Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Info: M62/M62TU VF Supercharger kit part number interchange - belts & tensioners

  1. #1
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1

    Info: M62/M62TU VF Supercharger kit part number interchange - belts & tensioners

    I know this is only of interest to the few M6x supercharger guys however the info isn't on the internet AFAIK and I wanted to get it out there - been meaning to post this for ages but just getting a few minutes to get around to it.

    When I got my used VF kit the belt was jumping ribs on the inside and rubbing on the housing, and although the tensioner appeared to be perfectly fine, I decided to change it to be sure, in case it was flexing under movement in a way that didn't show up in static alignment checks. Therefore I decided to replace the belt and tensioner, and in fact that completely resolved the issue.

    However, once I started to get into it, as usual VF wouldn't return my calls or emails since I was a 'used kit owner' who they obviously do not like to deal with and generally ignore and refuse to talk to (and they'd probably charge $900 for a tensioner anyway...), therefore I had a close look at the tensioner. It immediately became apparent that the part is some generic OEM part.

    Tensioner:

    After much digging and inspecting of pictures I determined the M62 kit tensioner that VF uses is a GM part from a Vortech Gen 1+ V8 L31 5.7L. Ex: '99 Escalade etc. However they replace the pulley with their own custom item for which I have no replacement. More on that at the end.

    The best part I found was a Dayco 89231 which is available almost anywhere for $30-40 - Summit, etc. My local Advanced Auto even had it on the shelf retail.

    There is also a Gates model however I found this didn't fit properly - due to the design it won't take the VF pulley in place of the OEM. This is the Gates 38103 but is also marketed as Goodyear 49203 and will not fit.

    However the Dayco is excellent and is exactly what VF sources. You remove the OEM pulley and replace with the VF and you are all set.




    Belt:

    The VF provided belt is a Gatorback 6PK1470 / 4060578, however A. seems like maybe this has been discontinued, and also however B. this belt is ridiculously tight, at least on my car, and makes install/removal almost impossible. Not only that but a lot of the domestic blower guys aren't huge fans of the Gatorback belt for whatever reason, even though it seems to be reasonable quality.

    With some more research I turned up a Gates "Greenstripe" Fleetliner K060586HD belt that is an industrial trucking belt. This is an excellent heavy-duty extreme-condition belt and is just slightly easier to fit while still being snug. However it does need to be ordered through special channels it seems.

    This isn't this exact one, obv is some random innerwebz pic but shows what the greenstripes look like... It has been flawless and after 7-8k miles shows no signs of wear or slipping, highly recommended.



    A more available option is a Dayco Polyrib 5060578 which others seem very happy with. You can also get a Gatorback that is a longer that will work, but starts to look a little too long and therefore might not crank the tensioner quite as firmly so I think the Gates and Dayco options are best.

    Pulley:

    The VF pulley itself may be a custom item or it may be sourced from another supplier as a 'generic' item, but I couldn't easily find a replacement for it.

    That said, it is a big beefy rock solid chuck of stainless with a bearing pressed inside, and essentially it's nearly impossible to damage the outer pulley, therefore unless you lose it, all you need to do is to press a new bearing inside. The bearing is a generic 6203 size, and although it's relatively sheltered inside the pulley and tensioner when installed, ideally should either be a ZZ or a 2RS spec (aka 6203-ZZ / 6203-2RS) so as to have both sides sealed. This is readily available a million places on the internet for a few bucks, and one can easily take the circlip out, press out the old bearing, and press in a new one. Honestly this was probably not necessary, I doubt if I had any issue w/ the pulley/bearing but I did it anyway to be comprehensive...

    After all of the above, my setup is running great - anybody with similar belt alignment/jumping issues should toss a quick $50 at the problem and see if it sorts it out.

    I know this is for limited audience but HTH for the VF blower kit guys who need parts at some point...
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Lansdale, Pa
    Posts
    7,043
    My Cars
    98 540 6, SC'ed, 16psi
    Hey GG,
    thanks for posting this. My belt just started jumping to the inside last week. I put on another new poly rib and that's doing well. I will try the greenstripe next based on your reccomendo.

    I still want to try a flat pulley instead of the VF piece with the side flanges. I was considering removing the flanges on a lathe, but would rather find a new flat pulley to try so I could switch back if needed. Did any of the pullies on the new tesioners look like they would fit and are flat?

    Hope all is good with the tour. Happy new years too.
    Last edited by philly98540; 01-01-2015 at 11:43 AM.
    98 540i 6, 525 whp, 120 mph 1/4, V3 Si S/C'er @16 psi, W/A I/C, Water/Meth, Supersprint Headers, HJS Cats, 3" Custom Exhaust, UUC Twin Disc, Wavetrac LSD, GC Coil Overs, Monoball TA, AEM FP, Aeromotive FPR, AEM Failsafe AFR/Boost, Style 65's w/275's, M5 Steering Box, Eibach Sways, M3 Shifter, Evans Coolant, 85 Deg Stat, PWM Fan, 10" Subs, B.A. speakers, Grom Aux/BT, Still Rolling as my DD!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Marin,Ca.
    Posts
    457
    My Cars
    4.9L 540i/Porsche 997
    Thanks for the info on the belts. I will also try a Greenstripe.

  4. #4
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Chris - the tensioners all come with inside-side pulleys aka ribbed not smooth backside pulleys like we need. But you could probably take the VF part to a machinist and get a copy made w/o the ridges pretty easily....
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Bucks County, PA
    Posts
    773
    My Cars
    '15 MB GL
    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Chris - the tensioners all come with inside-side pulleys aka ribbed not smooth backside pulleys like we need. But you could probably take the VF part to a machinist and get a copy made w/o the ridges pretty easily....
    Give Metco or superchargersonline a call. They both stock all size idler and tensioner pulleys.

  6. #6
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Quote Originally Posted by redfoot View Post
    Give Metco or superchargersonline a call. They both stock all size idler and tensioner pulleys.
    Good call. SCOL has a whole page of stuff. Ideally you'd walk into their place in CA and match up what we need but you might be able to measure the bearing offset and size etc. and figure out what might work...

    http://www.superchargersonline.com/i...=510_1071_1072
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Ashgabat
    Posts
    841
    My Cars
    e36 v8 Turbo HX-40
    Is there interchangeable internal seals & bearings?
    e39 540i 6speed Supercharged,
    E36 v8 m62 with m60 headers, Turbp HX-40 0.6-0.5bar or 9psi, custom exhaust & Turbo manifold, injectors 440cc, ECU Invent EMS-2, Mishimoto Intercooler and oilcooler, etc…

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Posts
    2
    My Cars
    540i6 VF SC - e46 m3
    Just wanted to share my experience here as well. I had a tapping noise on my vf supercharged 540i when the engine was under load below 800rpm. This was with a brand new tensioner as well. Shoutout to Geargrinder for discovering the tensioner was a generic part, as mine was shot when I obtained my used vf kit. So the tapping was due to the sc belt being to large at 1493mm - (58.8").

    I ended up using a Bando 6pk1480 micro rib poly v belt. Pretty hard belt to find, but can be found online. Worked out perfectly, 1480mm effective length is the perfect length for our setup. The stock belts which are waaay too tight are around 1465mm. The 1480mm belt went on without trouble, and has the tensioner using about half of its extension. I only have 5 miles on it currently, so time will tell the quality of this belt.

    Hope this helps anyone else in the future!

  9. #9
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    AndoverRockport MA & Intl
    Posts
    14,856
    My Cars
    E46M3Cic E39.540iT E84X1
    Nice! Yeah the argument for "longer-better!" is a hard one with a lotta backyard types who are convinced tighter tighter is better better. Wrap baby, wrap!
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
    2002 540iT Sport Vortech S/C 6MT LSD TiAg
    2008 Audi A3 2.0T DSG (the daily beater)
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i (wifemobile)

    Former:

    1985 MB Euro graymarket 300SL
    1995.5 Audi S6 Avant (utility/winter billetturbobattlewagen)


Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •