Me again,

Should a person be able to move the actuator arm some when it connected on both ends , wastegate on one end and the actuator on the other? I reached back and tried to move the actuator arm , hard as hell to move , just a bit.

I disconnected the line going to the actuator and put a hand held pump in its place. I applied 20 lbs of pressure and nothing moved. How much pressure does it take to get the actuator arm to move and how much does it usually move?

 

Pressure at actuator to open wastegate = 12psi so i dont think you can move the arm by hand! just my 2 cents!

 

If you clamp the actuator rod with vice grips, and move it in the direction towards the turbo, the rod should move about 1/4" using moderate force, and the wastegate will open a corresponding amount.

Click here to see a pic of the wastegate... Click for full size image

 

Me again ,

OK heres the deal , how much hand pump pressure do I need to apply to the actuator to make a determination that it is definately bad , without any doubts. The replacement oem is very expensive and I just wanna make sure. The hanes manual says 5lbs and ive heard other amounts on here. Does anybody know for sure the actual pass or fail pressure test on the actuator???????????

 

What actually is wrong with yours if you don't mind me asking?

 

Me Again,
Like i said before , Truck is acting sluggish and feels like turbo not working much , lack of boost. I have tried all of the replies I have recieved on here and thanks , still have the prob. My friend looked at it and went right to the wasteage valve and said that he thought it seemed not to be working correctly. I got a repair manual on my truck and it said to apply 5lbs of pressure to the diafram with a hand pump and the actuator arm should move some and stay moved. I went down to auto zone and rented a hand pump and disconnected the line going into the actuator. I applied 5lbs of pressure and notta , nothing moved . I increased the pressure and I think it might of moved about a 1/8 of a inch , if that.

 

Exhaust system tight? No leaks?

 

Look in my tech gallery for a pic of a dissassembled WGA. the spring inside is a 35-37 # spring (compression collapse). The red line routinely provides a puff of 5-7PSI to HELP collapse the spring in conjuction with the force being applied to it from the Exhaust gasses on the drive side of the turbo. As was stated above you should be able to see a slight movement just by pulling with your hand (it is a progressive rate cone spring).

I am with Dan I think you have an exhaust uppipe leak

 

Are you applying Vacuum or Pressure with your hand pump? Remember, the actuator rod moves away from the diaphram and toward the turbo.

 

As I posted previously, why do you think having your wastegate clamped tightly closed by a defective actuator would cause your symptom of sluggish performance? Now if your wastegate was opening too soon, that would cause your symptom, but not the other way around.

I'd be looking for leaks in the up-pipes to the turbo, or in the CAC system, and also check the turbo compressor wheel to make sure it spins freely and doesn't have excessive end or side play. Also check the hose from the spider to the MAP sensor for leaks.

 

Thanks for the reply , I will check those . What is CAC?

 

The CAC is the Charge Air Cooling system, from the rubber boot that attaches to the turbo outlet, through the intercooler, to the intake manifold, and then the two rubber boots that connect to each plenum on the cylinder heads. Check the tightness of the clamps at each connection junction to see if any are loose, but don't over tighten them. If there's any leaks in the CAC, your boost will leak out and you'll get sluggish performance.

Also check the small 1/4" diameter hose from the intake manifold to the MAP sensor for any cracks that might cause a leak. The MAP sensor sends the boost data to the PCM, and if there's a leak in this hose the PCM won't fuel properly and you'll get sluggish performance. A bad MAP sensor is also consistent with your symptom.

Finally, pull the rubber boot from the turbo inlet, and check the turbo compressor wheel to make sure it spins freely and doesn't have excessive end or side play. Grab the center nut with your thumb and fingers, and try to force it in and out, and side to side, and up and down.

 

Waste gate could be stuck open? Just a thought.

 

How do you tell if its stuck open? How do you check for a bad map sensor also?

 

With a scan tool like AE. Might want to check the map hose for leaks too. Easiest way to check without a scan tool is to swap a buddies in and see what happens.

BTW, what kind of boost #s are you making anyway?