Turbo vacuum actuator

brianteel · Sep 27, 2012

it is the only thing left that could be wrong.

brianteel · Oct 1, 2012

well the actuator does not move at. when i use a vacuum pump it does not build up any pressure. does that mean the unit is bad and it should be replaced?

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 1, 2012

it shouldnt build pressure it should hold a vacuum...i pimp mine up as fast as i can it gets to -15in Hg and as soon as i stop pumping it drops to 0... but yea if the gauge doesnt move it, it must have a major hole in the diaphram... be sure the line is good aswell

brianteel · Oct 1, 2012

The line is new and when i pump it up it holds. I am doing it hard and maybe got to 5. is kerma tdi a good place to get one

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

NarfBLAST · Oct 1, 2012

I think Garret is the only manufacturer for the VNT actuator so pick your favorite vendor. edit, I did a google search and you can get knock offs now, sweet!!!

http://www.idparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=530

http://www.metalmanparts.com/produc...A16F.qscstrfrnt05?productId=352&categoryId=-1

http://www.kermatdi.com/servlet/the-213/VNT-Actuator/Detail

WOW, ebay has a cheap one, but it claims to be nickle plated, I would give this one a try for the price after having two OEM (Garret) ones rust out on me. http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Garrett-VNT-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c2bc8a879

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 4, 2012

i have an Ebay actuator on the way actually... for the price and considering its fairly easy to remove i'll give it a chance...

im really ready to take the downpipe off and chemically clean the turbo...

brianteel · Oct 6, 2012

Well i had to pull the turbo off because the stupid actuator nut was stripped when i was trying to replace it. I sprayed the oven cleaner in while it is off and it looks brand new inside. the carbon is gone the vanes move freely and the new actuator is on. Putting it back together later today and hopefully limp mode is gone, power comes back and fuel economy is back.

The old actuator sounded like a baby rattle and rust was coming out of it. so you guys were right and i guess my mind was playing tricks on me. Should have it back on the road later today. Now to fix the leaky injectors (copper seals might be bad)

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 16, 2012

Ebay actuator is here and tested it out seems like it will do just fine...

just have to give it an antisieze treatment and install it now...
probably going to pull the down pipe and chemical clean it... just waiting for the gasket to come in now

dieselfuel · Oct 16, 2012

Yes, a chemical cleaning is a good idea. If your TDI has never been chemical cleaned before, you're in for a treat!

Don't be surprised to see a massive amount of thick, black smoke emit from the tailpipe.

Let the oven cleaner soak for an hour or two,and work the actuator numerous times. Then go for a test drive. Take 1st and 2nd gears to 4000+ rpm. Do that a few times, til black smoke clears.

You'll be good to go!

df

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 16, 2012

517000km on the car... previous owner said it is the original turbo... theres very little play on the compressor wheel (feels good as new)

im going to take the downpipe off, as well as spray from the EGR delete aswell as do an oil change...

dieselfuel · Oct 16, 2012

Keep us posted. :>)

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 16, 2012

well shes overboosting... i set the VNT to the same length as the old one and she goes up to 24PSI... does not force limp mode everytime...

smoke was very minimal with a half can of easy off in there

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 16, 2012

i adjusted it ahead a little... it peaks 21PSI (holds for a few seconds) then drops to 17PSI which i guess is normal... i have 8 hours of driving tomorrow... so we'll see how it goes see how many times i trigger limp mode

dieselfuel · Oct 16, 2012

Set the actuator arm to start moving @5 Hg/in.That is the ideal setting for these ALH engines.

Please, on your next attemp, adjust the arm to start moving at 5. It does make a difference between a setting of 1 or 2 hg/in. It could run horribly at a setting of 3 and great at 5.

5 is the ideal setting.

df

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 17, 2012

i had it set to do just that... needs just a but more length and it should be fine... but is she ever peppy, boosts much smoother and faster

dieselfuel · Oct 17, 2012

Sounds good.

df

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 18, 2012

circlip broke and fell off... cause, vanes are still sticking (on the release, pulls down fine) i might take the torch to the manifold to warm it up so the easy off does a better job...

xyfzrider7x · Oct 18, 2012

That whooshing sound the turbo makes wen u shift well my jetta did it then just one day it stopped and seemed to loose a lil power wat would cause that to stop that noise and power loss

CrazyWJ242 · Oct 19, 2012

xyfzrider7x said:
That whooshing sound the turbo makes wen u shift well my jetta did it then just one day it stopped and seemed to loose a lil power wat would cause that to stop that noise and power loss

the VNT actuator... go ahead and change the vacuum lines if you havnt already... its cheap to do...

if you have a vacuum pump you can hook it to the line going to the turbo and see if it moves... and holds it in place... if its sticky or doesnt move all the way your looking at cleaning the turbo

vwdieseling · Oct 19, 2012

brianteel said:
I got it moving nicely. It seems once it warms the boost is a little erratic. It will run 25 psi then drops to 15 psi

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Thats high boost is your gauge correct.

vwdieseling · Oct 19, 2012

NarfBLAST said:
If the actuator was stuck that means there is likely rust inside and it will stick again. Check out the video I made of a sticky actuator and a new actuator side by side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGWxQkEWA-g

I liked your video.

Solamia · Apr 12, 2018

cleaning the actuator

powerfool said:
Well, that could be a couple of things. You could have coked up VNT vanes that you broke free; if that is the case, it will likely happen again, sooner or later. The solution there would be a cleaning (Mr. Muscle or Easy-Off oven cleans with NaOH, or sodium-based lye). The other issue would be within the actuator. I use PB blaster on my actuator to try and free up the components. You may want to give it a soak and try again. Or, it could be both.

If you have bad innards in the actuator, you may need to replace it ($99 at ID parts).

Are you talking about PB Blaster on the arm of the actuator? OR also in the internal parts of the actuator? I did the OC method on turbo, and my actuator was frozen, removed and broke it free, got lost of fine rust out of the tiny hole on the side, but I didn't want to put anything INSIDE the actuator for fear of ruining the diaphram. Put everything back and I'm still getting low power at low rpm, then a boost of power at about 2800-3000 rpms. Low power then is ok until I turn off car, then happens again. I haven't had the chance yet to get car jacked up again to test actuator with MityVac. I guess if actuator is stuck again, cleaning it internally by spraying something inside wouldn't hurt, cause if it's stuck I have to buy a new one anyway. (By the way, it DOES hold vacuum)

mrfiat · Apr 12, 2018

You don't have to jack up the car to test the actuator. Disconnect the hose from the N75 valve and hook the Mightyvac to that hose. You can look down the firewall side of the engine to see the actuator move. I also remove the plastic hose from the ASV to the intercooler so I can reach down there to adjust it.

Solamia · Apr 12, 2018

OK thanks.
The thing I'm really needing info about is can I spray something (and what so as not to degrade any internal parts) INTO the actuator to clean it in case it's sticking again.

flee · Apr 13, 2018

Solamia said:
OK thanks.
The thing I'm really needing info about is can I spray something (and what so as not to degrade any internal parts) INTO the actuator to clean it in case it's sticking again.

I would hesitate to do this because anything that gets into the actuator ultimately
is vacuumed throughout the system and into the pump (and then into the engine)!
This includes the fine particles (if any) from inside the actuator.
Just replace it and enjoy the next 17 years of service.

wonneber · Apr 14, 2018

Solamia said:
OK thanks.
The thing I'm really needing info about is can I spray something (and what so as not to degrade any internal parts) INTO the actuator to clean it in case it's sticking again.

2x on the above, do not use spray cleaners in the actuator.
There's a VW bulletin on the actuator rusting internally and not operating smoothly. I think its from the pile of rust that fell on it though I'm not positive.

I think if you take the actuator out and turn it over you can shake rust out of the link to the turbo. I did not get any out of mine but I bought it for peace of mind.

I did feel the arm on the turbo and it did have a bit of resistance at the full pull end. After working it back & forth a couple minutes it did seem better.

I've read many posts on others taking the turbo apart and cleaning it. Some indicated the plate (or was it the vanes) was warped causing it to hang.
I don't recall the internal parts being available.
Search for cleaning the turbo posts here.

mrfiat · Apr 15, 2018

The aftermarket actuators are less than $30. I just replaced mine with one and it is working fine.

Nevada_TDI · Apr 16, 2018

Due to the fact you have rust in your old actuator, it is likely some of that rust has gotten into your N75 valve and will cause problems like over boost due to the inability to vent the vacuum properly and/or quickly enough.

Turbo vacuum actuator

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