Snout stuck on supercharger

[wmorrison65]

Replacing a rattling coupler. (Supercharger is off the car for a LIM gasket job.)

The snout (nose cone) won't come apart from the impeller plate. There's red sealant holding it on. Any ideas how to separate them without damage?

[bonerjamz03]

I used a small flat head screwdriver and gently pried them apart. Just be careful not to gouge anything.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

After remvoing all the bolts, I just whack the pulley with a rubber mallet.

Or use something softer than aluminum with a hammer and hit the two apart.

On a Gen 3 there is a slot somewhere on top that you can place something in and give it a good whack.

[wmorrison65]

Can't find any gap to get a screwdriver, or even a razor blade, into. The sealant is holding tight. The impeller plate is loose, however, so I don't think whacking anything will get any leverage.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Get mean with a rubber mallet, it will come loose.

It's just anerobic sealant, not super strong stuff.

[99GT2dr]

A bigger hammer is always the answer. If you have to, wait til you bolt the lim back up, then stick the blower back on with a few bolts to get a better hit on it. Make sure you have rags strategically placed, lol.

[bandook]

Mine was on tight too. Just use a putty knife and drive it in. The suggested bfh tip will work too.

[wmorrison65]

I had given up for the night, but gave it one more shot. That razor blade I drove in a fraction of an inch earlier must have made just enough room to hammer a putty knife in, and then it was just a matter of tapping around the circumference. Came right off.

[bonerjamz03]

Success!!

[BillBoost37]

Success!!

Complete failure is more like it. Now he probably has a gouged up surface. The anerobic sealant is a very thin layer because the tolerances are not accepting of gouges. There are indents in the charger where you could use a proper tool to push them apart w/o damaging the sealing surfaces.

Rubber mallet is the better suggestion in my eyes.

[J57ltr]

You should still be fine, the Locktite 518 flange sealer that is used can fill a .005"-.050" gap. Still the best way is to tap around the perimeter with a hard rubber or wood mallet. There are 2 centering dowels that 2 of the bolts slide through. Ant the slot on the blower is a prime place to pry, but you usually need something larger than a screwdriver. I actually made a tool out of 1/4" X 3/4" bar stock that I used a cresent wrench to twist and pop the nose loose then tap around to get it the rest of the way off. You should never use screwdrivers, putty knives or anything else between the blower surfaces is best practice.

Jeff

[99GT2dr]

Guess that'll be a post for another day...

[wmorrison65]

I was wondering whether there was a special tool for this. Those indents look like they were made for that.

Surprising to me that a rubber mallet is so often the safest option. I did whack it quite a bit. Maybe that's what loosened the sealant and allowed the putty knife in.

The mating surfaces didn't appear to be gouged, but I haven't cleaned them up yet. The putty knife moved through the sealant very easily once it got started, I wasn't chiseling the parts apart. I'll check out the surfaces later. Hopefully all good.

Definitely can see how the old coupler is worn, though.

[bandook]

My thinking is the putty knife is going to break the seal after its in only a couple mm. The sealant that's on there is brittle and once it pops loose you don't have to chase it around the whole case. I used a 6" putty knife which is better than a small screw driver that's easier to put a gouge in it. Plus the sealant will be stuck to both sides so the knife is rarely touching bare aluminum. OK...I think I've beat that dead horse enough now

[J57ltr]

Well I have seen very few people that couldn't' get their M90's resealed after taking off the snout, call it Elemer Fudd Syndrome. Just try not to use RTV to reseal it if you ever want to get the snout off again. It's much easier to remove one that has been put together as intended than using RTV.

Jeff

[BillBoost37]

The mating surfaces didn't appear to be gouged, but I haven't cleaned them up yet. The putty knife moved through the sealant very easily once it got started, I wasn't chiseling the parts apart. I'll check out the surfaces later. Hopefully all good.

It'll be fine. I was scaring the guy suggesting it. It's not a good thing to suggest as it has the possibilities of doing harm.

[J57ltr]

Just for future reference an easy way to break a stubborn snout loose is to drain the fluid (obviously) remove all the bolts except 4 back them out about 3/16-1/4". I like to use a 24 oz hard nylon hammer and hold the blower by the snout pick it up and with your other hand use the mallet to smack the blower at the interface between the snout and rotor cartridge. Works every time.

Jeff