billbranch Posted August 11, 2013 Report Share Posted August 11, 2013 Hi, Everybody, I was just driving home and noticed the boost gauge swept right out of the picture. First question: has anyone ever tried to change the actuator in situ? It appears to me that, with the left motor mount out of the car/way, it might be exceedingly simple. I have a spare turbo unit in the basement. Applying pressure or vacuum to the actuator fitting I hear hissing, and nothing moves. I have checked, and the hose to the actuator on my car is not torn. Besides the chance of a torn actuator diaphragm or a frozen wastegate, what else should I look for? Is the wastegate electronically controlled? BTW, I have found that the car can be driven, but not in a spirited manner, of course. More likely, driving speed limits and not accelerating. If I step on the gas hard inadvertently, I can not keep the needle out of the red. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 19, 2013 Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 Never tried replacing the turbo in situ, but removing the motor mount does give you really good access. I've got quite a few used ones that tested OK, but no idea how long they'd last. VVT found that the generic Garrett wastegates don't fit - but I forget the specifics. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 19, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 Hi, Rabin, I scored a new or rebuilt unit from Eriksson Industries. I read somewhere on this site that someone had done it. Judging from George Nunez' saga of it which he had up on the web, pulling the turbo seems like quite the undertaking; if I were doing it to change the actuator, I'd install a new turbo, too. I believe I'll let Roger do this: I have no lift. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 19, 2013 Report Share Posted August 19, 2013 Something to consider would be to throw in a new seal and bearing kit into the turbo if its coming out anyway. It shouldn't take Roger more than an hour to install the kit, and they have an improved 360 degree thrust bearing for the T3... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted August 20, 2013 Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 I am going back about ten years, and I vaguely remember trying it (my friend was helping me and he insisted on trying it against what I had read from probably Nunez). As I recall, there was significantly less than a quarter of an inch where it would not clear. We ended up pulling the exhaust manifold and everything to get it to work. FWIW. -Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 20, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2013 That's encouraging. I think I remember George said it took him one Saturday morning to do it, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2013 If anyone has been following this or if anyone actually cares, for future reference, Roger (mechanic) did it today with a minimum of grumbling and moaning from underneath. He did remove the mount and the bracket that bolts to the block, but it is the way to go if you consider how many studs you can break or if you might need gaskets. I'll ask him tomorrow how long it actually took him. I'd have done it myself if I had a lift. Just a little humor, I had told my girlfriend I need a lift, and she said she'd give me one for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 glad to hear it worked out! what kind of shape are your mounts in? andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Hi, André, We still have a few issues, but from underneath is definitely the way to go. The motormounts are the best we could find in a vast pile of used ones. Why, do you have a source for new ones? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 OMG Roger called later last night. The thing is not boosting properly. I sent him the link to the wastegate diagnostics. He disconnected the hose to the actuator, and the gauge blows right through without any apparent power. I'm sure I'll be getting his frantic call. Any suggestions? With the boost set max at only eight, I do not know if if was working right for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Can you clarify what you mean by "He disconnected the hose to the actuator, and the gauge blows right through without any apparent power. " If there's no apparent power I would guess the wastegate is being held open a little. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Hi, Rabin, I should have said that the needle went right up through the red like a shot, but there was no feeling of acceleration in the car. Apparently as you said, the wastegate was being held open. I can not understand why there was not a bit more care with this remanufactured unit, namely, checking rod length. I did receive the phone call this morning that my sanity needed: everything is now ok. And, regarding the V6 rotors: I bought an inexpensive pair for the modifications, and, unfortunately, I got what I paid for. Now I have a real OEM set and I am going to insist that we install a different grade of pad which might not last as long but which don't generate heat as fast or as intensely. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 The motormounts are the best we could find in a vast pile of used ones.Why, do you have a source for new ones? i do not...i know that the motor mounts for the v6 are NLA.... i've seen a number of websites people have "re-manufactured" motor mounts using polyurethane from caulk-type tubes (no word on how these hold up), or modifying mounts from other cars...christophe leverdier takes the latter approach on his site, it's an interesting read. it's en français, but the pictures speak for themselves. like many of christophe's pages, this one is inconclusive & hasn't been updated in a while. interestingly, he mentions other peugeot 505 owners who are interested in these re-manufactured mounts if they can be done cost-effectively...one of the members is "will" -- wilfrid from our facebook group is a friend of christophe's, so i just dropped him a line to ask if he knew anything about this. wilfrid has an account on this forum (willv6), but he doesn't come here very often. andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 If the WG was held open the gauge should not have spiked as the turbo is unable to build boost at all with it open... Not sure what could cause the gauge to go up, but maybe there was also a boost leak in the intake piping? Whatever the cause, glad its sorted out! Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbranch Posted August 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 Thanks, guys. On the (Citroen) CX-L yahoo group there is often chatter about making new bushings with urethane; I do not know if it is liquified somehow and poured into a mold. I do know that the new hydraulic motor mounts that the ZN3J sedan and the ZDJL and N9T wagons use are quite expensive and, as you said, NLA. Re: wastegate or whatever caused problem: i don't know. I do know Roger said the hoses at the electrovalve were reversed (not by me). He had some spare parts from an engine we had been cannibalizing and saw there how the hoses were supposed to be. He could have seen it as easily by clicking on the link I sent him. Rabin, do you want those old rotors? Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethx Posted August 29, 2013 Report Share Posted August 29, 2013 DIY motor mounts polyurethane bushings using wax and molds this page talks about filling torque mounts with polyurethane to increase stiffness (a common performance mod), but has some interesting info about materials & techniques. andré Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted August 30, 2013 Report Share Posted August 30, 2013 Hi Bill, No need to keep the old rotors for me, but any more details on the spacing of the caliper or why Roger needed to do to make them work would be appreciated. Boost: hopefully the issue I resolved but the symptoms you passed along don't really fit the issue since any over boost seen on the gauge should have meant the engine saw over boost as well. I can't see how the gauge would show high boost with the engine not seeing anything unless there was also a massive boost leak as well. Good that it all sounds sorted though. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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