Max Power
June 2001

Supercharge This
PES Cranks the Power on the 30V 2.8L V-6

ink & pics: Philip Royle

MAX Facts: PES G2 Supercharger for 30V V-6 Audi and Volkswagen Engines
MSRP: $4,995
Additional Info: If you already own the first-generation PES 2.8L V-6 supercharger. PES will knock $2,000 off the G2 kit price for sending in your old kit. You'll also need to start using 92-octane on the street and 100-octane in racetrack situations.
Shameless Plugs:
Performance Engineered Systems, Toll-Free 877/697-1688
Velocity Sport Tuning, 310/952-0003
Additional Plug:
R&D Dyno, 310/516-1003

How does 256 hp to the wheels sound? To us, it sounded like two tires grasping for traction in some weak attempt to propel three nuts down the road at near mach speeds. Unfortunately, although the '98 30v 2.8L V-6 Passat had recently acquired a second-generation PES supercharger, the reassuring while of the blower was not present to mask the screech of the tires. Instead, we were left to contemplate morality in silence.

Not that silence is a bad thing. PES, in its infinite search for perfection, went back to he drawing board after designing its original supercharger for the 30v engine found in VWs and Audis, to create a near-silent supercharger kit. The original supercharger design, dubbed the G1, required the Eaton supercharger to be placed where the factory air box was located. As the supercharger was positioned almost in a different zip code from the engine, an extensive piping and belt system was designed. The result was a very impressive horsepower gain, but the side effect of the piping, belt design, and utilization of the third-generation 211 lb-ft at 5,500 rpm, but that wasn't the best part. Not only had peak torque jumped nearly 300 LB-ft, but where the stock engine had peaked at 3,200 rpm, the supercharged engine was at its lowest point pulling 187 LB-ft Where the old engine's torque varied as much as 40 LB-ft from peak to trough, the supercharged engine had a range of 24 LB-ft, resulting in the car pulling hard off the line and carrying that pull hard well into the red.

In the mean time it took us to get to Fatburger and back for lunch, Mike Nuske pretty much had the kit installed; in the time it took us to eat our Big Fat Meal, Mike was heading back to the dyno for the second set of runs. That's not to say this kit is a breeze to install—Mike did, after all, design the kit—but it is almost simple enough that anyone with a slight grasp of engine mechanics and a hefty constitution for removing vacuum lines could do the job. Installation takes about six hours, so plan for a full day of wrenching, but the entire install is completed from the topside of the engine, so lift of jack stands are needed. Follow along as tried to keep up with Mike and his blazingly fast hands.

Remove the ECU from the car, and mail it to PES for the GIAC chip upgrade, making sure to insure the package for its full value.

Let the engine cool, and disconnect the negative battery cable. Remove the factory plastic covers from the engine.

Remove the airbox ducts and the PCV tube from the passenger-side valve cover. Remove the flexible air intake duct.

Remove the four bolts that hold the ignition coil in place. Disconnect the six plug wires at the ignition coil, noting which cable is connected to which plug on the coil. Leaving the main electrical connector attached, move the coil to the side for later use.

Disconnect the two vacuum lines from the right side solenoid. Remove the two screws that hold the solenoid to the plastic mount, and move the loose solenoid to the side. Disconnect the intake air temperature sensor connector, and disconnect the left side solenoid in the same fashion as the right-side solenoid. slide the plenum control hose out of the way. Disconnect the green hose arm the Y-connector, and disconnect the black hose from the T-connector.

Unclip the six fuel injector electrical connectors, and then remove the four screws holding the fuel rail in place. Pull up on the fuel rail to remove it from the intake manifold—the injectors are connected to the fuel rail. Some fuel will drain from the fuel rail, but the paper towels will absorb most of the fuel. One fuel has stopped dripping from the fuel rail, set the rail aside, keeping paper towels under the fuel rail to catch any excess fuel.

Disconnect the electrical connector from the throttle body. Unplug the PCV tube from the intake pipe. Using a hex wrench, remove the screw holding the intake tube onto the throttle body. Use a 10mm open-end wrench to prevent the center section from rotating. Next, remove the intake tube and gasket from the throttle body. Unbolt the four bolts holding the throttle body onto the intake manifold. Disconnect the two rubber hoses from the rear of the intake manifold. Disconnect the throttle body cable and the two screws holding the cruise control pot in position.

Remove the 12 screws holding the intake manifold in place, then remove the intake manifold, the two nylon manifold alignment pins, and the two rubber seals from the bottom of the intake manifold. At this point, the intake ports will be exposed, so take extra care around the engine, making sure nothing falls into he ports.

Loosen the three power steering pulley bolts, then remove the fan and the power steering pulley. Replace the power steering hose with the supplied hose. When the factory hose is removed, some power steering fluid will spill out. Place paper towels below the hose to catch excess fluid.

Remove the power steering pump-bracket form the engine block, and disconnect the power steering high-pressure line bracket on the valve cover. The power steering pump can now be pivoted, and the stock power steering pump bracket can be removed and discarded.

Using the power steering pump bracket supplied by PES, reattach the power steering pump to the engine with the supplied bolts, making sure all bolts are tight. The power steering pump will sit slightly lower and to the left (Looking at the engine.—MAX) of its stock position, allowing clearance for the supercharger pulley.

Bend the power steering high-pressure hose back into position so it can be reconnected to the valve cover, and reconnect the power steering pulley.
Insert the rubber seals removed from the factory intake manifold into the grooves on the bottom-side of the PES intake manifold. For ease of installation, place a little grease on the rubber seal to keep it in place while attaching the new intake manifold.

Clean the engine surfaces, making sure not to knock any debris in to the intake ports, and lower the PES intake manifold onto the engine. Tighten the manifold down with the 14 sockethead cap screws and washers supplied by PES. Make sure to tighten each bolt evenly and tightly.
Place a small amount of sealant onto the throttle body, where it will join the manifold and reattach the throttle body. Note, do not overtighten the throttle body bolts.

Reattach the brake booster and the throttle-cable assembly by carefully feeding the throttle cable through the hole in the cruise-control mount bracket. Have someone push the accelerator to the floor, while you adjust the length of the throttle cable, so the cable doesn't bind or create too muck tension on the throttle body. throttle cable adjustments are made by moving the throttle cable retaining clip. After that, reattach the cruise control pot to the cruise control mounting bracket. Reattach the intake tube to the throttle body.

Lubricate the O-rings of the new fuel injectors with petroleum jelly, and seat all six in their holes in the intake manifold. Line up the fuel rail with the injectors, and press down on the fuel rail. Note, if an injector is not aligned correctly, fuel will begin to leak once the car is running.
Position the four 2-inch long spacers between the fuel rail tabs and the bosses on the manifold. Line up the ignition coil support brackets with the top of the fuel rail, and secure them into place using the four supplied head head cap screws and washers.

Reconnect the six-injector electrical connectors, as well as the throttle body electrical connector, intake air temperature sensor, and the left-side solenoid electrical connector.

Bolt the ignition back into the PES bracket above he supercharger with the three supplied screws. The plastic outer sheath around the coil pack may need to be trimmed to allow enough rear movement.

Using the vacuum hose coming off the left side of the supercharger, attach the fuel pressure regulator, and then the vacuum hose to the fuel pressure regulator. Reattach the crank case vent tube to he passenger side valve cover.

Because the ignition coil has been relocated, not all spark plug wires will reach the ignition coil. In order to solve this, swap the number one cylinder wire with the number three wire. After that, reconnect all the spark plug wires.

Install the new fan belt. The new belt will follow the path the original belt took, except the belt will also wrap around the supercharger pulley.
Reinstall all the intake ducting, reconnecting the ECU once its returned from PES, and reconnect the negative battery terminal. The plastic engine covers may be reused, but they will require massive trimming for them to fit around the supercharger. We chose not to reinstall the plastic covers.
Inspected the engine compartment for any tools. Once everything is clear form the engine bay, turn the key to the "on" position. If the check engine light doesn't illuminate, call PES. If the check engine light comes on, crank the engine. The engine may not turn over the first time, as the fuel line was opened. Once enough fuel pressure has been built, the engine will start. Check fir fuel and power steering leaks under the hood.