What can cause my G-lader to fail and what can I do about it? We will try to cover some of the reasons that they fail as well as what you can do to prevent it.

From the original design, the G-lader was never engineered to operate over 14,800 rpms. With a stock pulley, the G-lader typically has an average life of 75-100k miles before a rebuild is needed. Many people do not have them rebuilt at this time and go for 120-150k+ miles before finally having it rebuilt. The problem is that even though the car still runs ok, the wear on the displacer may cause it to be not usable in a rebuild.

When replacing the stock pulley with a smaller aftermarket pulley damage can occur because the displacer and seals can exceed the manufacturers maximum rpm limit. If you decide to upgrade to a smaller diameter pulley, it is recommended to stay away from high rpm driving as much as possible. Excessively high rpms is the most common reason for premature failure on a G-lader. Missing a shift or a continuous run at high rpm's can result in a failure. A common problem that high rpm running also can cause is when the displacer seal fails or gets dislodged. The problem was so common that the Ralleye Group A G-lader used 4 bolts on each seal to hold them in. With proper installation procedures we do not see this problem on street use G-laders.

As an example, when I was in Germany at TEC, I saw a brand new charger that have been fitted with a 68mm pulley that was destroyed. It had a hole in the top casing because the displacer's extender bearing melted - which causes the entire extended area to snap and leave the charger blow away through the top of the case. In Germany high rpm driving is quite normal and the high rpm over running of the G-lader is more of a concern.

The most common failure on the G-lader is when the displacer main bearing starts to wear, the displacer then starts to move left and right instead of just in a circular motion. This extra movement causes extra wear on the sealing strips of the displacer as well as the housings. In the worst case scenario, the displacer sealing surface will get worn down so much that it is deemed unuseable. Many times the wear is so bad that the displacer contacts the housing and breaks the displacer.

New Dimensions receives quite a few chargers with notes saying "My charger is running good, no noticeable noises, just have low boost and want it rebuilt". Simple right? Well, when we open the charger, the displacer sealing surface is worn so much, that the displacer actually has to be replaced. The problem is that the displacer bearing doesn't make a real noticeable noise like the housing bearings do.

Open air filters are also a problem, not just because they suck in hot air, but because they make a low growl tone. The sound is a plus to some, but a real negative because you will not be able to hear the bearings at the start of their failure process until it is too late.

From personal experience, I had an open air filter and I didn't hear the bearing noise until it was too late. I had total bearing failure and my charger destroyed itself from the inside out. If I had the factory airbox then I might have avoided this catastrophe.

Foreign material is also a problem, more with the paper filters than the aftermaket high flow filters. There have been cases where there was a hole in the filter and dust and dirt has ruined the seals and the sealing surface. There has even been a case where a piece of the airbox broke off and was sucked in breaking the displacer. Always be sure the sealing of the filter is very good. TEC recommends the stock filter or a K&N replacement filter.

Not so common but not out of the question, is the breaking of a small alignment belt that keeps the two shafts in sequence. It is recommended to change this belt every 50-60k or if you have noticeable cracks or broken teeth.

There are other things that can ruin a G-lader, the most common is overspeeding and neglected care. So clean your filter, change your oil often, don't over-rev and try not to miss a shift. If you hear funny noises coming from the charger area, try not to drive it and have it checked out by a reputable VW specialist. If you do all of those things, you can help prevent a major problem in the future.

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