Stuck wastegate

[hippiekiller]

I can't seem to free up the wastegate in my 96, it is of the kind with the bellows off the manifold and no external actuator rod...I removed the torx lockscrew and can move the diaphragm inside, and it has spring tension, but i can still hit 20psi at half throttle, and it worries me...I have a spare(blown) turbo with a different kind of wastegate (with an external actuating rod), can I make this work on my turbo?  I will try to post some pics of my existing set-up...

[Rabbit on Roids]

sounds like you got some sort of K series turbo.

blow some compressed air into the inlet of the WG. if it moves, its good. it may just be set super high. 20 psi isnt even that much, unless its a K03.

[hippiekiller]

To clarify: the turbo on the car is a K-14 with some sort of internal? wg unit...
   my parts turbo is a K-03 with an external wg assı...

      What I have done so far:
Removed allen screw, sprayed in lube, used a long tool to make sure whatever is in there moves freely with good strong spring pressure, snaps closed securely...
   Threaded screw in all the way, test drive, still 20psi
   Backed screw all the way out, test drive, still 20psi
Removed downpipe, couldn't see anything except for a port on the bottom, couldn't feel anything either, but no oil in there, woo-hoo!
I do a lot of ski-hill driving (3100 rpm in 3rd, usually 15-20 psi, for 10km) so I'm a little worried about my HG.
thanks

[Rabbit on Roids]

take the whole WG off. you gotta get at it from the other side. spraying oil into the top of the canister isnt going to do anything, or if it dies, its just going to ruin the diaphragm inside. you need to take the wastegate out of the turbo, should be 3 allen bolts holding it on, least thats how it is on my K24. take that out and it should look like it has an exhaust valve sticking out of it. if that does NOT move in and out at all, there is your problem. the head of the valve should have a big allen head on it. take a allen wrench and start twisting the valve a tiny bit, spray some lube at the base of the shaft where it goes into the housing while you are lightly twisting the valve. eventually, that should get it freed up enough that you will be able to pull it out with not too much force. or does it push in? actually i think the valve pushes into the canister.

[hippiekiller]

Anybody got a pic of this unit all apart so I know what I'm dealing with?

[rallydiesel]

It's not that complicated inside. You'll probably need to find another wastegate assembly. The k03 parts won't work with the k14. My k24 wastegate was seized and I ended up snapping the wastegate valve trying to pull it free. If what rabbit on roids says doesn't free it, and you still want to try to repair it, you'll need to take apart the WG can. The hardest part is getting the WG assembly off the turbo. You'll probably have to cut an allen key so it's very low profile to get it into the bolts. Just carefully pry up the crimp on the can and carefully take it apart. Take the spring and diaphragms out and note the order and positions. Stick the WG in a vice and alternately heat the stem with a torch, spray with WD40 and tap lightly with a small hammer or try to turn the valve with an allen key. If you're lucky, the coked up stem will give and you'll be able to pull it out. Then you can remove the carbon with fine sandpaper and put it back together. Good luck.

[hippiekiller]

Does it sound like I have just cause to be worried about overboosting? I dont know much about  the vw's but the headgasket seems like kinda a weak link to me...I have also 'screeched' the turbo once pretty good with the boost needle buried and I want to drive this car, not fix it...

[vanbcguy]

30+ PSI is where you really need to start worrying about the head lifting off the block.  20 or so PSI is no big deal, as long as your EGT's are safe.

Heat is the killer for head gaskets.  If you overheat the motor or run too much fuel then that's when you start getting troubles.

[hippiekiller]

Thanks, good info...I haven't really turned up the fuel much, and I always do a good spin down when she's warm, so I'm not too worried about the heat just yet..when I put a cone in the pump I expect the boost pressures will rise, though...

[hippiekiller]

Hmm..those 3 allen bolts aren't the easiest things to get at are they......