As many of you are aware, I just installed a Procharger stage 2 unit. I will try to review the process as best I can.
1. Packaging:
I have never seen a product this well packaged. everything was wrapped wery well and itemized and a parts lists were provided with the packiong slip and in the box. When you first look at all the parts, it gets a little intimidating. But once you lay them out on the floor and start the job it isnt so bad. If you decide to pick up the unit at the shipper yourself, make sure you have the proper vehicle. The box is approxdimaterly 2 feet by 21/2 feet by 6 feet long and weighs maround 100 pounds.
2. Installation:
I read the instreuctions several times before starting the job. The instruction manual is pretty good. Lots of pictures and step by step instructions. I suggest you install the parts in order as per the manual.Pay particular attention to the instrructions for installing the crank pulley. It took me a few tries to get it on straight. It is very easy to install it crooked . I used loctiter on the main pulley bolt even though the insrtructions didnt call for it.
The fan shroud is a nice unit. Welded aluminum. The mounting ears took a little bending and tweaking to get the shroud to fit properly .
It has rubber seals around the edges. I wouldnt get the bottom to seal perfectly so I used a little silicone to take up the space.
Mount the blower to the bracket and install the rubber elbow on the blower before installing on ther engine. I had a friend help with this step. Hold the assembly up in possition and get one bolt started. The unit will then hjang there and is easy to bolt on.
I had an extra mounting bolt as one of the holes was behind the blower pulley. The pullety cannot be removed without voiding the warranty. After looking at the diagram in the instructions I called Procharger. Theyt told me they had made a revision and that one of the mounting bolts was to be left off, as it was inaccessible behind the pulley.
When adjusting belt tension, UI was unable to line up the "marks" as shown in the instructions. The belt was either too loose or too tright. I called procharger again, and they said don't bother with the marks. Tighten teh belt to get 1/8 to 1/4 inch of play on the longest distance between pulleys.
Installing te piping was a bit of work. Take your time and it all fits well though.
I mounted the intercooler as high as the brackets would allow. The top of it was touching the light housings so it wont go any higher. I did have to file the slots in the mounting bracket for the cooler though. they are not wide enough to line up properly with the hood latch assembly.
CAUTION ! THE HOOD LATCH IS HELD ON WITH TWO PUNY SCREWS ABOUT 4 MM IN DIAMETER. ONE OF THE SCREWS WAS TIGHT ON THE WAY OUT AND THE THREADS WERE DAMAGED.SURE ENOUGH WHEN I ReINSTALLED THE LATCH THE THREADS STRIPPED. THE EXHISTING HOLES ARE PERFECT SIZE TO RETHREAD WITH A TAP FOR 1/4- 20 (COURSE) SCREWS. I INSTALLED TW0 STAINLESS STEEL HEX HEAD BOLTS.
The coolant tank supplied is a very nice unit bit I did have to cut the factory hose on the bottom to fit it properly.
I trimmed the silicone elbow that attaches to the throttle body
and installed it BEFORE test fitting the factory engine cover. The elbow is not centered in the chrome bezel on the cover ( see picture) it looks terrible. I may be able to move the elbow around, butn will probably hjavbe to cut it off ansd replace it when I get sick of looking at the mismatch.
The unit requires rerouting of the PCV lines. The parts that come with the Procharger look mickey mouse and I will will be replacing them with custom machined parts and have to figure out where I want to reinstall my custom made oil separator as well.
The most frustrating part of the install was fitting the front bumper cover to clear ther intercooler. As this is a stage 2 unit, thr cooler is very large. I wanted a larger cooler which is why
I chose the stage 2 over the HO kit. BUT BE WARNED. this is not for the faint at heart. Prochargers definition of "minor" trimming is quite different than my definition. I had to literally cut the crap out of the ribs on the bumper cover. I used a die grinder with a 3" by 1/16" wheel. Due to the high grinder speed, the plastic was melting and very hard to cut properly. I gort burned a few times from liquid plastic landing on my hands. I cut the ribs ( see picture) witrhin an inch of their life. I had a friend help for several trial fittings. I trimmed just enough to get the bumper cover on. Any more and the ribs woulkd have been destroyed. I filed ther cuts befop0re installing the cover. It looks good, you would never know it was cut by looking at it.
The flat plastic undercarriage pan also required substantial cutting to clear the piping. I ended up with football sizes holes to clear the pipes. I used a saber saw. You cannot see these holes when everything is installed unless you crawl under the car.
All in all install went well. I took my time. 36 hours. Could be done faster, but I was in no hurry. If I had to do it again, I think about 20 hours would do it.
I also installed one range colder Ford
Racing plugs although Procharger said it wasnt neccessary.
Performance:
I have the helical gear set. The blower does whine, but is not that loud when the hood is closed. You can hear it insuide the car when driving unless the sterio is on. But ut is a blower right ?
The Procharger supplied fan is very very loud ! As it is smaller than the factory unit, and must cool a large intercooler, they bhavce it spinning fast ! When it comes on you will know it.
Idle speed is up 200-250 rpm. over stock. I emailed Procharger and they said the idle speed had to be faster because of the larger intercooler. They gave no further explanation.
The Procharger tune sucks ! Bottom end performance is very sluggish. Coming from a Brenspeed race tune, I really notice it ! Throttle response is terrible. This may also have a lot to do with the intercooler and piping volume though. You are boind to have slow movement of air flow into the throttle body at lower engine speeds.
At wide open throttle ther motor is making power. I have radial dfrag tires and they wont hold it.The Procharger tune put the rev limiter back to the factory setting and I am having an impossible time staying off it ! At high RPM the motor will literally shred the tires. There is practically no first gear at WOT ( I have a manual with 3:73's) The power hits like as freight train.
I am going to take the car to Livernois for a dyno tune. They are very busy. Booked up for well over a month ! I also have a Heartthrobe 3" cat to axle sywstem to install first. i am going to have it installed by a really good exhaust guy I know , in case it requires some tweaking. He is also booked for weeks so the way way it stands, I woinrt be seeing a dyno for months.
I included a few pictures. Sorry, no step by step pictures. Im no much for cameras, and when Im instalkling something, I have my mind on the instal, not taking pictures.
A side not. I was pondering the polished unit but got the standard matte finish. Glad I did. The matte finish looks excellent, already had lots of compliments.
I also got the extended 3 year warranty on the blower. Comes with extra oil and is a deal for 49 dollars.
Hope this helps.
1. Packaging:
I have never seen a product this well packaged. everything was wrapped wery well and itemized and a parts lists were provided with the packiong slip and in the box. When you first look at all the parts, it gets a little intimidating. But once you lay them out on the floor and start the job it isnt so bad. If you decide to pick up the unit at the shipper yourself, make sure you have the proper vehicle. The box is approxdimaterly 2 feet by 21/2 feet by 6 feet long and weighs maround 100 pounds.
2. Installation:
I read the instreuctions several times before starting the job. The instruction manual is pretty good. Lots of pictures and step by step instructions. I suggest you install the parts in order as per the manual.Pay particular attention to the instrructions for installing the crank pulley. It took me a few tries to get it on straight. It is very easy to install it crooked . I used loctiter on the main pulley bolt even though the insrtructions didnt call for it.
The fan shroud is a nice unit. Welded aluminum. The mounting ears took a little bending and tweaking to get the shroud to fit properly .
It has rubber seals around the edges. I wouldnt get the bottom to seal perfectly so I used a little silicone to take up the space.
Mount the blower to the bracket and install the rubber elbow on the blower before installing on ther engine. I had a friend help with this step. Hold the assembly up in possition and get one bolt started. The unit will then hjang there and is easy to bolt on.
I had an extra mounting bolt as one of the holes was behind the blower pulley. The pullety cannot be removed without voiding the warranty. After looking at the diagram in the instructions I called Procharger. Theyt told me they had made a revision and that one of the mounting bolts was to be left off, as it was inaccessible behind the pulley.
When adjusting belt tension, UI was unable to line up the "marks" as shown in the instructions. The belt was either too loose or too tright. I called procharger again, and they said don't bother with the marks. Tighten teh belt to get 1/8 to 1/4 inch of play on the longest distance between pulleys.
Installing te piping was a bit of work. Take your time and it all fits well though.
I mounted the intercooler as high as the brackets would allow. The top of it was touching the light housings so it wont go any higher. I did have to file the slots in the mounting bracket for the cooler though. they are not wide enough to line up properly with the hood latch assembly.
CAUTION ! THE HOOD LATCH IS HELD ON WITH TWO PUNY SCREWS ABOUT 4 MM IN DIAMETER. ONE OF THE SCREWS WAS TIGHT ON THE WAY OUT AND THE THREADS WERE DAMAGED.SURE ENOUGH WHEN I ReINSTALLED THE LATCH THE THREADS STRIPPED. THE EXHISTING HOLES ARE PERFECT SIZE TO RETHREAD WITH A TAP FOR 1/4- 20 (COURSE) SCREWS. I INSTALLED TW0 STAINLESS STEEL HEX HEAD BOLTS.
The coolant tank supplied is a very nice unit bit I did have to cut the factory hose on the bottom to fit it properly.
I trimmed the silicone elbow that attaches to the throttle body
and installed it BEFORE test fitting the factory engine cover. The elbow is not centered in the chrome bezel on the cover ( see picture) it looks terrible. I may be able to move the elbow around, butn will probably hjavbe to cut it off ansd replace it when I get sick of looking at the mismatch.
The unit requires rerouting of the PCV lines. The parts that come with the Procharger look mickey mouse and I will will be replacing them with custom machined parts and have to figure out where I want to reinstall my custom made oil separator as well.
The most frustrating part of the install was fitting the front bumper cover to clear ther intercooler. As this is a stage 2 unit, thr cooler is very large. I wanted a larger cooler which is why
I chose the stage 2 over the HO kit. BUT BE WARNED. this is not for the faint at heart. Prochargers definition of "minor" trimming is quite different than my definition. I had to literally cut the crap out of the ribs on the bumper cover. I used a die grinder with a 3" by 1/16" wheel. Due to the high grinder speed, the plastic was melting and very hard to cut properly. I gort burned a few times from liquid plastic landing on my hands. I cut the ribs ( see picture) witrhin an inch of their life. I had a friend help for several trial fittings. I trimmed just enough to get the bumper cover on. Any more and the ribs woulkd have been destroyed. I filed ther cuts befop0re installing the cover. It looks good, you would never know it was cut by looking at it.
The flat plastic undercarriage pan also required substantial cutting to clear the piping. I ended up with football sizes holes to clear the pipes. I used a saber saw. You cannot see these holes when everything is installed unless you crawl under the car.
All in all install went well. I took my time. 36 hours. Could be done faster, but I was in no hurry. If I had to do it again, I think about 20 hours would do it.
I also installed one range colder Ford
Racing plugs although Procharger said it wasnt neccessary.
Performance:
I have the helical gear set. The blower does whine, but is not that loud when the hood is closed. You can hear it insuide the car when driving unless the sterio is on. But ut is a blower right ?
The Procharger supplied fan is very very loud ! As it is smaller than the factory unit, and must cool a large intercooler, they bhavce it spinning fast ! When it comes on you will know it.
Idle speed is up 200-250 rpm. over stock. I emailed Procharger and they said the idle speed had to be faster because of the larger intercooler. They gave no further explanation.
The Procharger tune sucks ! Bottom end performance is very sluggish. Coming from a Brenspeed race tune, I really notice it ! Throttle response is terrible. This may also have a lot to do with the intercooler and piping volume though. You are boind to have slow movement of air flow into the throttle body at lower engine speeds.
At wide open throttle ther motor is making power. I have radial dfrag tires and they wont hold it.The Procharger tune put the rev limiter back to the factory setting and I am having an impossible time staying off it ! At high RPM the motor will literally shred the tires. There is practically no first gear at WOT ( I have a manual with 3:73's) The power hits like as freight train.
I am going to take the car to Livernois for a dyno tune. They are very busy. Booked up for well over a month ! I also have a Heartthrobe 3" cat to axle sywstem to install first. i am going to have it installed by a really good exhaust guy I know , in case it requires some tweaking. He is also booked for weeks so the way way it stands, I woinrt be seeing a dyno for months.
I included a few pictures. Sorry, no step by step pictures. Im no much for cameras, and when Im instalkling something, I have my mind on the instal, not taking pictures.
A side not. I was pondering the polished unit but got the standard matte finish. Glad I did. The matte finish looks excellent, already had lots of compliments.
I also got the extended 3 year warranty on the blower. Comes with extra oil and is a deal for 49 dollars.
Hope this helps.
