Adjusting the Actuator rod. Result!

[sammy]

Hi all.

Been reading here for a while, we have a 850 T5, but unusually, it's I that likes to tinker in the engine bay, not my husband, lol.

Anyway, I read the wastegate thread & did the mod this weekend & need to check with you guys what I did is ok, as some of my questions I'll ask are not covered in the question for bracer thread I've also been looking at.


The car is transformed! But... the needle on the boost gauge climbed higher that it previously did (was at about 3/4's into the white on boost) now it spikes almost at the end of the white before settling about 2-3mm from the end of white under non spiking full boost. Have I gone too far?

Under load (3rd & 4th gear) at low rpm, the boost holds off as it did untill about 2500rpm then it starts to climb & is boosting hard at 2700rpm onwards.

Does this sound right? I did about 2 - 3 turns, then backed it off half a turn when I saw how far the gauge was going before! Also, someone may have been there before me, as the pin that should have been on the waste gate arm had been replaced with what looked like a paper-clip! Maybe coincidence?

thanks.

Sammy. x

[Mrsmopp]

I'm afraid I cant help you on that Sammy but I can welcome you to the site!!

Welcome aboard!

x

[volvotuning]

Hi all.

Been reading here for a while, we have a 850 T5, but unusually, it's I that likes to tinker in the engine bay, not my husband, lol.

Anyway, I read the wastegate thread & did the mod this weekend & need to check with you guys what I did is ok, as some of my questions I'll ask are not covered in the question for bracer thread I've also been looking at.


The car is transformed! But... the needle on the boost gauge climbed higher that it previously did (was at about 3/4's into the white on boost) now it spikes almost at the end of the white before settling about 2-3mm from the end of white under non spiking full boost. Have I gone too far?

Under load (3rd & 4th gear) at low rpm, the boost holds off as it did untill about 2500rpm then it starts to climb & is boosting hard at 2700rpm onwards.

Does this sound right? I did about 2 - 3 turns, then backed it off half a turn when I saw how far the gauge was going before! Also, someone may have been there before me, as the pin that should have been on the waste gate arm had been replaced with what looked like a paper-clip! Maybe coincidence?

thanks.

Sammy. x

Hi Sammy,

It's more than likely been meddled with before. To adjust it correctly you really need an accurate pump and gauge. If you over-do it, the ECU will try and run less boost at the top so it will drive more like a diesel. If you REALLY over-do it, the ECU will just shut the engine off for a second.

Adam.

[sammy]

Thank you for answering Adam.

It pulls far stronger all the way to the red-line than it did before, & I have had no warning lights, or engine shut off at all.

Would love to check with a gauge, but haven't got one. Suppose this will have to do for now?

Thanks.

Sammy. x

[glock19]

You sure your ECU is original ?

[sammy]

I have no idea Glock, but it would be a real bonus if it were not!

I've read quite a lot about this mod on here & there's hardly any mention of the before & after gauge readings.

Before I backed it off half a turn, during the spike it went off the gauge, before settling right on the edge of the white.

As is now, boost held back (just into the white) untill 2500 rpm where it started to climb, then from 2600 rpm onwards all hell broke loose! It doesn't let off untill the red-line either.

Makes a great car brilliant. Just hope it doesn't go pop!

Sammy. x

[craig]

good en it i did mine last friday and its a differant car now but the boost doesnt go higher than just over 3/4 in the white but it didnt before either ,so i am tempted to give it another turn and see what happens .
so if i turn it too far anyone does the ecu stop it from killing anything in the engine?

[v6en]

Go carefully with this mod. turned mine one turn in before, and the boost went well off the end of a 1.5bar boost guage, not in 3rd or 4th, but in 5th gear. i didn't notice initially, having not really checked what the boost was doing in 5th on account of watching the road. ross was in his car behind me and saw a wisp of blue/white smoke out the exhaust when i had been booting it and then let off the accelerator. this equates to really bad news ie turbo seals and oil, might even have been a cracked piston. around the next corner i had to slow right down as the traffic had stopped, and when i pulled away there was a massive plume of said smoke.

i was devasted, thought i'd destroyed the car, but fortunately what had happened was that the boost was so great that oil had lifted from the sump and been thrown round the breather pipes, which explained the smoke out the exhaust. since ross cleaned all the pipes for me and the boost was turned back there has been no further smoke, and i have seen the car on the rollers as well, still no smoke. i was lucky.

jacq.

[craig]

ok can we clear up a few questions guys,
surely even if the actuator rod was adjusted to give maximum boost , you still would not be forcing as much pressure into the engine as if it had been ricad up to 300+ bhp so why is a 19t turbo with rica tuning safe, and just turning the standard turbo up, not safe ?
whats the differance?

[Justin]

The difference is mate, by tightening the actuator you are effectively letting the car build and hold more boost, the ecu is programmed to reduce it however it can when it goes ott, fail safe!

So a rica car produces 1.1 bar +, yes but then the ecu is "remapped", ie more fuel, ignition advance etc is also ammended to allow the change to occur safely. Hence the name mapping.

Without all of these and more parameters being changed it would not produce the power as the stock ecu would retard ignition and shut the fuel off. Thats what major overboost does when you over tighten the actuator, and without the correct amount of fuel etc to run that boost the engine will detonate, and more than likely bend a rod or worse.

Hope that helps, ask adam if you want more details, he talks it in his sleep

[glock19]

Justin, (Sorry guys, hijack this thread a bit)
You're using 18" comets ? Why 2 pictures only in your library ?

[Justin]

Mine are 17" comets mate and i will be doing a photoshoot soon to add more

[sammy]

The difference is mate, by tightening the actuator you are effectively letting the car build and hold more boost, the ecu is programmed to reduce it however it can when it goes ott, fail safe!

So a rica car produces 1.1 bar +, yes but then the ecu is "remapped", ie more fuel, ignition advance etc is also ammended to allow the change to occur safely. Hence the name mapping.

Without all of these and more parameters being changed it would not produce the power as the stock ecu would retard ignition and shut the fuel off. Thats what major overboost does when you over tighten the actuator, and without the correct amount of fuel etc to run that boost the engine will detonate, and more than likely bend a rod or worse.

Hope that helps, ask adam if you want more details, he talks it in his sleep

Hmmmm.... I'm going to have to check my ECU out, as by this theory, my car SHOULD have started to pink, run badly & loose power at the top end & eventually cut power when I shortend the arm (I thought) too much, as, like I said earlier, the needle went right off the boost gauge all the way to the red line.

Also, what I forgot to mention when I said I found a paper-clip style fastener in the wastegate lug, was that there wasn't much thread left to go on the actuator arm. A good 6 more turns easily, but nowhere near as much as there is on the how to picture in Bracers thread.

Cheers for the input so far guys.

Sammy. x