guys with the ESS superchargers, my sc seal blown :-( !!pics added!!

[Beedub]

Issue solved, this was a defective vortech unit from manufacture or maybe damage done by my tuner :-)

Thankyou ESS for sorting my problem quickly and promptly, my warranty covered my issue :-) i apologise if my original thread caused concern or gave off the wrong impression.

[sales@ESSTuning]

Originally Posted by 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 z4m 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 know im talking about my little z4m, but obviously ess uses these blowers on all their kits, the m3 is imo the biggest selling platform so im guessing if their has been any issue, this will be the place to find out....

anyone had the vortech v3 fail on them yet?? or need a rebuild??

i would also like to point out Ess have always been awesome with me and done everything to help, im certain they will be the same with this issue also. im just alittle worried about reliability with the vortech v3 unit.

if anyones had any issue with the vortech v3 id really appreciate some feedback.

byron

The Vortech V3 blowers have been very reliable. We have sold over 400 of these blowers and this is the first failure I have heard of. The kit has a 2 year warranty which covers the blower so just have Simpson motorsport look it over and contact us with the details.

[Brosef]

does the car run? are you sure the oil is not coming from the overflow release valve?

in either case, it's just a blower - glad it wasn't the engine that blew.

[Beedub]

roman, im very comfortable with mecanics so even though the car will DEFINATLY go back to simpson as they do all the work re the blower as i wanted to have a complete backup of the warranty if had an issue, i decided id strip down the intake and see whats going on underneath with the help of my trusty mirror, the unit is 100% faulty.....

firstly, the s/c doesnt have an over flow, if its too full it'll damage the unit seals and blow out the breather, this blower has never been overfilled and still is on its orginal blower fluid which must be replaced once the unit see's 2500 miles, this unit only has 1100.

i check the oil level every single time i do a really hard drive with the car but anyhow... here's the proof.. a seals blown somewhere......

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 absolute 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.

im glad their has been no failures, i guess im the first...... my luck sucks.

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by Brosef

does the car run? are you sure the oil is not coming from the overflow release valve?

in either case, it's just a blower - glad it wasn't the engine that blew.

The car runs fine, it just makes a mess everytime i drive and more to the point, it shouldnt be leaking at all, all it takes is for this leak to get worse on a longer drive then the unit could sieze, either way, i need a new one.

im pretty annoyed to be honest, but yeah, it could be a new motor so i guess i can take comfort in that.

[AJ@ESS]

Most likely the problem is the gasket that seals the two blower halves. My guess is a production flaw given the units low mileage.

You are covered under the ESS 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty and we have V3Si's in stock so we can ship a replacement out to Simpson Motorsport first thing tomorrow morning. The blower swap is a 1-2H job so you should be back on the road in no time. If you need a rental car while your Z4M is down, just let us know and we will cover it.

[DevJ]

Originally Posted by AJ@ESS

Most likely the problem is the gasket that seals the two blower halves. My guess is a production flaw given the units low mileage.

You are covered under the ESS 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty and we have V3Si's in stock so we can ship a replacement out to Simpson Motorsport first thing tomorrow morning. The blower swap is a 1-2H job so you should be back on the road in no time. If you need a rental car while your Z4M is down, just let us know and we will cover it.

Damn thats some customer service..

[808E90]

Originally Posted by AJ@ESS

Most likely the problem is the gasket that seals the two blower halves. My guess is a production flaw given the units low mileage.

You are covered under the ESS 2yr/unlimited mileage warranty and we have V3Si's in stock so we can ship a replacement out to Simpson Motorsport first thing tomorrow morning. The blower swap is a 1-2H job so you should be back on the road in no time. If you need a rental car while your Z4M is down, just let us know and we will cover it.

Now thats what you call service

[AJ@ESS]

Beedub,

Just spoke to Anthony at Simpson Motorsport and it appears they upgraded this kit from a VT1 to a VT2 about 1 week ago. This upgrade also includes a new SC pulley so it is very likely the input axle seal has been damaged during the pulley removal and that this is the cause of the sudden leak.

Please contact Simpson Motorsport tomorrow as he had not heard from you yet on this issue. He will make sure it gets taken care of at once, and I will get a new blower sent out FedEx Priority first thing tomorrow morning.

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by 808E90

Title should be ... Guys with Vortech V3 chargers, my sc seal blown

Definatly but i directed at ess owners due to them using v3 blowers.... No ess hate from me, im a loyal fan and really pleased with the way this is being handled.

Aj i had the vt2 installed last week, the leak started a few days ago, thinking nothing of it i cleaned up, the next big drive it was everywhere!!! Unfortnatly im mailing simpson and every email is being returned, they have computer issues!! Simpson and ess have been great, these things happen, awesome customer service!!!!! Very pleased with this!!!

Im currently in hospital while my first son is being born so typing on iphone!!! So pleased this is being resolved for me!! Ess rock!!!!!

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by AJ@ESS

Beedub,

Just spoke to Anthony at Simpson Motorsport and it appears they upgraded this kit from a VT1 to a VT2 about 1 week ago. This upgrade also includes a new SC pulley so it is very likely the input axle seal has been damaged during the pulley removal and that this is the cause of the sudden leak.

Please contact Simpson Motorsport tomorrow as he had not heard from you yet on this issue. He will make sure it gets taken care of at once, and I will get a new blower sent out FedEx Priority first thing tomorrow morning.

Thankypu aj!! Honestly this means alot to me my car is my absolute pride and joy!!!! So pleased!!!!

[spdy330]

ESS sounds like a top notch company!

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by 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 z4m 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 know im talking about my little z4m, but obviously ess uses these blowers on all their kits, the m3 is imo the biggest selling platform so im guessing if their has been any issue, this will be the place to find out....

anyone had the vortech v3 fail on them yet?? or need a rebuild??

i would also like to point out Ess have always been awesome with me and done everything to help, im certain they will be the same with this issue also. im just alittle worried about reliability with the vortech v3 unit.

if anyones had any issue with the vortech v3 id really appreciate some feedback.

byron

Welcome to the world of high level modding

[RichMattB]

I have never heard of such customer service!

In essence, ESS says "probably a manufacturing failure....we'll get you a new unit ASAP".

That is one helluva a company.

[Beedub]

Theirs no doubt, awesome customer service, aj, hans are always ther for me when ive needed them in the past, id like to thank ess for this amazingly prompt response, having spent the best part of 16k with ess its great to be looked after like a first class vip, sounds like this will be with simpson within a week so i can get it fitted and forget about it!!

Again thankyou everybody at ess, just goes to show the importance of being careful with pulley install......

Vt2 on the little z4m kicks ass as well!!!!

Cant wait till my pride and joy is back to full health.....

[808E90]

Originally Posted by Beedub

Im currently in hospital while my first son is being born so typing on iphone!!!

Congrats!! Now get off the phone and support your wife

[Beedub]

Originally Posted by 808E90

Congrats!! Now get off the phone and support your wife

Lol this labour is taking ages!! Its 12am here and i have work at 6!! Come on little boy!!

[Meff]

I don't understand why people post on forums before contacting/discussing their issue with the vendors involved first. It doesn't even sound like an ESS defect, but your shop possibly damaging the seal during the upgrade to the VT2 which you made no mention of in your OP.

So don't post that you had a an SC "failure" before you know what the cause of the problem is. In this case, it does not sound like a product defect, but an error in the upgrade.

Good health to you, your wife, your newborn son, and your SC....

[Beedub]

Steady on meff, no bashing was made in the op, no name calling i was simply asking a question, do me a favour and get off the high horse, i was simply asking if anyone had a similar issue, i did however sent ess a detailed email earlier in the morning, the reason why i didnt get talk about my tuner or ess is i simply thought i had a defective unit, so before you start the moral police talk to start crap, take it else where, this was never meant as a bash ess or my tuner thread......

Hell if you read my op youll see i mention im asking but dont like to before ess have had chance to respond.....

Anyhow, this has been resolved by ess. Awesome!! No need to drag the issue as i have no issue, new sc in the post!!!

[Meff]

Originally Posted by Beedub

Steady on meff, no bashing was made in the op, no name calling i was simply asking a question, do me a favour and get off the high horse, i was simply asking if anyone had a similar issue, i did however sent ess a detailed email earlier in the morning, the reason why i didnt get talk about my tuner or ess is i simply thought i had a defective unit, so before you start the moral police talk to start crap, take it else where, this was never meant as a bash ess or my tuner thread......

Hell if you read my op youll see i mention im asking but dont like to before ess have had chance to respond.....

Anyhow, this has been resolved by ess. Awesome!! No need to drag the issue as i have no issue, new sc in the post!!!

I was nowhere near a horse when I posted, and was simply making an observation on the practice of posting while utilizing assumptions prior to understanding the cause. This can, and has harmed vendors and is a valid response to your post from my perspective. I did not suggest you were bashing anyone, just that you were jumping to conclusions without all the info.

You even stated you wanted ESS to replace your SC in your OP before it was even diagnosed.

Originally Posted by Beedub

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.........

Just calling it as I see it, nothing else.

Best of luck, glad your car will be 100% again soon.

[stega]

Originally Posted by Meff

I was nowhere near a horse when I posted, and was simply making an observation on the practice of posting while utilizing assumptions prior to understanding the cause. This can, and has harmed vendors and is a valid response to your post from my perspective. I did not suggest you were bashing anyone, just that you were jumping to conclusions without all the info.

You even stated you wanted ESS to replace your SC in your OP before it was even diagnosed.



Just calling it as I see it, nothing else.

Best of luck, glad your car will be 100% again soon.

I agree with you. It seems he did not trust ESS to handle/take care of the issue so he decided he would pressure them with this forum post. The only problem with what he did was he gave like no time for the vendor to respond. He claims he emailed ESS in the morning and immediately made this post after? You should have at least given them a fair chance to respond, and like Meff says you demanded things before you even knew the exact problem or what caused it.

It's fine to make a post asking if others have had similar problems but what you did was different.

I too believe people should see the good, bad, and ugly as far as vendors and their products go, I myself am evaluating companies for a future blower upgrade. But you should again give it some time and then you could have posted a review of the customer service you received along with a description of the problems for others knowledge.

Hope all is well and you get this solved quickly. I am not trying to argue/ start problems here but I do not think this was the best course of action.

[saeedg48]

Originally Posted by stega

I agree with you. It seems he did not trust ESS to handle/take care of the issue so he decided he would pressure them with this forum post. The only problem with what he did was he gave like no time for the vendor to respond. He claims he emailed ESS in the morning and immediately made this post after? You should have at least given them a fair chance to respond, and like Meff says you demanded things before you even knew the exact problem or what caused it.

It's fine to make a post asking if others have had similar problems but what you did was different.

I too believe people should see the good, bad, and ugly as far as vendors and their products go, I myself am evaluating companies for a future blower upgrade. But you should again give it some time and then you could have posted a review of the customer service you received along with a description of the problems for others knowledge.

Hope all is well and you get this solved quickly. I am not trying to argue/ start problems here but I do not think this was the best course of action.

ess ftw