilizing the fuel pressure in relation to manifold or boost pressure. The funny thing is that all the other fuel injected engines I have toyed with has the FPR connected to a port that allows it to read and adjust the fuel pressure in relation to engine load (manifold pressure).

Here is the benefit with the TRD supercharger. Like I explained earlier, as the manifold pressure increases in boost it will restrict fuel flow from the injectors. By reconnecting the FPR to the boost port you prevent this problem and it will give you 6-7 PSI of extra fuel pressure at max boost that you did not have before. Many people with the dreaded pining problem have tried this and it has in some cases eliminated the high gear, low RPM ping. All have reported an improvement.

I do not think for a second that this will be enough to prevent the fuel system from leaning out at max boost, but it will not be as bad.

Give it a try. It is FREE and you can easily switch it back. I have been told that TRD has heard about my little trick and is now recommending it as their own discovery.

I currently have my stock FPR connected to the boost port and I am using the 305 cc injectors.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Just posted up my header review! Enjoy!

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ation-photos-%96-3-4l-5vz-fe.html#post2780163

 

[tx_shooter]

Curious if anyone else with a s/c has had problems chewing up alternator bearings. Hopefully it is just cheap alternators at O'reilly's but I have gone through three alternators in the last two years and all of them have been bearing failures.

Anyone else notice this with their rig?

 

[pygmy warrior]

Curious if anyone else with a s/c has had problems chewing up alternator bearings. Hopefully it is just cheap alternators at O'reilly's but I have gone through three alternators in the last two years and all of them have been bearing failures.

Anyone else notice this with their rig?

Do you have the static or dynamic pulley?

 

[gamefreakgc]

Curious if anyone else with a s/c has had problems chewing up alternator bearings. Hopefully it is just cheap alternators at O'reilly's but I have gone through three alternators in the last two years and all of them have been bearing failures.

Anyone else notice this with their rig?

Haven't heard that one. I blame cheap bearings on aftermarket parts. A gently used Toyota alternator might be a better try if you've already gone through 3.

Either that or your belt is too tight. Dynamic tensioner would not apply here though.