So can the needle bearings be pushed in/out in either direction? Also how do you set the depth on them properly?

 

I bought a bearing press and pushed them out from the back and in from the inside. I'd been told to make sure and push them in fractionally further than flush with the front face, so I pushed them in a far as I could with a flat plate, then placed a washer in the outside and then pressed them further in.

However, as a further update, after I used the car for a long trip up to work, 100 miles, the noise was back again.

So I've now got a supercharger from a 4.2 sat in my garage that I'll fit over the next couple of weekends to see if that cures it.

The 4.2 supercharger is slightly different at the needle bearings and has different internals, can can be fitted with a slight mod to the inlet elbow.

I'll report back when it's done.

 

I took out the old supercharger (again) and stripped down and compared it to the newer 4.2 one. Main physical difference seems to be the coating on the vanes and the much larger needle bearings on the new version.

With regards to 'feel', the newer 4.2 version is much smoother when spinning the cogs and spins slightly more freely. The main difference though is when wiggling the main cogs back and forth, the old one has a definite extra 'clunk' when reversing direction. I'm not sure where that noise is being introduced, main bearings or needle, but seeing as I recently changed the rear needles I suspect the main bearings.

I've now assembled my new 4.0 snout onto the 4.2 supercharger body using the sprung coupler that came with the 4.2, which I stripped down and as it had no signs of any wear I thought I'd see if that helps as well.

I've also shaped the inlet elbow around the new bigger needle bearings so it's all good to re-fit next weekend when I get the time and the new oil that I've ordered. The oil out of the old one was grey. Whether this is from contamination from the black sealant used previously or from some kind of metal particles in it I don't know. But as have I already changed the oil twice and both sets have turned grey I'll not risk putting that back in the new one which had lovely looking golden oil in it when the snout came off.

New oil and re-fit next weekend, fingers crossed it'll sort it properly this time.

On the plus side... it only took me 1.5 hours to get the supercharger out this time!

 

Removing the blower is not fun at all,nor the intake manifolds on the side.Its hard and sucks.

 

As an update, the 4.2 Supercharger seems to have got rid of the noise finally. Got it all back together on Saturday and been using it this week with no sign of the rumbling marbles noise at tickover coming back.

However, I do now seem to have an engine which 'pinks' or 'knocks' when it's cold and under load. It's ok when warmed up, just for the first few miles it knocks. I'm assuming I've managed to crack the EGR pipe whilst re-fitting everything on Saturday, I do seem to remember maybe being a little less gentle with the EGR pipe when bolting it back in than I had been previously. I'll check it out this weekend.

When the car is warmed up though, it is super smooth and quick. I'll not give it full throttle until I've fully resolved the knocking at cold issue, but early impressions are that it's a smoother and more responsive supercharger.

For a lesson learnt, if I had another XKR with a noisy supercharger, I'd just go get a 4.2 off ebay from a lowish mileage car and get it fitted.

 

Rather than start a new thread I thought I would add to this existing thread.

Had a one time coolant leak a few days ago with a small pool on the garage floor behind the passenger wheel.

Has not happened again and the coolant level has remained constant and no smell of coolant.

However I was planning on renewing the valley hose this Fall anyway so bought a used supercharger on Ebay from a car with 141,000 miles on it.

It arrived yesterday and I was perplexed because I could not turn the pulley by hand. The reason for this was because of all the teflon coating pieces that were loose in the rotors. After a while managed to turn it quite easily and with no feeling of "looseness" at all.

I plan on getting this unit rebuilt as well as ported and polished with a 1.5lb pulley. I want to get the rotors "recovered" as well.

I wanted to see the oil condition however no way can I loosen the plug!

Ok got it. Oil was low however relatively clean looking compared to the very dark fluid I got out of my existing supercharger when I changed it at 100,000 miles.

 

reading this I thought I'd comment. talked to a rep at eaton yesterday .I have a 05 xjr .the coating started to come off the rotors .he said it is their own coating (I've heard adraidible ,not Teflon ) he said it can't be replaced period .the loss would be + - 10% .which could be regained with a new pully.so I polished my rotors and will put them back in. my thing is should I replace the needle bearing while I'm at it . also my oil in the snout was dark and sour 'like a burned a/c system .any body else notice or have this smell----------thanks

 

Just saw an email note about this thread and saw my last post above... just to close it out, it did turn out to be the 'flexible' (not very) EGR pipe from the exhaust to the EGR that was leaking, I must have been a bit heavy-handed with it, it had split around one of the flex imprints leaving a tiny crack that air could leak in via. New pipe fitted, perfect car again. Which I've since sold and bought a 5.0s/c, which also now has a rattling S/C. LOL