Actuator Rod Broken

[gregthiara]

Hi My 996tt 2001 has a rusted and snapped actuator rod, its the rear passenger side.

If I buy the rod from porsche its £60, is it easy to fit myself and does anybody have any info. It seems easy enough to set as its snapped in the middle so I should be able to set each end.

Any advice or DIY info would be great.

Regards,

Greg.

Edited July 24, 2011 by gregthiara

[Richard Hamilton]

It is a common problem, and the trouble is you can't buy just the rod. You have to buy the whole actuator @ £276.42+VAT. Once fitted, it needs setting up with a vacuum tool, so is a bit of a specialist job. I'm not sure where you found the £60 rod - do you have a link?

[gregthiara]

It was porsche servicing department in cambridge that told me, "just rod is £60"

Hmm will double check with them 2morro

Edited July 24, 2011 by gregthiara

[Richard Hamilton]

It isn't listed on the PET. If it is correct, get a part number and post it here - a lot of people would be interested.

[Dus10R]

So it's the end rod? The part that screws onto the rod that is actually sticking out of the actuator? If you can find just that rod end it's easy to put on, BUT you have to balance it with the other side.

It's a little more difficult on the psgr side ...the driver side is a breeze.

But make sure the rod end is the one with the bend or kink...not straight.

But to set it up you need some sort of way to pressure test it against the driver side unit. Some of the brake bleeder units will do both vacuum and pressure, you need pressure and a way to measure it.

I have a normal bicycle pump that I use...I insert the little plastic cone that comes with the pump for filling air mattresses or little kids floaties and then I bought some vacuum line from an auto parts store and a "T" connector and a cheap air pressure gauge that reads low pressure from 1 up to whatever with 1 psi increment markers. So I took the vacuum line and cut it into 3 sections (as long as you need, made mine long enough so that I can place the air pressure gauge wherever I want it under the car so that I can see it when I'm laying under the car and pumping air into the actuator) so you connect all the vacuum hoses up to the "T" connector, one hose connects to your bicycle pump, one hose goes to your air pressure gauge and and the last hose you will connect up to the waste gate actuator.

So you want to check first at what psi the driver side actuator is just starting to move. Do this by feel... You can't look at the actuator rod and the gauge at the same time so slightly grab the rod with two fingers and then while looking at your pressure gauge start to pump the bicycle pump. Note at what psi you just start to feel the actuator rod move... Do it a couple times just to make sure...also...it helps if you can find an air pressure gauge with a an air release button on the side of it...this way you can bleed the air off without having to take the airline off every time...you may have to pay a little more for it but it's worth it... The gauge I bought is for checking and adjusting air pressures for motorcycles so it has the round gauge with a little length of hose coming out the bottom and then a brass air chuck on the end of the hose, the brass air chuck gizmo screws off and leaves a perfect little brass fitting that you push into your vacuum line.

So once you get the PSI for the driver side you now know what you want on the psgr side.

So to put the rod on you need to remove the whole actuator so remove the nuts that hold the rod to the waste gate arm and then remove the bolts from the bracket that holds the actuator...(easiest if you remove wheel and fender liner)

Note: be careful with the waste gate arm...it should move back and forth easily but you don't want to push it all the way open as they can touch the turbine blades and get stuck.

Install your new rod end, don't screw it onto the actuator rod real far, you want it long. Then thread on one of the nuts onto the rod end and thread it on till it stops.

Then reinstall the whole actuator and rod assembly making sure to fit the rod end into the waste gate arm with the arm fully closed. Make sure that it's not bound up and that the waste gate arm can somewhat slide freely on the rod threads. Be careful when tightening the actuator bracket back onto the turbo, it's easy to strip the threads, use some light bonding loctite.

So with the rod inserted and the actuator mounted just double check that the waste gate arm is fully seated closed. Now thread on the last nut behind the waste gate arm and just snug it up to the arm, not tight, and then unthread the first nut back so that it's resting against the front of the waste gate arm.

Now is where you start to adjust it to match the psi you noted of the driver side.

Turn the rear nut clockwise to tighten it against the waste gate arm and it will increase the psi needed to make the rod move. If it needs a lot of tightening you may need to thread the first nut forward some away from the front of the waste gate arm (towards the front of the car). Get it so that it's starting to move at the same psi as the driver side.

And thats it!

[Sunnyside]

And if all that sounds very complicated , it just so happens that if you count the number of threads coming out the back of the good turbo actuator arm adjustment nut ( or measure the length sticking out) its the near enough same measurement for the other as well.

Don't get too hung up on balancing at this stage, its possible to get 95% there without all the special tools. My passenger side waste gate has seized and the rod had corroded through. There was no waste gate control on the passenger side turbo and the drivers side turbo took up all the control. I still had my flash boost of 0.9 bar and thinking about it my waste gate must have been seized for many many months.

If your rod is a mm or so out it will make very little difference to the running of the car. The N75 valve controls the amount of boost. If your slightly out on one turbo it will still keep full control of boost.You only need to worry if there is a significant difference / in balance between actuators. Such as I had with a seized waste gate. The Turbo with the seized waste gate does most of the work, whilst the good waste gate will be open more to compensate, hence does less work.

Remember, the turbos do not only supply their respective sides, both turbo outputs are mixed in the y pipe, so even if the turbo you set up is marginally out it doesn't mean that side of cylinders will be getting more or less boost than the other bank.

By measuring your good arm length and using that figure will have almost no imbalance and hence both turbos will be working at about the same rate.

Then you can get them checked and set up correctly at your leisure.

MORE IMPORTANTLY

If I were you I would check to see that you don't have a seized waste gate as well, its quite common. You can have the turbine housing repaired so don't think you have to get a new turbo.

ps, what I'm trying to say as professionally as i can is you wont do any harm short term running you car with a marginal actuator imbalance.

Edited July 24, 2011 by Sunnyside

[gregthiara]

Thanks guys this is great info, I am hoping I will be lucky as the rod has snapped in the middle so I can see the theads.

[gregthiara]

Richard you are correct... you can not buy just the rod.

[Sunnyside]

Richard you are correct... you can not buy just the rod.

Try talking to Vince at CR Turbos about a new actuator, they rebuilt my turbos and replaced the actuators, and are doing some hybrid work on mine atm: http://www.crturbos.co.uk/

Tell him Frank gave you the contact address/number and see if he will give you a wee bit of discount. You never know.lol

Frank

Edited July 26, 2011 by Sunnyside

[996psp]

Hi did anyone get a part number for just the rod?? I thought you have to buy the whole actuator for the 996??