Ready for Wastegate porting...

[infernal]

Hi all!!!

(Un)fortunately, I think it is time to port the wastegate of my S5 turbo...
Didn\'t connected an aftermarket boost gauge yet (I might do it today; if so, I\'ll let you know), but when it is cold outside and I\'m on 3rd gear or higher the stock boost meter gets quickly overwhelmed... I got a 3" single exhaust with a free flowing cat and an HKS induction.

So what should I pay extra attention to? I\'ll have the turbo removed at a shop (no room to work and insufficient knowledge)... Is it a task easy to do? Possibly I\'ll port the wastegate myself at home. The FC3Spro example is good or too much? I\'m afraid of cracks and weak spots...

Also something else that worries me, I\'ve read somewhere here but cannot find it a post by master Prof saying that there might be problems with the wastegate actuator insufficient tension after the porting, cause the area of the wastegate will increase and exhaust gases will be able to push the wastegate open causing loss of boost...
Can the actuator be modified inside? If yes how? Prof if you read this please give me your precious advice! :-)
I plan to use an electronic boost controller afterwards. Will it compensate for the leaking wastegate if I don\'t modify it?

Please everyone chime in with your advice cause once the turbo is back in, my budget won\'t let me take it back out.

Thanks a lot in advance and pardon me for aaall those questions. :o

Marios

[RamoNZ]

Get a boost guage and check where the boost is going.
 
Rather than spending the money to take the turbo out and port the waste gate, get an aftermarket ECU that will handle the extra boost far more safely than the stock ECU at higher boost pressures and enjoy the extra performance.
 
If the boost is not hitting more than 11psi you should be fine, bigger fuel pump is an idea beyond this point.

[TiddlesRX7]

Are you running a FCD aswell? If not i\'d get one pronto you\'ll need it with the stock ecu.

As for the porting. It\'s a good idea. I did mine last year using the guide on FC3SPro, It definately helped with my boost spikes. As Prof has said though the stock actuator isn\'t all that good and could do with being replaced with an aftermarket one. I haven\'t done this yet though. If you could modify the stock one I\'d like to know too, or even replace it with a stronger one off another car maybe. Anyway it helped with the boost spikes untill I put a uprated intercooler and intake on the car now its spiking again, and my boost controller wont control it now.


Ade

[RamoNZ]

Are you running a FCD aswell? If not i\'d get one pronto you\'ll need it with the stock ecu.
 
Ade

FCD only caps the boost that the ECU sees - so while you dont get fuel cut, the ECU does not see the extra boost, which will make you run lean - they are only good for stock cars imo - the boost could spike quite markedly which is just going to run hot and that is bad news. Get the chipped ECU which is cheap enough - when it spikes, the ECU will already be mapped for that boost and all will be OK until you make further upgrades.

[infernal]

Thanks a lot for the input!!
OMG I\'m dumb... I forgot to add those info. I\'m terrified about creeping e.t.c. so I\'ve already done some mods suggested. That is:

- Access Blitz chipped ECU for stage 1 that supports boost pressures up to 0.9-1 bar
- Walbro 255 High Pressure fuel pump + rewired it to constantly run on 13V cause I had problems with the resistor.

I also got an AEM wideband gauge+sensor ready to be installed soon, and I have a crappy boost gauge for testing what\'s going on every now and then. I\'ll do a test in a while I hope... Waiting to get home. I\'ll post the numbers. :-)

I dunno just don\'t like the idea of uncontrolled boost, even if it settles higher... I think it might get worse when a boost controller will be added to the setup.

(As far as I know you can\'t run lean with just an FCD as the MAP sensor only affects ignition advance and not the fuel volume that is injected. You can only get knock easier. Dunno though!)

[clive]

Hi Marios,

Before porting your wastegate, If the cars still up and running it may be an idea to get a good boost gauge (in Lbs) so you can see the boost you are hitting, also that the boost is steady and not then creeping up.

A boost controller would be next on the list, even a very cheap basic one, then between the controller and the gauge you will know what is really going on

Hope this helps

[infernal]

Thanks Clive! :yes

Update!

I took some measures with a friend tonight with a crappy mechanical autogauge one that seems quite accurate lol!

Ambient temperature was 7 degrees Celsius. Highest boost pressure achieved was about 9.5psi in 3rd gear, 6000rpm and brakes left foot applied while at WOT. It seemed steady, wouldn\'t rise past that point but it wasn\'t consistent. With the same procedure once was 9psi max, once was 8.9psi max, once 9.2psi max and so on...
Today it managed to stay just a little bit under the max reading of the OEM boost gauge.
One other day though with -4C outside I maxed it out easily most of times, but I didn\'t have the boost meter then to verify. All I could hear was the turbo keep spinning faster and faster... :eek

So should I first buy a boost controller (preferably electronic one) and a decent boost meter and then decide from the outcome if I should port it? Would it manage not to creep with the help of the boost controller? :confused:

Thanks a lot for your input and for your time!

Marios

[infernal]

Anyway it helped with the boost spikes untill I put a uprated intercooler and intake on the car now its spiking again, and my boost controller wont control it now.

Ade you now still get spikes even with the WG ported?

[TiddlesRX7]

Yeah but only really now i\'ve changed my intake set up. It was Ok before that. I was relatively conservative with the amount I ported it to tbh. I could have taken more out but like you I wanted to keep as much strength in the casting as possible. Plus you can always take more out but you can\'t always add more material.

Any news on modifying the actuator?

Ade

[infernal]

I\'m searching everywhere if I can find an aftermarket one of any kind before I get the car to the shop... I caught a glimpse of the OEM and it seems press-folded sealed, so modifying it should require some major fabrication skills since clearance for the spring and membrane movement should be tight. But if it turns out to be the only way, I\'ll tear it apart, shim it and let you know with a how-to post. :Thumbs-up  
I may also undertake this procedure even if I find an aftermarket one, just out of curiosity. Looks like fun anyway!

[TiddlesRX7]

HKS do one. I\'ll see if I can find a link.

[TiddlesRX7]

Here\'s a link to one.
http://www.autocarparts.com/part/list/1950/

[infernal]

Here\'s a link to one.
http://www.autocarparts.com/part/list/1950/

Unfortunately they won\'t ship internationally...

[TiddlesRX7]

I didn\'t even look at that tbh, it was more of a this is what you need kinda post!

[infernal]

My bad, thanks a lot Ade! :o:)

For anyone interested, the HKS actuator is discontinued and out of stock in whole Europe and Japan! In the US anyone that has it won\'t ship over here... Darn. Kinda feels like a ghetto! :King