Lightning Upper Pulley

[jeffhou]

For all of you doing the upper pulley mod, does pulling the pulley off result in any damage to the nose of the blower? I had a 2000 Lightning but I went with the lower pulley because I read that the upper can cause damage to the bearings/snout. I never considered the upper after that, until just now when I came home with my cobra

This is the lightning's article:

"Unlike ALL other Eaton blowers that use a keywayed blower shaft, the Eaton M112 used on the Lightning has a PRESSED on blower pulley, not a slip on pulley held in place with a keyway. Using a puller to remove and install the upper pulley can damage the blower snout, and many owners have already had to purchase new blower snouts because of this. Because of this exact problem, some shops will remove the blower snout and remove and install the aftermarket upper pulley with a press, but this also is not a good idea. According to both Eaton and Magnuson (the only Eaton authorized remanufacturer), to press the pulley on and off an M112 snout, requires a special tool that fits inside the snout, and supports the shaft bearing from within. This is the only proper way to remove and replace an M112 pulley, and unfortunately only Eaton and Magnuson have this tool. Using a shop press to do the pulley swap works, but will still damage the shaft bearing and cause premature snout failure down the line. "

Thanks for the input/help guys! :rolling:

 

[jeffhou]

ttt :beer:

 

[ArizonaSnake]

Hmmm I don't know what to tell you exactly. As with most things there seems to be folks with differing opinions.

I'm getting my gear from South Florida Pulley. They have a puller tool that is supposed to work fine. I am counting that Terry has plenty of experience with this and is steering me correctly.

 

[slythetove]

Wow this is interesting reading... especially considering the number of uppers swapped by members here.

Anyone worried about this?

 

[VintagePorscheG]

The Pontiac Grand Prix has had the same type pulley since the fall of 1996 with the 1997 Grand Prix GTP....

These guys have been changing that pulley for 6 years the same way we change ours...

Early people that didn't use the pullers like we have now had these issues decribed in your article.

The most important thing is to get the best puller you can and use lots of the gold colored lube that comes with it...

 

[Hunter]

Which is the best puller? SFPH or Amazon? I heard that Amazon's is really heavy duty.

 

[BOOOOST]

I'm REALLY shocked that the majority of '03 Cobra owners are swapping snout pulleys and not lowers. It's been known for quite some time that swapping the upper increases risk of damage.

95% of Lightning owners, if not more, swap the lower, and the lower on the Lightning is more time consuming to swap than the '03 Cobra lower because of the cage being on the outside of the Lightning lower s/c pulley, and not around the main crank pulley like the Cobra's, plus to hold the Lightning's crank in place, so you can bust loose the factory main pulley bolt, you have to lock the transmission up by temp. installing a metal flywheel strap.

Regardless, IMHO, the lower on a Lightning is a very simple swap, esp. once you've done it once. From start to finish it takes about 30 to 45 min. working diligently. It takes all but 15 min. to swap from a 4# to a 6# lower on a Lightning, since most manfacturers do not reuse the factory cage (it's not really needed , honestly).

What makes it a bad thing to install the lower on a Cobra? The only thing I can think of is the alternator, but trust me, that's not a concern with these either, IMHO. The best thing about the lower is the fact that you will not have belt slip. So I see no better reason not to do it, besides those who are price conscious.

 

[Hunter]

Everything I read made the lower pulley swap sound like a hard job on the '03 Cobras.

 

[FlashSVT]

What makes it a bad thing to install the lower on a Cobra?

Not an easy task in comparison to the 10min job the upper takes.

 

[T3 Cobra]

Hey guys the upper pulley change over is EASY if you take your time.
Here is a link I have posted before with some tips for those who have the fear.

http://web.rbnet.com/~mikeday/Pulleymadness.htm


Good Luck

:beer:

 

[VintagePorscheG]

I'm REALLY shocked that ... It's been known for quite some time that ... increases risk of damage.

Driving it in traffic increases risk of damage more.

 

[08snake]

I took my time swapping the upper using the Puller from Amazon Racing and it took me approx. 30 minutes start to finish. That puller is very heavy duty and works like a dream. No give, no bend. I have heard of ASP and other brands bending and breaking. I have since swapped two lightning uppers and another upper on an 03. I had no issues with any of them(thank goodness). Also did a lower swap on another 03. It wasn't that difficult. Took about 1 1/2 as long as you have access to a lift.

 

[lguerra1]

Originally posted by BNASPLT
I'm REALLY shocked that the majority of '03 Cobra owners are swapping snout pulleys and not lowers. It's been known for quite some time that swapping the upper increases risk of damage.

95% of Lightning owners, if not more, swap the lower, and the lower on the Lightning is more time consuming to swap than the '03 Cobra lower because of the cage being on the outside of the Lightning lower s/c pulley, and not around the main crank pulley like the Cobra's, plus to hold the Lightning's crank in place, so you can bust loose the factory main pulley bolt, you have to lock the transmission up by temp. installing a metal flywheel strap.

Regardless, IMHO, the lower on a Lightning is a very simple swap, esp. once you've done it once. From start to finish it takes about 30 to 45 min. working diligently. It takes all but 15 min. to swap from a 4# to a 6# lower on a Lightning, since most manfacturers do not reuse the factory cage (it's not really needed , honestly).

What makes it a bad thing to install the lower on a Cobra? The only thing I can think of is the alternator, but trust me, that's not a concern with these either, IMHO. The best thing about the lower is the fact that you will not have belt slip. So I see no better reason not to do it, besides those who are price conscious.

Keep in mind that the Lightning stock comes with a 2.93 pulley, so there is not much more in terms of a smaller pulley. That is one of the main reasons people elect to do a large lower pulley on the lightning.

On the Cobra however, the upper is very large, so there are many different boost levels one can attain with any desired pulley. I understand your reasoning with the lower, and I am not knocking either, however the rash of upper replacements should not come to you as a suprise, when you simply look at the sizes.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

I'd imagine replacing the whole snout would negate any problems faced on the bearings? This is the more costly approach, however the one Im looking at taking.

Id imagine the lower setup would be easier to explain to a dealer as well as making it harder for others to notice?

 

[HotRodHarry]

Originally posted by ArizonaSnake
Hmmm I don't know what to tell you exactly. As with most things there seems to be folks with differing opinions.

I'm getting my gear from South Florida Pulley. They have a puller tool that is supposed to work fine. I am counting that Terry has plenty of experience with this and is steering me correctly.

Yep..Terry knows.

I bought that ASP Pulley Puller from him and have his interchangeable pulley setup(says JDM on it though). High quality stuff. Just take you time getting it off. And when you put it back on...leave off that little washer ...gets in the way of being able to press the hub on to its original location(make a note of how far the stock pulley is on the hub).

Harry Mager
www.HotRodHarrys.com

 

[T3 Cobra]

Originally posted by HotRodHarry
Yep..Terry knows.

I bought that ASP Pulley Puller from him and have his interchangeable pulley setup(says JDM on it though). High quality stuff. Just take you time getting it off. And when you put it back on...leave off that little washer ...gets in the way of being able to press the hub on to its original location(make a note of how far the stock pulley is on the hub).

Harry Mager
www.HotRodHarrys.com

Harry how do like that idler pulley that looks like our 03 cobra wheel?
Did you get the 100mm size to go with the stock lower idlers?