So last Friday I'm driving on the highway and everything is cool, when the next time I accelerate and my car actually slows down! After that I couldn't build any more than 2 psi of boost. Idled fine, drove ok aside from that. For the life of me didn't know what the hell was wrong.

Went out of town the next day, but when I got back I popped the hood looking for loose IC hoses, etc. Couldn't find anything at all wrong. Then I looked further down. The rod that connects the wastegate actuator to the wastegate valve had come off! It's supposed to be held on by some kind of a C clamp that fits in a little recession on the valve. So pretty much my wastegate was wide open at all times.

What I don't understand is I went to put it back on and couldn't. It wouldn't reach that far. How the hell did it fall off? I had to remove the actuator from it's bracket and then hook it on the valve, then bolt it back on. There's NO way it's coming off now. What would loosen it up that much to dislodge the clamp, and the rod fall off? Mazda doesn't sell the clamp itself, you have to buy the whole turbo assembly, of course.. So I got a little .17 metal part from Ace to and bent the hell out of it so it won't happen again.

I'm still clueless as to how it happened, considering when I tried to put it back on there was no way in hell the rod would reach the valve without removing the bracket.

Cavell

 

The clip fell off and as the rod constantly rotates on the pin of the wastegate the rod finally fell off too.

Same reason why it's easier to get a cork out of a bottle by twisting it back and forth rather than just pulling it straight out.

FWIW I don't use the stock e-clips. I use true c-clips that require snap ring pliers to remove.