My experience installing the Kazuma supercharger on my 1997 Camry 5-speed

 

June 4, 2001:

My box arrived May 30, I installed it on June 1-2. It took 2 hours Friday night and 6 or 7 more on Saturday. You need two people most of the way through. I used my 17-year-old son. I took no pictures during installation, but there are plenty of good pictures in the installation manual. See it online here. I will walk you through my experiences referring to the step and figure numbers in that manual.

 

Before I started, I got a few things. Tools, you know.

 

(Note: I called Kent-Moore at (800)345-2233 in the TRD manual, they quoted $79.30 plus tax and shipping for the BT-33-73F tool in the picture.)

 

I removed the hood. Need two friends. Unclip the washer hose, clip in passenger side hood hinge, and pull hose off of the  “tee” up under hood liner. Mark around hinge plates on hood, and while friends hold each side, take off 4 bolts. I placed mine upside-down on a blanket on the roof. I was working cramped in my garage.

 

Section 2, Part B. Removal of Stock Intake Chamber.

 

Step 5: Also remove “diagnostics” box from intake. Tuck away from intake.

Step 6: Move clamps farther onto hose, and then pull hose off connector.

Step 9: It takes patience to find the squeeze release tabs on these connectors. They are all different.

Step 13: Throttle body may be caught on cable clips, it can be moved sufficient distance from the intake.

Step 16: Shove it inwards.

Step 17: (HARD) Seemed like this would be hard. The bottom 2 nuts take patience. Use a 6” by ¼” extension with a smaller ratchet wrench. Reach right arm in along firewall with wrench. Reach left arm in to guide socket onto nuts. The brass gaskets are durable, but will fall in. The bottom nuts are on top and bottom of the pipe, it is more towards the middle of the engine bay than I thought.

Steps 22, 23, 24: (HARD) Hard to reach and see. Very tight quarters. Thought pulling off rubber gasket along firewall would allow better access, but the edge was sharp and it was hard to get it re-clipped. I recommend not.

Step 24: Perhaps a string loop tied to these ground loops would help get them for reinstallation.

Step 26: Flip it over and pull forward.

Step 29: Have your cover rag ready!

Step 35: Remove big aluminum frame, too.

Step 36: My box was really small and this didn’t help much.

Step 37: Use your new Krikit 1 to test the OE belt tension. Mine was about 70 lbs.

Step 39: (HARD) Take you time, try to remember how you got in there, and don’t drop anything. Of course, I did. Don’t forget the gaskets.

Step 40: Tied to back side of  the larger of the two A/C lines, use all three zip-ties. Bend the A/C lines inward and downward. This is what gets cut being too close to the S/C belt. Inspect this often when just installed. Excess engine movement may indicate you need new motor mounts?

Step 41: Install the new PCV valve now.

 

Section 3: Part A. Installation of TRD Supercharger Assembly.

 

Step 1: Write down the 3 numbers on the underside of the S/C. One is the serial number on the box. Remove the Figure 32 bolt for Step 3. This is hard to access behind wire loom.

Step 2: My little diagnostics box got caught under the S/C the first time I tried this. S/C is back-heavy, support it until you get the bolts in well.

Step 3: Hard to get wrench onto.

Step 4: (HARD) Hard to reach and get threads lined up. You need to lift back of S/C to make it line up. No special wrench I had worked, just used an open-ended wrench.

Step 5: (HARD) Also hard to reach and get started. I am wondering if sticking these bolts in a short piece of rubber hose would make threading easier.

Step 6: (Muscle) This was surprisingly hard to maneuver.

Step 7: Almost too tight for torque wrench, but we got it.

Step 8: (WARNING!) Before installing the EGR, install its electrical connector, cut off the 90-degree rubber elbow, and install it onto the EGR vacuum port. Clearance against my S/C body was too tight with the EGR installed for both of these. I had to remove the EGR twice for these. Also, these are the bolts that were too short.

Step 9: Small torque wrench fits, but be patient.

Step 10: To get the larger hoses over the steep barbed tube I shaved the inner edge of the tubing (cone-shaped), being careful to tip rubber shavings OUT OF, not INTO the tubes.

Step 11: Before installing the throttle body, see if it is full of crud. If so, get some rags and throttle body/carburetor cleaner. Spray out the inside of the throttle body held upward, let it stand, and then wipe clean

Step 15: Don’t! Just open the EBC (Electronic Boost Control) bag, pull out the instructions and plumb the vacuum tubing as described there, not here. See Section II of EBC instructions. My EBC was missing the “tee”, so a trip to Checker Auto.

Step 18: Put bolts in before installing in engine bay, holding one with the wrench. Hold just above resting position while you screw them in.

Step 19: This is the bolt I think is awful close to the belt when done. I hope it doesn’t kill the inside of my belt.

Step 20: Need your allen wrenches now.

Step 24: (VERY HARD) Need 2 people here. I put the belt on the S/C pulley and couldn’t get the idler on. Too tight. I couldn’t loosen the alternator much. It hits the A/C compressor SOON as you drop down to loosen the belt (My alternator moved less than ½”). Tried taking the belt off the S/C pulley, install the upper idler pulley, and then work the belt back on the S/C pulley. NO WORKIE! So I put the belt back on the S/C pulley, gave my helper the idler bolt and a stubby philips screwdriver, the kind you always get with a set but never use. I had him stand toward the front of the car facing back, and had him ready the bolt through the control rod from the outside, the Philips from the inside. Then I got my honkin’ 2 foot long screwdriver. I held the pulley in the frame with the belt above, the screwdriver underneath, inside the frame. Then with my right hand as fulcrum in the middle the screwdriver, I pressed down with my left hand on the handle, prying up the pulley against the belt. Up and over or back, it took a lot of pulling and pushing, but the pulley hole eventually lined up, the Philips caught the first glimpse of the pulley’s hub, pried it up so that the bolt could be inserted part way. A light tap and it was home. After getting the top idler pulley in, the bottom is easy, as it does not deflect the belt very far.

Step 25: Use your KR1. 120 lbs.

Step 29: Careful to make these zip-ties just snug, not tight, as they will easily pinch the coolant hose closed.

Step 31: Do the EBC electrical installation NOW. See EBC Section III. I just tapped the EBC Black-White ground to the TRD-supplied ground ring wire, which was connected to the Purple and White-Blue EBC wires. But then I have a manual tranny. Also, the factory Blue-Red wire in connector II2 is really Red-Blue, I think.

 

We interrupt these hints for my discussion of the EBC operation:

My evaluation of the EBC. On my manual transmission, really just the first 4 wires are involved, which I have found in the skimpy diagrams in the Haynes Repair Manual:

           

Signal

ECM Wire color

ECM Name/Pin

Haynes manual pg

+12 VDC        

Red-Blue

- -

 

Ground

White-Black

- -

 

Tachometer input         

Black-Orange

TACH / 13(A)

12-30

ACIS Valve output      

Red-Yellow

ACIS / 6(B)

12-29

Auto tranny thing 1

Purple

S1 / 11(D)

12-54

Auto tranny thing 2

Blue-Black

S2 / 17(D)

12-54

 

There is a thing on the old V6 intake called the ACIS, for Acoustic Control Induction System, which diverts the path of intake air to one of two paths, depending on engine speed. This was like two lengths of intake runners on the old TVIS 4AGE, SHO and other engines.

 

The S/C intake doesn’t have an ACIS, so the EBC uses (cannibalizes) that VSV (Vacuum Solenoid Valve) as the boost cut solenoid. What’s why you cut the wire output from the ECM that used to control the ACIS, and connect the wire driving the ACIS VSV to an output from the EBC. On the 5-speed, the only input to the EBC is the tachometer, so my guess is that all the EBC does for my 5-speed is cut the boost at 6150 rpm. You don’t want more air at fuel cut RPMs! Lean, BAD!  The EBC gets power from the II2 connector, ground from Wire #2, gets tachometer input from E7 – pin 13 and drive the ACIS solenoid with wire E8 – pin 6’s old wire. The ATX thing also cuts boost in 1st gear so it needs 2 more connections I could not decipher from the Mitchell’s I looked at in the library, in order to determine 1st gear.

 

(6/6/2001) I hooked up a light to the Red-Yellow EBC and drove. It was on (+12vdc) all the time, until I hit 6100 rpm, then it went out. Fuel cut hit at about 6250 rpm. Then the light went back on when it fell below 5900 RPM. It never went out during shifts, or at any other time.

 

Step 31: At idle the boost cut should be pulled open. (Facing the engine from the front of the car, the S/C actuator rod is pulled to the right, so that the pivot is all the way clockwise from its stop) Pull the throttle gradually by hand and watch the boost cut valve slowly close as the RPMs rise (rod moves left, valve goes counter-clockwise). This means you are getting boost. If not, check vacuum stuff, meter out the EBC wiring then go see the dealer.

Step 36: Reinstall the hood, line up the hinges to the markings, install 4 bolts, and check alignment when you close it.

Step 35: Zoom out to get your tank topped off with premium fuel before prices go any higher.

 

June 3, 2001:

Conclusion: I have been running my S/C hard now for almost a whole day. I found there was no ECM “learning” needed. Boost from day one. No pinging, even burning the 50-50 mix petrol I am running on. There is no noticeable noise either at idle, or anytime. Man that thing is quiet. I just checked the belt tension and it is 70 lbs. Originally, after running the engine for 15 minutes it went down from the original 120 to 90 lbs. Now it is at the bottom of the spec. at 70. I will keep an eye. I looked for chafing on the A/C line and wire loom and there was none. My only concern that there IS some rubber powder near the alternator pivot bolt head, so my fear that the belt is too close to that bolt may be well founded. I will take it to the TRDuh clueless dealer tomorrow and check it with their expensive Kent-Moore Tensionometer. Perhaps if I tighten up the alternator again to 80 or 90 lbs., then the belt will move farther from the pivot bolt.

 

Richard Adams

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