Whipple leaking internally

[Pre-StrokerC150]

I have a whipple on my '99 5.7L. Last month, I went to do an oil change and almost nothing came out. I noticed there was some oil on the discharge tube to the intake, so I wiped it up, borrowed a leak detection kit, and dyed the oil. Today, I checked the oil level, and it was a little low. I removed the discharge tube and there was oil inside again. I hit it with the black light and sure enough, it's definitely from the Whipple.

I've tried contacting Whipple and never got a response. I've tried contacting them in the past with the same results, so I'm not sure what to do next. I'd have to say, due to their customer service alone, I would never buy another Whipple.

I've never disassembled the SC and I'm not sure what would be leaking internally. There must be a seal that separates the front case from the rotors, so that might be a place to start if I knew where to get the seal.

Any words of wisdom?

[Physh1]

Needs a new seal. I've seen it happen on a friends charger. After callling Whipple he got it rebuilt and it's all good still after 3 more years of use. I've never had a problem with Whipple customer service. On my 2000 454 I had a whipple with a few electronic issues...they took care of everything even after the warranty was up.

Cameron

[Pre-StrokerC150]

I haven't had any luck with them so far. I even found a site that Whipple sponsors that has a thread that starts off "ask all of your questions; we're here to help". It doesn't look like anyone has replied for a very long time.

Any idea where to get the seals besides Whipple? I can't send the Whipple in because A) it's my daily driver and I bought the truck with it (no OEM parts to reinstall) and B) I've heard they want between $1K-$1200 to replace the bearings and seals. I've been told it isn't a difficult job.

[JWolfe75]

I vaguely remember someone on here doing it and writing it up...let me see if i can find it.


*nevermind, it was the front bearing.....and you're in that thread :lol:

[Physh1]

I can't speak for what they charge but you can buy parts from whipple and you can do the work yourself I believe...you'll likely need to press out the old bearing and press in the new.

Cameron

[Pre-StrokerC150]

I emailed them again today to see if I could get a parts list, so we'll see if they respond. I have access to a press, so that isn't a problem.

[Pre-StrokerC150]

To my surprise, Whipple emailed me back today. Evidently, the "Whipple" I have in my truck is actually a Lysholm supercharger, so their email told me that I had to contact Lysholm directly, because they couldn't help me. The supercharger does say Whipple Lysholm, so I don't know what the story is with that.

I've emailed Lysholm, which I guess is, or was, bought out by Vortech. No response back so far.

My Brother said if I disassemble the SC, the seals may have numbers on them that I can cross-reference with other seals to find a match. If I don't hear from Lysholm/Vortech, I guess that is what I'll try. As for the bearings, we have a local bearing company that can probably pull them off of the shelf.

[=Lawrence=]

Sounds like you got boned.

[CKTA]

so I don't know what the story is with that.

.

Must be a legal thing. They had the same issues with Autorotor (the original Whipple compressors) and Kenny Bell. Legally they can't touch service the old Autorotor stuff and this may be the same deal.

I think there is a place that will service all Whipple stuff (and other brands) I think the name is Justsuperchargers.com, but i could be very wrong. If so I'll try and remember what it is.....

[Pre-StrokerC150]

Yeah, that website doesn't work.

[CKTA]

superchargersonline.com

try that...:think:

[JWolfe75]

I think he meant this

http://www.superchargersonline.com/

[CKTA]

Yup!:aniteef:

[Pre-StrokerC150]

Not much help there. They don't seem to offer what I need, whether it's parts or even a rebuilt unit.

[CKTA]

Really? :think: Who is it (online store) that I am thinking off? I know they rebuild Whipples for sure......

Let me do more digging.....

[CKTA]

Here you go....http://www.thehighspeedlab.com/

[Pre-StrokerC150]

Wow, they really make it sound like rocket science. It's not looking like I'm going to find anyone to sell me just the seals and bearings. I wonder what the deal is with "re-timing" the rotors? They are gear driven, so I would think that it's just a matter of lining the gears up where they were.

[CKTA]

I don't know if you ever looked at the screws/lobes in a Whipple, but they are precise as all hell. Not something i would want to screw around with. They say dirt and hair can even mess them up. :dunno:

[Pre-StrokerC150]

Maybe I'm missing something, but it just seems to me that it should go together like it came apart. If the rotors sit between the fixed bearings, and the fixed gears are attached to the rotors, and all of that fits together in a fixed case, I still don't see what alignment issues there could possibly be.

Having said that, both companies I've looked into said they retime the rotors, so I probably am really missing something. I guess I just don't know what I don't know.

No, I haven't seen the inside of a SC except for in pictures.

[CKTA]

I have zero issues w/ taking stuff apart, but if mine ever needs something......I'm sending it out. :aniteef:

[Pre-StrokerC150]

I'm the same way, but I was going to attempt it at least. I just don't want to pay $700 for a rebuild if I only need a $5 seal. If the disassembly doesn't go well, then either way I'd be paying for a rebuild.

[CKTA]

700 is what they quoted you? :thud:

[the_target]

I used high speed labs to rebuild mine before I sold it to go procharger, they are good people they have also rebuilt the whipple on my jeep and 22000 miles later still no issues, If you dont aling the rotors just right you will end up with a pile of metal, Dont aks me how I know :). bit the bullet. FI is not cheap, wether its building or maintaining. you got to pay to play

[Pre-StrokerC150]

I checked high speed labs and PSE's websites and the pricing is both around $665 and I'm sure that shipping isn't cheap. A new one through PSE is $1895! Right now I'm waiting to see how fast it goes through the oil so I know how often I have to fill it. I got to thinking last night that when I filled it a month ago, the SC was out and on my bench (i.e. level). When it is installed, it tilts back some, so maybe it isn't as bad as I thought. It will still need to be fixed, but I might have a little more time to get the money together.