Powerdyne BD10 Volute to Case boost leak

[Creaver]

Hi all,

I have a supercharged E34 540i running a Powerdyne BD10 supercharger. I have just got the car running and was told the kit is supposedly running 8psi pulleys. Upon getting the car running and testing it is running ~5psi.

I have pressurised the system and appear to be leaking boost between the volute and case of the supercharger. I have separated the two and to my surprise there is no gasket or o-ring sealing them, please see pictures below.

Is there meant to be a gasket or o-ring, my googling has come up short. Surely they aren't meant to be assembled metal-metal?

Any insight or guidance would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Ian

IMG_0923.jpgIMG_0922.jpgIMG_0921.jpg

[Braymond141]

There is no oring but you can add one if it fits. The last BD-11 I rebuilt had an annoyingly tight fit with no seal.

I regularly get Vortechs with no seals. As far as I know they are supposed to have them.

[Creaver]

Thanks Braymond. There is a generic seal shop nearby by so will give them a crack tomorrow and see what they can supply to fit/work.

[wgknestrick]

You need a machine shop to cut a female Oring groove into the compressor housing recess. Just ensure they are following the Parker guide per static groove dimensions. Probably going to cost a hundro or so to really fix though. Oring will last forever and give best seal. Metal on metal seals are great if the machining is true, flat, and leaves a smooth surface, but that isn't always the case.


If you are a super cheapo, then try a thin, thin coat of Hondabond on the sealing face. Just be sure not to let any creep out towards the wheel. I'd keep this isolated in the corner of the spot face bore. The problem with this is you cant remove the housing without ruining the seal, and cleaning that shit out is a PITA to reapply.

PTFE pipe thread sealant may also work (and not have the curing problems of Hondabond), but I'm unsure of the temp environment of the SC. It may be close to liquefying the sealant. This is easily cleaned off if it doesn't work though. The PTFE particles can stand the temp, but the binder may not. Again, don't get ANY on the wheel as you will cause an imbalance.