I have a supercharger problem

good morning ladies and gents.

I have a 2015 4.0L 6 spd manual Tacoma that I had the dealership supercharge and install a TRD catbak exhaust prior to me taking possession.

The main problem I’m having is that for some reason whenever I push her up to around 4000 rpms. It’s like the engine retards, and straight robs me of power. She still climbs in rpms. But not in a constant rate as she would previously. And at a noticeably lower rate of acceleration.

After consulting with the Toyota shop manager, they figure there is something inside the supercharger (likely a bearing or two) housing that is causing the screws to restrict, and the ecu is kicking in. We can also hear a knocking noise when the hood is up and she’s idling.

The second problem, is that apparently Toyota discontinued my supercharger, and all support for it. I can’t even get a diagram or parts list for the components inside the blower housing. And no one seems to have any parts. My only option seems to be an expensive one, which is to ship the whole housing to somewhere in the states for a rebuild (I’m in Alberta Canada) and I would like to avoid that costly option if possible.
Toyota Canada is not as helpful as I would have hoped, as they are claiming the s/c is an accessory and therefore they only have to have parts for it for 3 years.

I’m figuring if I can just get a line on specs for what’s actually contained inside the unit, and then can source suitable replacements, then I should be good.
I should also mention we haven’t opened the unit yet. As once it’s opened, we aren’t closing it until it’s fixed. So it hasn’t been determined yet exactly what is at fault.

She’s never been a racer. Never even towed a trailer. She doesn’t do as much off roading as I’d like. She’s mostly my daily driver on paved highways.

Does anyone have any guidance on any similar situation? Where I can source parts for the unit?


Any help would be appreciated brothers and sisters.

Sincerely,
A taco lover (Ken)

 

I should also add, that all oil changes, maintenance and repairs have been done by the dealership/service dept. I haven’t even turned a wrench under that hood to ensure the warranty stayed unquestionably intact.
The Toyota website says that the unit is self contained and needs no maintenance at all.

 

These superchargers were just rebranded Magnuson units that TRD stuck their badge on. You can still buy them and parts for them thru Magnuson. But yeah you likely won't get much help from the dealer since TRD discontinued selling superchargers several years ago

 

They do require a full rebuild roughly every 100k miles. You'll have to send it out to a rebuilder for that most likely

 

What kind of rebuild? Because I’ve been led to believe that the unit doesn’t require any such maintenance.

 

I suggest looking through this forum as there are tons of guys on here with this supercharger who will attest that it most certainly does need maintenance and upkeep. The dealership was selling you on a load of BS, sorry to say.

 

Crap.

How F’d am I now?

Because I don’t even know what would be my next step now.

 

You're fine you're just experiencing the need for a supercharger rebuild most likely. It's a normal occurrence when the mileage gets to be around 100k or so. There are places that rebuild them for you then ship it back.

Jon Bond and High Speed Labs are two that come to mind. You can also call Magnuson directly and they might be able to refer you to someone more in your area

 

Even the best maintained and never driven hard superchargers will need a rebuild eventually - it's a machine and the parts will wear over time. Though they do tend to last longer if babied

 

You're not F'd. But you will probably need to pull the supercharger off the motor to service it.

superchargersonline.com can source parts if you have someone local that will do the work.

Otherwise, send it to Magnuson for repair/rebuild.

 

Yeah. I’m at about 146000 kms now.

 

unfortunately Magnuson doesn't rebuild them anymore, they send them to someone else for rebuild. In fact I think they send them to SuperchargersOnline lol. Would probably cost more to go through Magnuson since they'll want a cut, I would just go directly to S.O.

 

here ya go @Tacomaken1985

https://superchargersonline.com/product/magnuson-supercharger-rebuild-service/

 

How longs the charger been on? It may need a rebuild but I'm highly doubtful it's the issue.

Probably a fuel delivery issue of some sort. Fuel pump upgrades are highly recommended with the SC and some sort of external, replaceable fuel filter.

 

Knocking noise huh?

Sounds like you need the spring loaded coupler replaced, as it is spring loaded and their life expectancy is all over the place in terms of when or when they do not go out.

As for power, it MAY be possible you need a fuel pump or the engine is just robbing you of power because the knock sensor is detecting all that noise from the failing snout coupler.

Either way, this is the thread @eon_blue is referring to:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-magnuson-4-0-supercharger-tips-tricks-and-mods.518932/

 

Luckily you're in the right place

I dont follow any of them as Im NA, but as pointed out above theres tons of guys on here who have that SC and plenty of threads dedicated to them.

 

He said it was installed before he took delivery of his truck, so the blower has the same mileage as the truck does. That and the louder rattling at idle, dealer tech saying it sounds like the bearings are bad...rebuild is likely on the table.

Although I don't discount the fuel delivery issue either, it's a common problem with Tacomas and boost. But it sounds like his setup is all stock so I dunno.

 

SuperchargersOnline has been super helpful for me - I bought a used SC and needed a handful of random parts, they had everything.

Also check out the supercharger tips and tricks thread here on TW! The group of guys who frequent that thread know a ton about these units and 4.0l performance engines in general. They can help diagnose.

 

Good to know

 

Thank you! I just fired off an email to these guys. Waiting for a reply.

Does anyone know of someone in Canada who would do a rebuild on this thing for me? Because with the way that Canada border services drops the ball on pretty much EVERYTHING I’ve ever ordered from across the border, I’m terrified to send it to the US.