ESS vt2-500, supercharger blown seal :-(

[Beedub]

well guys my first proper supercharger problem has occured....

now first off i must say, im a firm beliver im posting the good, the bad and the downright ugly....... ive posted so many great stuff about my ess vt2, and ive never had a single problem, but im happy to also post issues i have and customer service i recieve on fixing the issue...

now my supercharger unit has been on my car for about 1 year 1-2 months and has only covered 1100 miles, this is a summer only use car for me, and it see's dry weekend use only....

about a week ago i noticed some s/c lube oil underneath the vortech unit, i decided nothing of it and cleaned it up, retorqued all the brass fittings and placed some black tape on the chassis rail so i can easily see if their are any future leaks, today my first drive after trying to resolve my oil leak on the oil cooler line ( new orings needed) i notice droplets of supercharger oil on my chassis rail again. so i stick my hand underneath low and behold the underside is completely soaked with s/c gear oil, after much inspection, checking all the fittings, oil level, oil drain, the leak is coming from the actual casing when the two halves join together, the seal inside the unit has blown, the unit does not leak when the car is idling but leaks when boost is applied.

now being a huge ess fan and not wanting to be an ass without a response from them, i can honestly say im REALLY dissapointed, i really wouldnt expect leaks on a 1 year old s/c unit... but these things happen, ive emailed a detailed mail to ess and my tuner (simpson motorsport) who will hopefully come and collect the car on a truck, they will then take the unit off the car and workout what the hell is going on.

I am looking forward to the response from ess and how they deal with this, needless to say i really would like a new s/c unit and now my car could be away for weeks......... really really fed up right now, i will update this thread once ess have showed me which direction to take to get a resolution. ESS have never ben anything but brilliant with me during the whole process, im looking forward to seeing how they deal with my first real issue, so far vt1-vt2 has been GREAT, im really hoping this wont leave me without my car for weeks and weeks. i cant lie im worried about the vortech unit...... im hoping this is jus bad luck on my part and all will be well.

i will update as soon as possible

byron

[Arxangel]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. In any case ESS insisted you have the kits installed in a shop probably because there is a warranty on them and only a shop install will be acknowledged in case of a fault. That being said, if they are still under warranty, and if the unit has to be replaced, the warranty should take care of it. I doubt you've pushed the car too hard and blown it yourself. 1 or 2 out of 100 will be defective from the factory, its a matter of luck which one you get.

[Beedub]

i do use the car on the track reguarly but thats whats this kit is designed for :-)

The kit and car ha only ever been worked on the only shop i trust , simpson motorsport, they happen to also be the only uk ess approved installer. so my warranty and everything is intact, bear in mind, the downtime with this issue could be considerable depending on ESS's approach, im hoping they will just replace the unit, instead of sending a build kit or something.

[Arxangel]

Replacing it would be best case scenario. Even if they decide to repair it, and approach your problem seriously, it shouldn't take long. I've had contact with ESS because I am considering getting the direct-flash device for my car, and their tech support was perfect. I hope your problem will be resolved quickly.

[Z4-VILLA]

yeah ESS is good for service

[Beedub]

took some pics of the underside with the help of my trusty little mirror....

s/c oil drip, after a drive with boost this running down the chassis rail....


great pic of this here


note completely dry braided line, and oil on compressor bolt


more oil on compressor housing bolt


note completely dry dipstick and breather fittings


This unit is leaking from the centre join that joins the 2 halfs together, under boost it makes an MESS.

hopefully i can get new blower sent out then i can take my car to simpson as they are a 3 hour drive from my home, which means they diagnose the same as me then my caris stuck at the tuner for a good while waiting for the new blower increasing its chances of being damaged.

according to roman this is the first failure of this blower during them selling it....
Guess im just unlucky.

[r4gs]

man, this is terribly upsetting. niggling issues are a great annoyance and hopefully u get this sorted justly and equitably.

[Arxangel]

Originally Posted by Beedub

according to roman this is the first failure of this blower during them selling it....
Guess im just unlucky.

So my calculation 1 or 2 out of 100 was correct. Too bad you got the defective one.

[Beedub]

Holy shit!!! Superfast response ess must have seen this!!!

New blower being sent priority fedex tomorrow!!!

They reckon simpson damaged the input seal on the vt2 install, either way new blower on way!!!! Aweesssoommeee!!!! Honestly ess just prove time and time again this was the right thing to do!!!

[ZStig]

nice

[Arxangel]

I am definitely getting their software. Good job ESS, never change.

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by Arxangel

I am definitely getting their software. Good job ESS, never change.

Awesome company, awesome people!!!! These guys rock, its sunday for gods sake and i already know my new blower will be shipped first thing!!!!

Fabulous, i already knew id made a good decision, this just reafirms it!!!

[Finnegan]

Wow! That's impressive customer service! Definitely makes selecting a vendor easy. Nice work ESS.

Beedub, hope this all gets sorted quickly--looks like it's well on its way already.

[fr8tdog]

This has been my experience with ESS.....Roman and AJ don't "F" around! Nice work ESS and hope you get your baby running soon Bedubb.

[VinnieAces]

Damn goodjob ESS! Pushes me one step further to getting my forced induction done with them! Glad to hear your car is going to be up and running again soon!

[Beedub]

turns out the unit may have been damaged on the upgrade to VT2 so ive been alittle unfair to ess and my tuner... either way ESS handled shit TOO quick, new blower will be @ my tuner by the end of the week and this will be on my car very soon!!

honestly anyone considering the kit really need not worry and the warranty is something you can GENUINELY lean on if you need to..... a new s/c would be painfully expensive, luckily my unit is covered :-)

[MIKe86]

Any idea how it may have gotten damged during the upgrade?

[Beedub]

apparently the unit has a seal behind the pulley asembly, as this started leaking pretty much straigt after the vt2 upgrade one can only summize my tuner damaged that particular seal, the unit 100% didnt leak before my vt2....... These chargers really need gentle handling.

Cant wait to hear that boost whistle on idle again :-)