96 riv supercharger not working?

I just got this car, engine has about 80k on it. Last night I was driving around and it was running awesome and had pretty impressive power. On the last drive of the night I had the SES light come on, code was o2 sensor bank 1 slow response. I cleared the code and parked it. Now today, it runs fine but feels like the supercharger isnt kicking in. It doesnt have the massive power anymore. I can hear the whine of it, no more codes came up, checked vacuum lines, looked at the active sensors and everythign looked normal. also the belt looks ok. It did this once before when I floored it, it took a second for the SC to kick in but this time I have nothing. ANY help would be appreciated. This is really bumming me out.

And the bypass valve thing seems to be working. When you hit the gas the lever flips down.

There's a reason the SES light came on for the O2.....slow response. You cannot physically see a "slow response" with a cheap scan tool. The O2 directly controls fueling for the engine. Chances are, it's malfunctioning. Have it fixed. Simply clearing a code that showed up (unless you unplugged something with the Key ON) isn't going to remedy anything.

In rare instances, the Cat may be clogged. Either way, have it checked out.

The 02 sensor was unplugged when I got it, plugged it in, ran good for a few days then ever since the "slow to respond" it was gutless. So I unplugged it and now it seems to go good again.Ill get a new one on monday Do you guys run premium gas? Does it make a difference? I also need to figure out why my radiator fans dont work. It got over 200 idling in drive-thru yesterday..and oh yeah, where is the pump for the air shocks located? I couldnt find it. Thanks for your help

Chadman906 wrote:

The 02 sensor was unplugged when I got it, plugged it in, ran good for a few days then ever since the "slow to respond" it was gutless. So I unplugged it and now it seems to go good again.Ill get a new one on monday Do you guys run premium gas? Does it make a difference? I also need to figure out why my radiator fans dont work. It got over 200 idling in drive-thru yesterday..and oh yeah, where is the pump for the air shocks located? I couldnt find it. Thanks for your help

You should run only premium gas. At least 91 octane I believe is the minimum.

Over 200°F sounds about normal I think for idling. I've gotten over 200 a few times. I swear I read somewhere on here that the fans don't come on until 220°, but that might not be right or I have the wrong number stuck in my head.

You shouldn't run without the O2 sensor hooked up. The PCM has no idea if the engine is running lean or rich.

By default the fans don't come on low until at least 205, and you need a scan tool to tell what the PCM really sees from the sensor - the dash gauge is a bit vague. If you drive it until it's hot, then let it idle and open the hood, do the fans eventually come on? Does the temp go even higher? The needle needs to move a bit more towards hot than centered before the fans kick in.

If you turn the A/C on do the fans come on?

Yes, 200* is normal. The fans don't kick on until ~220* or so. The Rivi, in stock trim, will run around 200* all day, and see as high as 220* sitting at idle for longer periods of time.

The rear self leveling compressor is behind the RR wheel....between the spare tire well and the quarter panel. It's not easy to find while the car is on the ground.

Well guys, thanks for all the advice. Now its acting funny again. When I tromped it down I could tell it wasnt kicking any boost and then all of a sudden it kicked in and I felt the big power increase. What would cause that? It has an AC delete pulley on it, when i put it to 60 the fans dont come on. Im sure its nothing to worry about. Im just worried about the SC sometimes not kicking in

Chadman906 wrote:

Well guys, thanks for all the advice. Now its acting funny again. When I tromped it down I could tell it wasnt kicking any boost and then all of a sudden it kicked in and I felt the big power increase. What would cause that? It has an AC delete pulley on it, when i put it to 60 the fans dont come on. Im sure its nothing to worry about. Im just worried about the SC sometimes not kicking in

Installing a boost gauge is very easy. That way, you will know whether or not the engine is going into boost. Is the transmission downshifting when you tromp on it?

The PCM advances ignition timing until it sees engine knock, then it retards timing to protect the engine. If you run low octane fuel, the engine will knock, and the computer will pull timing up to the limit. Running low octane fuel and then beating on the car is a good way to frag a piston or knock the rod bearings out of it. I wouldn't do that if I was you.

I found the issue. It is the bypass valve was sometimes not opening all the way. In fact, even when it was working, it never kicked the little lever all the way down. So i disconnected it, plugged vacuum line and had to physically push down the lever the rest of the way, I drove it around for a bit and it was fine. Im guessing I shouldnt drive it around in full boost mode so I put it back until the part comes in from Rock Auto. Its going to be tough running 92, its like 4.11 a gallon. Cant I just use octane boost? Im an old chevy guy, not used to this newer computer controlled stuff too much. Thanks for all of your help. This is my winter car but I still want it to run right. Car is beautiful, no rust but the cradle mounts were totally screwed(bolts stripped, bushings shot) so I had to weld thick steel plates from the cradle to the body in 4 spots, holding up good so far. Thanks again. I super appreciate it!

I looked harder at changing the o2 sensor, DAMN it doesnt look easy. Theres the cruise control servo and other stuff on the firewall that make it difficult to get in there. The new sensor is 22mm and my 7/8 o2 sensor socket doesnt fit. If I only had a garage and it wasnt 41 degrees out.

Octane boost is useless. If you look at the back of the container, it raises the octane 2 or 3 points. That is tenths of an octane number. So if you started with 87, you'd get 87.3 octane. It's cheaper to buy the 93.

Changing the O2 sensor might be easier from below.

Ahh, didnt know that about octane boost. Good to know. I did get the o2 sensor changed with a wrench from above, wasnt easy but it seems to run better now. Now I just need that boost actuator since its not opening the valve all the way..about 3/4 of the way only...or is this normal? Such a performance difference when the engine is at about 160 compared to when its up near 200, like night and day! Thanks for all your help