Hey,

Getting ready to assemble all my various turbo upgrade stuff, and i decided it would be a good idea to test my wastegate since its a cheapie. So, i hook it up to a bike pump, and give it a little pump, and it doesnt hold. The air leaks out into the valve side. also it takes a decent push on the pump to open it. So, being experimental, i get some vac line (real small diameter cause it was all i had) and i run it from my manifold inside the car to the wastegate. then i go for a drive, and boost to 10 psi a couple times. nothing happened. Now, this should be a 8 psi spring in this thing. I'm not sure if i really got 10 psi through that little hose, but it oughtta be close.

So i tear it apart, and here's my question:

In the pics below, should there be a seal of some sort around the shaft? like inside the red circle on the 1st pic?

there is a press in metal insert that the shaft goes through, and the tolerance feels pretty tight, like maybe a thousandth or two. So is this normal, or what am i missing?

Thanks,
Pat

 

What brand wastegate is that?


-Ted

 

your favorite, ssautochrome.

yeah, i know, but my stock turbo is getting bad, and i need to put the new one on asap.

Actually, other than this, it seems to be pretty well made. the castings are good, everything was screwed together tightly, the diaphragm is fiber reinforced rubber, the machining is decent.

Right underneath what you can see in the pic, there is a sleeve pressed into the cast valve housing. I'm thinking maybe this expands when it gets hot, and it will seal up pretty good? I dunno ive just never had a wastegate apart before, so i dont really know what to look for.

Ive got to put the turbo on very soon before i eat the compressor wheel from the stocker, So i may just throw this sucker on there and be really careful and see if it works. Also ive got the microtech, so can set the boost-cut for safety.

Pat

 

anybody know?

 

That explains a lot.


-Ted

 

damnit ted, cant you just answer my question?

I know you think it's crap, but I need to use it for a month or two until i can afford to get a real one. Everything else seems to be pretty well put together, I cant see why they'd do something so stupid as to leave out a seal like that.... how much shaft blowby is there supposed to be?

pat

 

Try the single turbo section, someone there should have an actual answer for you.

 

my engineering professor thought it was ok, probably supposed to blow thru some to cool it.

 

Ok, got this all put together, figured i should report back:

Wastegate works fine. havent had any problems.

pat