Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
340 Auto Engine Repair
Cool compressed air Hot coolant
Uncompressed air
Hot compressed air
Cool coolant
Throttle body
Supercharger
Intercooler
Cool coolant
Intercooler
coolant
reservoir
Cooling fins
Outside air
Coolant
pump
Hot coolant
Cooled air in
intake manifold
Hot compressed air
Cooling fins
Intercooler radiator
Figure 16-16. Superchargers often have an air-to-liquid intercooler. The intercooler is a heat exchanger mounted on the outlet of
the supercharger. The intercooler system contains a coolant that is circulated through the intercooler, where it picks up heat from
the compressed air. The hot coolant is then circulated through the intercooler radiator, where heat is dissipated.
Figure 16-17. A—Use a stethoscope to check for unusual noises inside of the supercharger. B—If the supercharger is not hot, place
your hand on the case to feel for vibration.
A B
supercharger housing to feel for vibration caused by rotor-
to-housing contact, Figure 16-17B.
A close visual inspection and partial disassembly are
often needed to verify supercharger failures. quite often, new
seals or gaskets can be installed to correct pressure or vacuum
leakage. However, if major mechanical problems are found
in the supercharger, the unit should be replaced. For exam-
ple, a supercharger explosion, resulting from a backfire or
rotor failure, can crack the housing and allow oil leakage
from the unit. In this case, the unit should be replaced.