Can anyone point me to a photo of a mounted TCA (on the exhaust manifold I think?) I'm undoing a prior, prior owner's roughshod non-sequential conversion (thankfully, no welding, all gates intact and movable by hand. Wastegate and Precontrol actuators are still mounted and functioning).

Any advice or warnings are welcome. It looks possible to install the TCA without removing the turbos. I don't think I can get to the vacuum hard lines without dropping the steering rack or removing a coolant line, so I'm planning on running some long lengths of silicone tubing until one of those projects comes onto the docket. I'll pull the other actuators and clean up the rust, assuming they come off without too much of a struggle.

Also, if anyone has a known-working TCA for sale let me know!

This is a shot from my car where I think it mounts (note the wire that was holding the gate open):

Former non-sequential jury rigging.

 

We had a very similar situation with a recent customer car. We thought it was done because the actuator had failed and this was their idea of a fix. Turns out the actuator was just stuck. We broke it free and it began working as intended but of course we didn't find that out until removing it lol.

We were comparing it to the one we had intended to replace it with and while testing the replacement, we decided to test the original one. Applied air to it, there was a loud cracking sound and it just starting working so we re-installed it and its been fine ever since.

So to answer your question it is fully removable and installable without having to take anything extra apart. It's annoying but it's 100% doable. We still have the good one we intended to replace it with. We can sell it to you. I will have to double check if the L bracket is still on it

You will want to install a new C clip on the wastegate actuator arm. Yours is gone. Buy 2 because you will need one for the TCA as well

 

Thanks for the elusive photo and information!

 

For anyone in the future needing to get to the TCA's vacuum lines, it turns out that they are accessible once your remove the wastegate and pre-control actuators. Those come out easily.