Has anybody went ahead and installed this kit on their XKR or XKRS....BEFORE the "marbles in the engine" noise??? Wondering if it just might be a good investment....


Loth

 

No I haven't but car is in the dealer as we speak and out of warranty. Supercharger was replaced with 27k miles for the same noise. Of course it has come back with 49k miles. Can't wait to hear from the dealer with the great news. Crap design they should have recalled them all.

 

Can you fill me in on this kit? Is it talked about in a post I missed?

Thanks
Vince

 

are they doing the isolater KIT instead of replacing the whole supercharger???

 

Lothar:


Its tricky they are considering replacing the whole supercharger. Apparently I am 30days out of my CPO warranty. I was under the impression it was done with back in march. Either way my dealer says that the kits used really don't last or really fix the issue and the cost is around $1000. They say the marbles still come back. But since my supercharger has been modified with a pulley plus had to shave the snout to fit. Dealer is willing to swap snouts so lets see how that goes. But replacing the supercharger may still have the same issue in another 20k miles cause that's how long this one lasted. They also found the leaking water pump everyone talks about. Time to find an extended warranty or start shopping for a new car?

 

well that's damn concerning... the isolater kit does not STOP the problem!?! Good lord do I need to buy a few superchargers to store for this thing???

 

I call B.S. on whoever is giving you this info. The only plastic part that will wear out over time is the torsion coupler. They run $120 & you can find them pretty easily online. The rest of the supercharger parts should not wear out. Of course, anyone can get a bad one but it seems like this dealer/mechanic is trying to scare you a bit. Eaton superchargers have been around a long time & should last 150,000 to 200,000 miles without issue (other then the torsion coupler). If they are willing to replace it under warranty then thats great but don't listen to the B.S. that the noise will come back any time soon if they change the torsion coupler. Good luck

 

I wouldn't go changing the torsion coupler out unless its getting noisy. There will be no damage to the supercharger if you wait until you get the noise. Here is a link to one of the places selling them.
SuperchargersOnline, Worlds largest Supercharger Resource. Get Serious About Power

 

whats the exact one we need rick?

 

If you hit that link I put in the previous message you will get their home page.
Under search type in "eaton torsion coupler". There is only one kit. Eaton has been using the same system for many generations of their superchargers.
There is also a video on their home page with step by step instructions on how to do the swap. If you are handy, it can be a do it yourself job.
Cost is $129. This outfit also does rebuilds if you ever have a total failure & its much cheaper then the price you were quoted as a replacement.
Hope this helps.

 

Interesting!! Is that video on youtube on DIY coupler changes? AWESOME!

 

Usable tech article on the site as well... Sweet
"http://www.superchargersonline.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=57"

 

hmmm...so we want a coupler that has the spring in it then? I was always under the assumption that the spring was the problem? I must have been mistaken. If you take your Jag to the Jag Dealership does the kit they use have the spring? I would assume so??

Loth

 

If it makes anyone feel better, the supercharger coupler wear/failure for Eaton superchargers is somewhat "normal" in the sense that is occurs on all the various makes/models that have been using Eaton SC for decades.

A quick search of any GM, Ford, Mazda, etc.... forum will show lots of threads and DIY discussions. And like Jaguar, when these units were still under warantee the dealers would only replace the entire SC, and even out of warantee wouldn't consider simply replacing the $20 solid plastic coupler most of the units used. It wasn't so much that the dealers were gouging, but that Eaton and the manufacturer (GM, Ford, etc) didn't provide a service manual guide for doing so. The only R&R procedure was wholesale replacement of the SC.

That being said, as mentioned above, these SCs are pretty tough and easily serviceable. The coupler, whether the $20 solid plastic or $50 spring loaded, can usually easily be changed by the competent DIYer.

I don't have an XKR so can't speak to this specific model's complexity in changing the coupler, but I bet it isn't technically complex, but may be tedious depending on how hard it is to get the SC snout off and if removing the entire SC is necessary as some installations like on 96-99 Riviera can be done on the car.

Bottom line, if you've got an Eaton SC rattle (bag of rocks, marbles, etc) it is usually just the coupler, and you don't need to spend $1000+ to replace the entire SC. You can fix the coupler for probably around $100 yourself.


Good luck!

.

 

The coupler doesn't look that hard to change:

Jaguar XKR X100 and X150 Supercharger Parts Gallery Page Eaton M112 | DCR AutoParts

Video of a guy changing out on a GM



Mac..

 

what would be the benefit of having the plastic vs the metal spring loaded?? how will this effect the car and/or supercharger performance?