~ i really like the modded cover in place - lets face it - the upper part of the n/a motor isn't very pretty cover-less imo.



nice work and dedication !

 

VERY nice work, Web. I believe you will have many people down the road looking for your expertise in a project like this (myself included )

As for those saying to cut the other side of the cover as well, I have not had mine on for a long time, so I can not remember exactly, but won't he lose another mounting point if he cuts the other side, making it not likely to seat correctly?

 

Regarding cosmetics...

How hard would it be to utilize the ML320 engine cover? It's the one that everyone uses with the needswings single... It leaves the center part of the intake manifold exposed, but covers all the nasty wires on the perimeter.

Also, if you remember, the passenger side of the cover has a big gaping recess in it. It's where the OEM Mercedes intake tube resides, and it would be a PERFECT spot to nestle the intercooler you're running. Literally all you'd have to do is make one of the intake pipes marginally shorter on the side nearest the core support, and you'd be able to use the ML320 engine cover that requires NO modification. It would look more symmetrical than the OEM airbox, and it would class up the engine bay with the Mercedes star.... a win-win.

I'll see if I can draw up something for you to illustrate what I'm referencing.

Edit -- Here's what I'm talking about:

 

well the internet is back up for me, had to read over a few pages of this thread to catch up... When I was looking at the 2nd startup on YouTube, it looked like there was a dripping under the Rotrex unit.. Was there a drip and if so what was it? Was it fixed? If not then nevermind... You know... tax time in another 9-10 months if you're looking at marketing another kit...



Just something to think about...

 

web i would just like to say this has been one the best threads i have ever had the pleasure of reading. i have the slk32 and even so if i had a n/a this would be what i would want.
the way you went about it was first rate. concise, thought out, well documented and fotos are top shelf. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

Well, thanks all! I've been pretty busy but I have managed a couple of more test drives. I have to take it easy for a while for a few reasons, not the least of which is to break in the Rotrex itself.

I've been on a 15 minute and 25 minute drive consecutively with about 10 minutes at 55 mph. So for so good and I'm staying impressed with the IAT's. At 95 degrees ambient, I'm not seeing anymore then a 13 degree delta at rpm. If you stop and sit at a red light it does go up a few degrees but then drops within seconds once you hit the gas. That is awesome!!!!!

The AFR is beautiful in all cruise conditions and is as close to perfect as it is going to get. I've let into the throttle several times at 30 - 40% and made 3-4 psi for short stints. That said, the afr is off in this range and I am adding fuel to compensate and she is running stronger each time. So far the factory knock sensors seem to be keeping up and happy to play with spark curve I have dialed in.

The plan is to put some more miles on it as quickly as possible, so ill probably start driving it to work on Monday.

As far as the post goes asking about the difference between the SRT SC and the Rotrex. Theoretically, the SRT unit is going to make more boost lower in the RPM range for a bigger kick in the pants when you stomp on the gas. However, the Rotrex should be capable of making (I can't find the flow charts I had so I'm going off of memory here), another 100 HP or so on the top end? That is if after everything is taken into consideration, it can operate at peak efficiency? However, it is a little early in the game to speak too much to that until I see how the torque curve looks with my setup. Once I get into this more, I should be able to extrapolate an answer that is closer to reality then anything I could come up with now.

I decided that I am definitely going to cut the other side of the cover to match. I'll get to it in the next day or two and snap some pics. It won't lose another mounting point as the mounting tab on that side is already cut off. So no big deal at all and I think it will look way better for now.

Ultimately, I'll probably also play around with JHM2K's idea as well. I think he is really onto something there!

Also, good eye on the dripping reservoir. I was burping the Rotrex cooling system on the first couple of starts. You fill it up, take the belt off and turn by hand to prime, then crank her up, etc. I ended up over filling it a bit and that was it blowing out the excess I have the system equalized now and no leaks or hiccups so far!

And thanks again 32krazy!

 

web jhm2k has some great fotos of the mb cover he has. the exposed intake cover is all over ebay and super cheap. maybe 50$?

 

Do you have an input horsepower requirement for the sc at your chosen operating point?? Id love to know how many hp your going to need to spin that thing.

My concern is that your photo shows it at the passenger side which is at the end of the belt and thus all the load will be added to the accessories pulleys back to the crank pulley. It would sure be nice if the power steering could be moved to the passenger side and the blower be put into its place to limit belt loading on the accessories.

Just my oberservations, Woody

 

That'd be good to know for sure.

I'm sure Web will confirm but the blower is on it's own belt so no extra stress should been seen on the accessories.

 

I made a "Dual Pulley" which means I doubled up one of the idler pulleys with a new custom made (lengthened) bolt and angular contact bearings. The Rotrex is driven off of this on another plane.

32Krazy! - I am definitely going to order one of those and try it out, but for now I did do this.



That said, this is enough for now as far as cosmetics. I'll circle back to that later once I get her broken in and tuned up for power.

I took her for a much harder run today and she is pulling like a champ. I made 5 psi and she is feeling strong! No fuel cut or other, just nice power. I am concerned though about the knock sensor I installed. I have not heard any sign of knock, but I also have not even seen a whisper of it in my logs. Either my chosen torque curve is that good, the stock knock system is that good, a combination of the two is that good, or my knock sensor tap isn't working. I don't want to take a chance on the latter so I think I am going to devote a couple of hours to that to make sure I am on the right track. Also, I need to change out the last few feet of rubber for copper on the boost signal line to the FP. I don't want to be in the middle of a pull and lose fuel pressure and lean her out. No sir!

Once I address those couple of issues I will start pushing her more and more.

 

maybe you could play with something like this

00 01 02 03 MERCEDES E320 AIR CLEANER: eBay Motors (item 150476509783 end time Sep-04-10 13:42:26 PDT)

 

That's the exact cover I was trying to illustrate.

See that big honkin' intake the MB came with from the factory? Perfect place to put the cooler.

Scary perfect.

 

You're not kidding! I'll have to pick up one of these for sure!!!!!

 

where yea get the IC and how much was it

 

Finally something I can comment on. I was thinking the same thing, it would be more symmetrical and aesthetically appealing.


As to the whole project and the various comments, I bow down to all you mechanically intelligent people. This stuff does intrigue me, but I just don't have the brain power to understand it all....plus I have ADOL....(attention deficient oh look).

I can only hope you can bring this to the Dragon or even the CAA next year so I can see it and maybe get a bit of education...if I can stay focused.


Edit: Well, if I had just finished reading the posts I'd have seen it was already done!

 

I don't know why I didn't see this thread until now... Staying tuned...

 

I had a little drama when I hit 5 psi and the MAF unseated! Basically, the MAF clips on the back but the front brackets keep it from moving side to side but not up and out. I've since fixed that and put a couple of hundred miles on her this weekend.

The only other issue I've run into so far is the IC water plumbing. Due to space constraints I did not use my water reservoir of choice. Instead I used what is basically a filler cap and it takes extra effort to burp the system. I ended up moving the filler cap to a place where I can pull it up a little higher to get more height during the burping procedure.

My IAT's and the Rotrex fluid temps are darn near perfect and I haven't seen any hint of belt rubbing, etc.

When I pushed it to 5 psi I also confirmed that my knock sensor is working perfectly I have it set to the most sensitive setting and it is most definitely working as I can log the results.

I also worked with the SPD and dataloglabs to nail down my import/export process to get dataloglabs to display everything with the values and scale to make the tuning process as straight forward as it is with other tools that I have used in the past. I'm very happy with the results. It is actually a pretty awesome setup that I can share with people to help them tune with things like the emanage!

Now that I am past a few of the growing pains and have the break-in miles I wanted, I can start tuning her up for power. I will be working on that during the evening this week and into the weekend!

 

Good to hear everything is going good with this build I can't wait to see how much power it puts out

 

Damn! That's crazy! How did you manage to fix that, wrap a huge hose clamp around the whole piece and tighten it down LOL!

I as many others will be patiently waiting

I just saw a used C38 go on Ebay for 1175.00

 

Quick question -- have you already upgraded the MAF and TB connector tube? I think they're fairly restrictive from the factory, something like 2.5"

If I'm not mistaken, the E55 TB and MAF both bolt right up to our intake manifolds... and they're both 3".

If it was in an earlier page, I apologize.