Super Charger Pulley Size.

[Gaskintg]

I have an SSEi, and I have herd many things, I know changing the size on your supercharger pulley (especially to a 3") will gain around 35 horsepower and so much more boost, and running around 70 bucks, it is quite tempting since a friend of mine has the special 3800 tool to remove and install the pulley. But with all good things, there has to be a downfall of this 3" pulley, so I am wondering what other modifications I need to do in order to run this pulley safely or to gain max horsepower from my stock supercharger. Thank you again for your time.

Oh here is the link to 3800 performance group, and the exact Item I am inquiring about;

http://www.3800performance.com/Merchant ... ct_Count=8

[00Beast]

Running a 3" pulley on a stock engine WILL cause engine damage. Before you even THINK about doing mods, make sure all items on the list below have been addressed, an you will want at least a Cold air intake or a Fender Well Intake (something that pulls in cold, outside air and is isolated from engine bay heat/air). You will also want a step colder plugs and a colder thermostat, and at that point you might be able to run a 3.6" pulley. You also NEED a way to scan for Knock Retard. If you don't know what that is, we can explain it to you, but it is something you need to understand before modding any engine, but a boosted one in particular.

Also, I recommend using a Modular Pulley system, like one of these:
http://intense-racing.com/Merchant2/mer ... ry_Code=BE
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix ... &catid=111
http://www.smoothflowpulleys.com/3800_MPS.html

These allow quick changes in pulleys for running at the track and along with modifications, reducing swap times to 5 minutes vs. 45 with press-on pulleys. I run the Smoothflow MPS and it works great.

• 1987-2005 Bonneville / Buick 3800 Maintenance List
  
  Run Seafoam through gasoline and intake every 5,000 miles. One pint of Seafoam in a half tank of fuel is a good mix. The intake is optional, but recommended.
  
  Grease: Ball Joints, Tie Rods Every 8-10k ( Green Grease recommended)
  Air Filter Every 15k (Amsoil EaA, Purolator PureONE)
  PCV Valve Every 30k
  MAF Sensor Element Cleaning/TB Cleaning Every 50k viewtopic.php?f=48&t=1661
  Fuel Filter Every 15-25k (Purolator, AC Delco, WIX) viewtopic.php?f=17&t=15756&p=231837
  Spark Plugs Every 30-50k (NGK TR55 or Autolite 605) (Never Bosch)
  Ignition Wires Every 30-50k (Napa Belden, AC Delco, Autolite Pro, NGK) (Never Taylor or Bosch)
  Oil & Filter Every 5-6k or Every 6 months (Mobil1 or Amsoil)(Mobil1, Purolator PureONE, Amsoil EaO or WIX) (Never Fram) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=214
  *Conventional Oil Every 3k/3 months(Pennzoil with a WIX (Napa), Delco or Purolator filter)
  Transmission Flush or Pan Drop Every 15-20k (Always make sure filter is changed when flushed) http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 45&t=10193
  Cooling System Flush Every 25-50k or 3-5 Years (Peak or Prestone Green Coolant Only) (Never Dexcool)
  Oxygen Sensor Every 80-100k (30k for non-heated) (AC Delco or Denso) (Absolutely never Bosch) viewtopic.php?f=48&t=794
  Accessory Belt Inspect every 15k, replace every 100k, or as needed
  Cabin Air Filter Inspect and Replace every 15k, or as needed in dusty conditions. (Note: 00+ Only)
  Evap Core Cleaning Whenever Needed (Note: 99 and older only) viewtopic.php?f=45&t=2432
  
  *Special Considerations*
  All 3800s, LG3, LN3, L27, L36, L26, L67 & L32, especially important on vehicles factory installed with orange Havoline Dexcool Antifreeze/Coolant: http://www.dex-cool.net/
  Lower Intake Manifold Gasket Replacement, every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your engine oil, this happening can cause irreversible lower engine damage, requiring replacement of subject engine)
  
  Series II, Naturally Aspirated, RPO:L36:
  Upper Intake Manifold Plenum Replacement, Every 80-100k (ignorance of this can allow coolant to enter your intake manifold, possible damage to occur can be hydrolock, irreversible damage to emissions devices, misfires, etc. Most times, engine replacement is required if ignored long enough.) viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1061
  
  Series I, II, III RPO Code L67 & L32:
  Change Supercharger Oil; Every 30-50k. (Intense Racing or GM Dealer) viewtopic.php?f=56&t=1690
  Supercharger Belt; Inspect Every 15k, Replace Every 100k or as needed.

12/13/2010 by 00Beast

[willwren]

Wow, I'm sure glad you posted before bolting on a 3" pulley. Popped pistons suck, as a few members here can tell you.

Before you even consider a pulley, you need to upgrade your intake and get some form of scantool.

[Gaskintg]

wow, I could of just ruined my engine with just seventy bucks, I did not know I needed that much work, but I do not know what the term Knock retard is, but I know I should invest in a Scan Gauge tool, I see that a lot of people use them with super chargers, and I do know that our ECU, or CPU head computer is placed in the air box, do they make special mounts for it if I got a regular cold air intake from like K&N?

[00Beast]

K&N doesn't make a FIPK (Fuel Injection Performance Kit) for the Bonneville, and the ones for Grand Prix's won't fit. Your best bet is the Intense FWI, and that comes with a PCM tray that you bolt down and the PCM snaps into.

Knock retard happens when Knock occurs, which is when fuel ignites before the spark plug fires due to heat. It senses it through two sensors in the block and removes timing (more timing = more heat) to combat knock. It's a reactive situation, not proactive, so the damage is being done, just not as much as would if no KR was initiated. The higher KR (measured in degrees timing) the more damage. A scan tool will tell you the amount of KR you get, as well as a ton of other data. The most popular scan gauge among 00+ SSEi owners is the Aeroforce Interceptor, but if you have multiple vehicles that you want to scan it's not the best option.