Just got my FRPP Whipple supercharger for my 04. Was reading through the install manual and had a few questions. Intake manifold gaskets get reused? Do they actually hold up that well that you can reinstall them. I'm old school I guess in the fact that you pretty much never reused gaskets. Maybe there are different that what I'm used to. So anybody have any issues reusing them and have some gotten new gaskets. For the guys that installed the kit themselves, how long did it actually take you start to finish. Still waiting on a programmer so I have some time before the install starts. Thanks in advance for any input.

Tim

 

I'm getting ready to do mine also. While you wait, change your plugs. I believe that is the biggest job for most people if they break.

The gaskets on the mod-motors are not like the older push rod motors. You should be able to reuse them unless you notice any rips or tears. They are a combo of rubber and plastic, pretty nice design.

I did an install on a cobra and it was pretty much the same deal with the intake gaskets.

 

Yeah, changing the plugs before I did the install was one of the things I was considering. I got the tools and now the plugs, now I just need to do them. I'm not really looking forward to it, but I guess I will see what happens. To me the plugs looked like the biggest PITA of the whole job with all the horror stories you read about. Thanks for the input.

Tim

 

Yeah, these aren't your conventional gaskets. I reused mine, but I only had 8,000 miles on my truck when I installed the supercharger.

 

Hopefully mine will be good, its an 04 with 39K miles on it.

Tim

 

I replaced mine w/new, also replaced the ones on the water crossover and the thermostat housing o-ring.

Was @ 60k miles on an '05.

Both of the intake gaskets left a considerable amount of the blue flexible material on the heads when I removed them. Was glad I had ordered replacements. Don't remember about the crossover...think one came off OK and the other one left some stuff behind.

Will be pulling my intake back off this summer, will be a year and probably 5k. Plan on reusing the gaskets if they come off OK.

I did plugs about a month before I ordered my kit.

The tuner I talked to drives a Roush-charged '05, he had a magnacharger on it prior. Is over 100k now, is his "shop" truck.

He told me the pluses and minuses of all the options before I ordered my Whipple (and I didn't order from him-he was cool with that).

His predictions came true on the dyno.

On my '05 with the stock injectors, the pump duty cycle was pegged, and I was running out of fuel. This is bad not just because you are too lean, but because if the PCM senses what it identifies as a cat overtemp condition, it tries to cool things off by dumping more fuel.

If your pump is maxed out, that isn't going too work well.

This is not an issue with the Ford tune, because the 95 mph speed limiter is going to keep you from getting into that end of the envelope. But if you have somebody with a tuner try to help you out by knocking off the speed limiter, you are going to get hosed...

I ended up with 39 lb injectors and a boost-a-pump running at max voltage boost all the time and a tune. That got my pump duty cycle down around 80%. The tuner also moved the sense line connection for the fuel rail pressure sensor from the brake booster line to the bypass valve hose. That way the fuel pressure is referenced against the actual boosted pressure instead of atmospheric pressure. NOTE wouldn't have done ANY of the above if it wasn't going in for a tune immediately after.

The only other issue I have with my Whipple install is I have to be careful in cold temperatures. The MAF vane comes close to pegging after the install. Last time I went to the strip I was getting a little rattle at WOT in 2nd with the outside air temp around 45 degrees.

Will probably end up with the Whipple "10 psi" MAF housing and intake tube whether I up my boost or not. The larger hole in the housing will keep the vane from pegging. The tuner showed me the MAF voltages during the dyno runs, and had told me beforehand that this was also an issue with the kit.

Am pulling the intake back off this summer to split the intake air temp loop off of the MAF vane. Need to drill a hole in an intake runner to screw a Lightning IAT probe into it. This will cost me some power until I get tuned again, but will let the PCM see the temp of the air coming out of the aftercooler right before the cylinders instead of the temp of the air waaay upstream just after the air filter.

Was trying to figure out how to do that a couple days after coming off the dyno when the tuner called and suggested it/gave me some tips.

I started on a Friday morning and was driving the truck Saturday night late. Probably had 20+ hours in the install. Had to make a couple parts runs in the middle. Been working on airplanes for better than half my life and tend not to be in a hurry if I don't have to be.

Aside from the intake/water crossover gaskets, I had a throttle body gasket in hand too.

Not sure how things are where you are, but I lucked out finding enough Zerex G-05 coolant in stock at the local NAPA.

Hope some of this helps.

Enjoy it!!!!

 

Thanks for the input wrenchbender. I think I will just get the new gaskets I need for the job. I also am an aircraft mechanic with 20 years of wrenching on them. We always use new gaskets and O-rings on everything, o-rings are cheap, tearing everything back apart costs more. I will probably do everything in stages and get the little stuff and plugs done before installing the supercharger. We have many autoparts stores around so I shouldn't have to much of a problem getting the coolant and anything else. Again, thanks all for your input.

Tim

 

Ill repost this picture again. This is from the manual and its exactly what I did. I had 40k+ miles on my truck and have had zero problems with reusing the gaskets.

 

Ironsin, did you have a to run a Boost a pump like the guy above did?

JDM says we should be fine without a boost a pump at 8psi & 39# injectors (I bet with a clean fuel filter).

 

Nope. I run stock injectors, stock whipple tune and no boost a pump. Fuel pump is good up to 450RWHP from what I have heard.

When I install my 10psi upgrade I am upgrading the injectors to 48lb GT500 injectors along with MAF housing and different plugs.

The stock injectors are being overworked by the whipple tune which is why any aftermarket tuners say upgrade to 39# injectors.

 

Here's the run after the install with the ford/whipple tune, stock injectors and no boost-a-pump w/the speed limiter disabled. pump duty cycle was at 99%.

Is too rich in the upper mid-range, and is leaning out at the end because there is no more fuel to be had...

Went back through my notes, and with the boost-a-pump and the larger injectors duty cycle is around 70%.

 

I may not need the gaskets, but I have a set coming for it just in case. I would rather have some gaskets sitting on the wall than having my truck sitting there waiting for gaskets and me wanting to see how fun the supercharger is on it. Probably going to upgrade to 39# injectors before I install it also. Thanks for the input guys, I do appreciate it. If there is any other little tips or issues you ran into during your install please let me know.

Tim

 

Wrenchbender, do you have a copy of the run after the BAP and when all was said and done? Just curious to see what it did. Also what type of truck?

Tim

 

Looked through my stuff and can't find one. The only other one I can find is a before/after hp/torque. Will send the tuner an email and see if he can spit one out for me.

All the BAP does is raise the line voltage supplied to the pump control module. My understanding is the control module regulates pressure by the frequency/duration of on-off cycling of full voltage to the pump. With the higher BAP voltage supplied, it cycles less for the same delivered pressure, if that makes sense.

You do realize if you change the injectors, somebody is going to have to tune it? Swapping injectors was a must-do anyway for me because it is an '05 (oem injector problems).

Is an '05 SCrew 2WD 5.4 3.73 rear.

 

Yes I do know that it will need a new tune, that's in the works. It will just be a mail order tune for now, I don't have a clue where the nearest capable dyno and tuner is to me. I'm also thinking I should just go with 10 PSI but not sure yet. The truck is just my daily driver, an 04 Screw Lariat 4X4. Was 05 the only year with the fuel injector isssues you speak of or was there more. Sorry for all the questions, it sure seems like you find different info that you don't think of using the search. Thanks again. On a side note, what type of aircraft do you work on.

Tim