dcairns Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 I found out why (at least I am pretty sure this is why) my 1/4 mile test was so poor. It seems the instructions don't mention that you need to make sure there is a fuse installed as shown in my picture. My SS just had a plastic protector cap in place of the fuse. Without the fuse the terminal that you connect to for (key on) power for the intercooler pump never gets power. No intercooler pump, no intercooling = poor performance. I don't know if everyone's SS is missing this fuse, but it seems silly that it is not there. So I have been driving around with out any benefit of the intercooler Good thing the weather has been mild and the computer retards the timing to keep Mr Detonation away. This picture shows the truck's fuse box, and highlights the intercooler pump relay (the little black box) the add on fuse (black rubber thing to the far left) and the terminal on the trucks fuse box (silver bolt) and the fuse that must be present for power to get to the terminal (pink fuse) Just for fun, I added a wire from the silver bolt on the right side of the screen (+12v all the time) that can be plugged on to the intercooler pump power wire (red wire coming from the relay). This allows the pump to be forced on when the engine is off. Handy for cooling things down while waiting your turn at the drag strip. This should draw alot of heat out of the intercooler, intake manifold and blower. If I was going to frequent the drag strip, a switch inside the cab would be in order. Obviously, you need to keep an eye on things so you don't run down the battery To really do it right a second switch in the cab to turn on a electric fan mounted in front of the intercooler would be the hot ticket, but I think it will be ok just radiating in the breeze with the hood up for my infrequent drag strip visits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Wow. Glad you found the problem. Was that the fault of the mfg. for not telling the installer to do that or did the installer mess up? Either way, thanks for the heads-up AND the picture, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme4x4 Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Boy, I'm glad it turned out to be something simple. Not only did the intercooler not working hurt your times directly, but you probably did suffer from some predetonation........ so the computer retarded your timing......... which became the double whammy. An intercooler with a roots type blower is almost a must. These blowers that sit right on top of the engine really suffer from heat sink. The bad thing is, the time for real good times with this type of supercharger are ending. I know...... the Lightnings have the same problem. The hotter it gets, the slower they get. You may pull 13.2's stock in good conditions........ then only be able to get a best of 13.8-14.0 when it is hot. Oh well....... it is still fun (and we are getting ready to do our first mods....... a 4lbs pulley and chip........ it should be an easy honest 12-second truck then). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Hey Gloria, I gotta 12 sec. truck, too. Well, sorta. If I'm on a REAL steep down hill road and I get a running start 1 mile behind the starting light.......and, oh yea, a tail wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted May 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Wow. Glad you found the problem. Was that the fault of the mfg. for not telling the installer to do that or did the installer mess up? The fault placing in kinda fuzzy on this one. Why didn't Chevy have the fuse there in the first place. I understand it is needed for trailering, and I ordered the tow package. Why did Magnacharger assume the fuse would be there? Why didn't the installer check to see if the intercooler pump was working? One of those cascading fault conditions. The kind that you don't want happening on the airplane you are in. But after my troubleshooting showed them where to look, the installer had no problem determining how to get power to the terminal. I am beginning to think they make mistakes just so I will bring it back and they can test drive it again . Can't say that I would blame them The bad thing is, the time for real good times with this type of supercharger are ending Usually the weather is still pretty mild into June out here. Coastal climates are nice Hopefully I can talk the wife into going to Carlsbad tommorow and see what the supercharger will really do. I am glad I found out before we hit the road to go on vacation in mid June. The Grapevine leaving LA and the Sierras might have done a number on the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme4x4 Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Lee..... LOL....... ok....... yea !!!! What it takes you to get 12-second time slips is cheaper than mine. Mine is probably going to run about $500-600. Yea dcairns, that could have been bad news. Under extreme duress in the heat of summer with the A/C going full blast......... there would be that possibility that the computer would not be able to retard the timing enough...... Glad you found it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmcswain Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Glad the problem was found and was easily fixed. At the strip, LOAD her up at the line, PUNCH her hard and fast, and STEER her straight---------good luck and let us know your times and speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIjay Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 After recently installing my radix i went back through everything i could find on it. Trying to decideding what I was going to do next... and found this thread... All i can say is thank you for the post. I spent about 1hr shooting the wires... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimB Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 I did the same thing when I installed mine. I figured it out the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcairns Posted November 16, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Wow, somebody has been playing with the "Way-Back Machine" It has been a while since I posted that! Glad it can still help some folks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSplaytoy Posted November 26, 2005 Report Share Posted November 26, 2005 Personal thanks to dcairns I have a 50amp fuse for that. Would that be okay? I guess I have to go through the wiring and find the relay and stuff now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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