Copyright 1998 Bob Storm
I apologize for not having a segment in the last edition of The Pony Express. All I can do is plead the 5th (and occasionally drink one). Actually, I was too busy working on the Saga SVO to write about it. So now we go back in time to where we left off...
School was still in session and Troy was bringing the SVO back home from college, full tank of fuel, radar detector on, and driving a conservative 3200 rpm in 5th gear. Suddenly the engine seemed to quit, came back up for a second, then quit again. That stretch of highway is quite lonely. Fortunately, it did restart after a short while and came the rest of the way with no further symptoms.
Troy, we are being warned about something, just not sure what. Between that and our "contribution" to the IRS on April 15, I think we had better pass on the trip to Tennessee for the regional meet. Yeah, I agree, real bummer.
That exhaust leak drives me crazy. Let's go get that hole welded. Ah, much better. Oops, felt like the motor died for minute, and you weren't even on it that hard. No boost now? Limp it on home and we'll check it out. At least the ride home will be quieter.
Everything in this diagnosis chart points the the wastegate actuator. I Thought that was only to control max boost. Our problem is no boost. (Refer to Mike Fleming's article on Stock Boost Control System in the March-April Pony Express to gain a proper understanding of the role of the actuator).
Jim, what do you think? Okay, I'll test it. With my new MityVac set pump and my new Sears pressure gauge in line, I have to bring the pressure much higher than spec to get it to move, then it jumps out. Looks like it is the problem after all.
Motion Dynamics, do you have one in stock? I'll be right over. Easiest to change it by pulling the entire turbo/manifold assembly? You don't understand--this is the SAGA car. I'm trying to avoid any disassembly that is not absolutely required. I'm gonna try to replace just the actuator by itself.
OK, friends and fans. It can be done, and you can try this at home but remember that I am becoming a trained professional. You will need at least the following available before beginning: fender cover, jack stands or ramps at least 10" tall for the front, jack stands for the back axle, milk crate to stand on because of the ramps, goggles for eye protection, 10, 12, and 13mm combination wrenchs, 13mm socket with universal, extension magnet for dropped parts, left-handed cold chisel, intelligent flood or trouble light, a cold 12-pack, and a chiropractor.
Disconnect the battery ground cable, exhaust down tube, starter motor wire, and remove the starter motor. (Next time, I will consider also removing the passenger side engine shock absorber).
Also remove the intercooler, vane meter to turbo hose, and disconnect the vacuum hose to the actuator. Cover the turbo and vane meter holes with newspaper bags held in place by rubber bands. Remove the two bolts holding the turbo oil drain, carefully bend the oil drain tube out of the way, and cover with another bag.
You can now remove the clip that holds the actuator rod onto the wastegate. While still below, remove the two lower actuator mounting bolts. Now climb onto the milk crate and undo the top actuator mounting bolt. This process only took me a day and a half, a trip to the chiropractor, and "damage" to the 12-pack.
Now for pre-installation cleanup. Very carefully clean the old gasket remains from the top of the oil drain tube. Do not let any debris fall into the tube! Put the bag back over the tube and go back down below.
Find a magic place to put the intelligent light so that it is out of your way but so that you can still see the bottom of the turbo. With your feet toward the rear axle, use the left-handed cold chisel to scrape off the remainder of the oil drain gasket. You should be almost able to see what you are doing with your left eye. For those of us with a "right" persuasion, get over it. At least I was unable to find a position for right-handed work. After the surface is pretty clean, it is possible, though maybe not wise, to take a Dremel with a #442 cup brush to finish cleaning the oil drain gasket area.
Reassembly: apply anti-seize to the bolts and bolt the new actuator on, clip the rod back onto the wastegate, gently realign and reattach the oil drain line. With a helper, reattach the starter motor wire and reinstall the starter. Reattach the exhaust down tube, again using anti-seize on the bolts.
Attach the vacuum hose to the actuator, clean and reinstall the turbo inlet hose, intercooler, and battery ground wire (and any other parts left on the floor or workbench, if you can figure out where they go).
Cleaning and reassembly took two and a half days, another chiro visit, and destroyed the remainder of the 12-pack.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE BOOST. Man, what a ride! Apparently our actuator had been slowly weakening since before we bought the SAGA, so we never knew what kind of power to expect. Was the result worth the effort? You bet! Only now are we beginning to fully appreciate the performance hype and gathering brag feasts that we have heard.
Yeah, but what about the other approach of removing the turbo/exhaust manifold assembly to get to the actuator? Wouldn't that have been easier and quicker? Stay tuned fans, when we answer the question: Dad, what's that noise here at the exhaust manifold? And I still wonder why the car quit that one day...