[corsTDi]

Hey guys, new to the forum, also new to TDi's. I searched around on here but couldn't really find an answer to my question. So I had an engine light come on, got it scanned and was told it was the wastegate actuator (its rusty and sticking). Would this likely be the cause of the extremely low power I am experiencing and also would this cause the motor to burn higher than normal amounts of oil? Thanks.

2002 golf, from ontario now being drove in calgary. its got about 265xxx km.

Thanks!

 

[chittychittybangbang]

http://www.myturbodiesel.com/1000q/a4/VNT-wastegate-adjust.htm See this article for more testing and how to replace the VNT actuator. It could be the wastegate (VNT) actuator or it could be sticking turbo vanes. Read the article for how to isolate the causes. If it's not working it'll be a major contribution to low power. Look through the FAQ article for fixing low power for more things because there's many things that could cause low power.

Do all urgent maintenance before throwing parts at fixing low power because for all you know, the fuel filter is clogged. If you're burning high amounts of oil and because of your high mileage, it's possible the turbo could be nearing the end. If that's the case, don't bother cleaning the turbo - just buy a new one. Since you're new to TDI, search the site for diesel runaway engine. Leaking turbos can cause unintended acceleration if they leak enough oil. If a lot of oil pours out of the lower intercooler hose, it's possible the turbo is leaking oil. A little dribble is normal.

 

[grn04]

Hey guys, new to the forum, also new to TDi's. I searched around on here but couldn't really find an answer to my question. So I had an engine light come on, got it scanned and was told it was the wastegate actuator (its rusty and sticking). Would this likely be the cause of the extremely low power I am experiencing and also would this cause the motor to burn higher than normal amounts of oil? Thanks.

2002 golf, from ontario now being drove in calgary. its got about 265xxx km.

Thanks!

I would also get a second opinion before spending money on it if you can't fix it yourself. What was the code that came up for the check engine light? It could be as simple as a broken vacuum line.

 

[corsTDi]

Thanks a lot guys, definitely a lot to look into but I will have to start with those.
As for the engine code I don't have the actual numbers but the mechanic said it was specifically for the wastegate mechanism, so that could be the root of my problems.

 

[makindue]

If you see the engine code, kindly approach me. I am thinking if it is good in mine. Or post some photos here.

 

[soareyes]

I too have a question about the VNT actuator. Mine loses vacuum when I test with a Mighty Vac over about 10 seconds time (in other words, it doesn't hold vacuum). I thought it might be a leaky hose but I get the same result when I hook the Mighty Vac to the actuator with a new short piece of hose. I'm assuming this means the actuator is bad and needs to be replace?

Thanks,
Stan

 

[soareyes]

Second question - if I have to replace the actuator, is it removable without taking the turbo out? Looks like the clip holding the actuator rod might be hard to get to.

Thanks again,
Stan

 

[chittychittybangbang]

I too have a question about the VNT actuator. Mine loses vacuum when I test with a Mighty Vac over about 10 seconds time (in other words, it doesn't hold vacuum). I thought it might be a leaky hose but I get the same result when I hook the Mighty Vac to the actuator with a new short piece of hose. I'm assuming this means the actuator is bad and needs to be replace?

Thanks,
Stan

Yes, it's bad. The other possibility is that the mighty vac is bad or your hose isn't tight.

Second question - if I have to replace the actuator, is it removable without taking the turbo out? Looks like the clip holding the actuator rod might be hard to get to.

Thanks again,
Stan

Yes. If you look in the writeup, it shows an angle behind the engine where you can easily see it from the bottom. From the top, you have to remove some hoses. Either is difficult but I wouldn't remove the turbo just to replace the actuator. Way more work than necessary.

 

[soareyes]

The Mighty Vac is fine so I'll replace the actuator. Glad to hear I won't have to take the turbo off too, and I already have the intake manifold and EGR valve off to clean so it should be even easier to get to the actuator.

 

[Wildwater]

I just discovered this on mine today too. VNT won't hold vacuum. Interesting thing is the vacuum is able to keep up until I run it at high speed under a load (ie long hill on the highway). Then the MIL comes on and it goes into limp mode until I cycle the key off. For what it's worth, there are several places to buy the actuator online. Around $100. Not sure what dealers charge, if it's even available.

 

[soareyes]

My new actuator came in the mail today from metalmanparts.com, $99 and free shipping. I ordered it Sunday night and got it Wednesday morning, pretty fast for Penn. to Calif.

Stan

 

[soareyes]

As a followup, I installed the new actuator last weekend and everything was working great. But yesterday, I got an overboost CEL. When I rechecked the actuator with a mighty vac I was only getting about 1/8" of movement! Turns out I had not tightened the nut on the actuator arm enough and the actuator arm had slowly shortened over time resulting in the overboost CEL. So tighten that nut!

Stan

 

[corsTDi]

Glad its all worked out for you! I had to fix a couple vacum lines, but I still need to replace the actuator...maybe it will qualify for the actuator TSB.

 

[scooty]

I also have the same problem, with my mk4 golf.. Today I'll change vacuum hoses that seem to be leaky and I'll see if it helps..