Short Version:Is there an easy way for a driver to tell if a supercharger is not working properly? How likely is it that a supercharger problem would not be found by the dealer if one of their vehicles were brought back several times with a complaint of "loss of power"?Full Version:We have a 2002 Xterra SE with the Super Charger. For the first couple of years that we owned this vehicle, it had lots of power and I would never have to downshift to get up a steep hill. For the last two years, the power seems to be gone. I have to downshift on steep hills. Under heavy towing loads I have to downshift on even small hills. I've had the vehicle in the garage to be checked out several times and they keep saying nothing is wrong. I'm posting this now because I made a drive yesterday that involved several steep hills and got reminded again just how much power the Xterra has lost since it was new. The lack of power isn't really very noticeable driving around the city or on flat roads. I'm wondering if the problem could be the supercharger? If the supercharger were not operating properly, would the driver be able to tell? Would the symptoms be what I'm experiencing? Is it possible that a bad supercharger might not have been detected by the Nissan dealer on those occasions that I have had the Xterra in for this lose of power problem? The dealer has never found anything wrong. They say everything is OK but I know it's not. The 5-yr extended warranty will soon expire. That's another reason for me posting now. BTW, All the 'normal' things have already been replaced, like spark plugs, wires, filters, etc. The dealer has never mentioned the supercharger, however, so that's why I'm focusing on it here as the possible problem. Any and all advice/comments appreciated.

It's quite possible for the dealers techs to not find any number ofproblems, many (certainly not all) are not particularly good these days.First and foremost contact the manufacturer directly and be prepared togive them the details of the various visits for service. They may havebetter information in their database or information that the dealer'stechs missed. They may also be able to provide other assistance inresolving the problem. An engine with a supercharger can be pretty complex, particularly thecontrols for it. There are any number of problems that could cause it tomalfunction, particularly bad sensors that may not have fully failedenough to flag a fault and would only be found by someone who knows whatthey are doing looking at recorded scan data from a test drive.Good luck.Pete C.

ID'ing a bad Supercharger?

Aug 12, 2006 21 Replies

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jntxas 19 years ago

I'll be interested to hear what you find out- I have a 2001 S/C Froniter Crew Cab 4X4 with the same problems. I have a 4cyl car that seems to have more power than this truck!. Let me know what you figure out.

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Mardon 19 years ago

It turned out that the problem was a bad knock sensor. Apparently the engine light does not come on for this type of failure. It took a long time to get the part delivered to the local dealer. It's been about 2 weeks since the new sensor was installed and the power is back to where it should be. The new knock sensor fixed the problem.

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