Actuator questions...

I was having problems not going above 0.38 bar

I have narrowed the problem down towards the turbo or actuator.

What is the best way of testing the actuator?

Also what is the best way to replace the actuator is it a turbo or drop the manifold off job?

Also would I need any gaskets or will i need to remove the oil and water lines to the turbo. Or is it all possible with the turbo in tact which I would prefer.

My turbo is standard and I have a tmic I have all the heat shielding still surrounding.

Can I completely remove this shielding.



Which actuator should I buy forge? Understand that they have colour springs bent or straight?


what I'm trying to achieve is three different settings with my electronic boost controller alongside it.

O.8 1.0. 1.2.

If you could advise me best spring and actuator

Thanks in advance

hiya fella
are you the guy that phoned me yesterday saying your car would not boost over .3bar?

if so then try as I said on phone
and youll need to remove ex manifold from head to gain access to the actuator where it fits onto wastegate


btw welcome to our forum   

Welcome fella,

This may be of interest, received this from a guy at Forge Motorsport

The following is general information regarding Forge actuator spring tensions and are important considerations when making a decision on which spring you install, especially if you are running a boost controller or planning an ECU upgrade.
The 4 springs we offer are listed below under their relevant colour codes and related pressures. Running pressure is the lowest or minimum pressure the spring will operate at, which is important when considering which spring you choose. The spool up pressure relates to the vacuum pressure required to lift the spring from its static position, at which point the turbo waste-gate will start to open (spool up).
The actual rating for these springs is as follows, the lower pressure being the spool up pressure and the higher pressure being the running pressure:

RED 17 psi (spool up) - 20 psi (running pressure) our product code FMAS049R.
BLUE 14 psi (spool up) - 18 psi (running pressure) our product code FMAS049B.
YELLOW 9 psi (spool up) - 15 psi (running pressure) our product code FMAS049Y.
GREEN 5 psi (spool up) - 10 psi (running pressure) our product code FMAS049G.

The spool up can be altered to a higher pressure by adding more tension to the spring. Be careful not to add too much tension to the spring as it will become coil bound, affecting the rod travel and thus affect the waste-gates ability to open effectively. Running pressure cannot be adjusted by adding pressure to the spring.
Mount the actuator to the actuator bracket on the turbo and wind the turnbuckle into a position 3mm short of the spigot on the waste-gate arm, requiring you to pull the rod into position over the waste-gate spigot.
Do not add more than the recommended tension as this will cause the spring to become coil bound, preventing the waste-gate from opening properly. There is a common misconception that the operating pressure of the spring can be increased by mounting the actuator rod to the waste-gate arm in such a way that the spring is under more load than the recommended above.

Hey bob yes i am lol... What's the difference between running and spool up pressure.   That's kind of confused me.  

So it's a ajustable actuator.  But you can't really adjust the running pressure huh?


I have Try to buy online. But no one specifies what spring you get with it.  Or i probably just can't find it


back to my above question What of the shielding? Gasket? Is it important the shielding remains. And do I need bent or straight

Thanks for the reply guys.

I wouldn't buy an actuator until you have examined and tested it.
if you need one I have stock ones here that work and will do the job fine for level of boost your running.

the actuator is straight arm

shielding can be removed no problem

this is the important bit taken from statement above......
Mount the actuator to the actuator bracket on the turbo and wind the turnbuckle into a position 3mm short of the spigot on the waste-gate arm, requiring you to pull the rod into position over the waste-gate spigot.

as said on phone though...........you need to check everything else out first regarding ignition and vacuum leaks, if prob still persists once that's all sorted then look at the actuator and for big cracks around turbo wastegate (small are acceptable, big are not), may even be a prob with the impellor shaft seizing hence not spooling up so check that to make sure it spins freely.

Thanks very useful advice I will do exactly as that

Does it not matter what spring it is because I'm using Ebc?

ebc or manual bleed valve has nothing to do with actuator spring pressure

if you chose say a 1.2bar spring then the actuator would not open the wastegate until that pressure has been achieved so the spring pressure would override any lower setting from boost controller

the stock boost actuator spring opens between 0.5-0.6bar and if in good order should work upto around 1.4bar if boost controller is set to that, after that they start to get a bit random which is when you would need an uprated one with probably 1bar spring

Also should I order a new manifold gasket? I read somewhere that to order a s14a they are much better.

yes order a mls gasket there about £35 delivered and you can reuse them a few times

http://www.tuningdevelopments.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=325

Would something like this be ok

yep that's fine