noob question: If a wastegate is not preloaded correctly, would it not hold boost? I got an hks gt2 turbo installed and brought it to the tuner. although I was not present during installation and tuning i did get the dyno sheet and it looked fine, boost held up at 19psi all the way up. but upon bringing the car home after a few days i noticed that the car wont hold boost in 2nd and 3rd. boost will hit around 1.1 bar and wont hold and suddenly drop to .5 and then drop further down slowly.

called up the tuner and told him about the problem, he told me to remove the vacuum host to the wastegate and go for a test drive, upon doing so, the car initially during the 1st run exhibited the same symptoms at 2nd gear but upon shifting to 3rd it held up and overboosted up to 1.5 bar. stopped and went for another run now this time 2nd and 3rd gear overboosted already. same is true for the another 2 runs. called up the tuner and said that it must be the wastegate. called up the dealer and he told me to bring the car back and he will have a look at it.

what do you guys think? is it really the wastegate or maybe it just isnt preloaded properly off the factory? thanks for all your help.

 

The stock HKS gate is problematic. It has given lots of users gives lots of trouble.

 

There is another recent thread on here somewhere in which the guy replaced the original gate with some other aftermarket gate and cured his boost control issues. The HKS gate is just a POS.

 

If you have a stock IX gate available you might want to try it.

 

thanks sparky, so do you really think its the wastegate issue? do you remeber my old post about getting the hks turbo, well as it is its here already and havent got the chance to use the car cause of the hks crappy wastegate. Lol! do you think the stock one bolts right on, i posted on another thread asking about that. anyway one member here used the fp 18psi wastegate but i cant seem to find the email address of fp. so i was thinking of going to that route. anyway i asked the dealer about the wastegate and told me that if it is indeed defective he's gonna replace it.

 

I just was rereading that other thread about the HKS gate and a couple knowledgeable folk state that the FP IX gate is a no go. But, in the same thread someone apparently tried an FP gate and it did fit on his HKS turbo. I wouldnt rush to buy a n FP gate as it is expensive and according to Aaron and 94AWDcoupe, it won't fit.

I have no personal experience with that actuator so dont take my word on this issue. If I was you, I would try that replacement gate being offered to you by your HKS dealer.

It is a hokey design. I am refering to the segmented HKS actuator rod design per se.

Try getting the new WGA from the dealer and I will help you set preload on it. Once we get preload set, then we' ll mark it, disassemble, use thread locker or JB Weld and reassemble the rod and hope for the best.

 

ouch. so i guess i have no plan B in case the replacement still wont work. I was thinking of getting an fp gate just in case... oh well I guess I would just have to hope for the best on this one.

 

There is always a Plan B. So, don't despair just yet. In my opinion, the first thing to do would be to try adjusting WG preload with your existing actuator. It's worth a stab I would think. First get a hold of and install a manual boost controller at least for troubleshooting purposes while we isolate the issue.

The HKS actuator is adjustable.....so let's adjust it.

 

If we can't get the HKS integral gate adjusted to work, then you could look into running something like MAP's Comp 40 external gate/O2 housing.

 

thanks for all your input sparky, I was also considering changing out to an external wastegate setup if all else fails, but i wasnt quite sure what to get and where to start. im basically a noob on this. ill be looking up on MAP's Comp 40 external gate/O2 housing. what other benefits would i get by running this setup? would this work fine on small turbo stock block and basically bolt on mods? I really appreciate your input on the matter. thanks.

 

Ive checked on the map 40 external gate 02 dump and was wondering if this set up would affect spool? Would it make response slower? kind of beats the pupose of a fast spooling turbo if it does. Im also a little confused where the pipe after the wastegate goes to? Thanks for the help.

 

Your questions are valid. The MAP website states clearly that for best spoolup the stock flapper/WGA setup should not be deactivated. So, then what's the point of running two inline gates. It seems idiotic.

I just threw the MAP option out there since you were asking about a Plan-B alternative. I am not dumping on MAP either. I just dont see the advantage of a setup like that in general. I mean, to be a true external setup the gate(s) should be located pre-turbine inlet IMO.

 

Mike, at ETS, has designed a dual-gated tubular manifold for stock framed turbos. His dual-flanged design maintains the integrity of the twin scroll concept. AFAIK, no one is running this setup though. It must be expensive I guess.

 

That was what got me thinking there, internal and external WG working together. Anyway i still hope everything will still workout for that turbo. It was definitely a tossup between the hks and fp green, makes me want to kick myself for going the hks route which should have been a straight bolt on affair. I really appreciate your input on the matter Sparky. Btw, if i decide to give up on the hks, would the fp green bb be the best option? Would it outspool a stock ix turbo? Thanks.

 

The 73 HTA B.B. Green is a good alternative with almost stock IX spool. The 71 HTA is non ballbearing with less power than the B.B. Green and less expensive.

Look if you want stock spool and 400+ WHP on pump gas I would do a Ball Bearing BBK-Full. This will produce more power than your HKS turbo on pump gas and spool just as quick as stock.

I wanted a BB BBK-Full myself for my RS which has really short gearing so I wanted a smallish ball bearing turbo with the ability to maintain high shaft speeds during shifts. I wanted the BB BBK-Full but ended up getting a good deal on a used BB BBK-B. I didnt have the money for a new BB turbo at the time.

So, did you get the new WGA from your dealer?