Internal wastegate frozen WTF!?!?!

B

Brasco

New Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2007
Has anyone had this problem. Its a new 3" downpipe that i put on the car last season. I went to adjust the boost level one day and the gate was frozen. So i took the pipe off the car and worked it a little with wd40 and other lubes, but it still wasnt great. So i sent it back to the company who assembles then they reemed out the shaft for the gate so it wasnt so tight and said its good as new. 4 months later frozen solid and this time i tried to free it up with a set of chanel locks and it was so bad the linkage broke off. Whats the deal? has anybody had a constant problem before with a internal gate frezzing? The whole time i have this pipe it brings me no surprise that ive had a problem with different boost levels.

Any thought? Donny
 
My orignal mease pipe would do that. It would freeze. Not Completly but it would start to stick pretty bad. I would lube it and clean it out every couple of months to keep it working. Who's pipe is it?
 
TA performance downpipe They just sell it though Tube Technologies in CA make them.
 
I had that problem with az gn's dp. The wastegate flapper assembly was made of iron, not stainless... it froze constantly. After an engine rebuild I went with another setup.
 
This sucks i would of went external if i new it was junk! If it was made with stainless hardware do you think it would stop freezn?
 
Brasco said:
This sucks i would of went external if i new it was junk! If it was made with stainless hardware do you think it would stop freezn?
Click to expand...

I don't know why you and qwks6 are doing, but the pipes I sold have stainless bushings and shafts? :confused:

I am sorry, we and our suppliers are not perfect, if you have a problem the smart thing to do is contact the supplier to correct the problem, or refund your purchase price if done within a reasonable time.

It is stupid to blame me for blowing up your engine qwks6, best look in a mirror to place the blame. If you are not properly monitoring your tune and boost to figure out your problem, you should be driving something else besides a Buick. :mad:

Brasco, I do not think I sold you the TA pipe, but if you pay shipping, I will replace puck, shaft and bushing with all stainless pieces at no charge. Can have it done within 3 days to ship back to you as I have the parts in stock. If you purchased it from me, I will pay shipping both ways.
 
My 3" ATR downpipe puck would freeze up all the time, I would lube it up and that would free it up for about a heat cycle or two, after that it would be frozen stuck open again. The puck assembly was not made from stainless like the rest of the pipe. I called RJC racing and ordered one of his stainless steel puck assembly', I belive it was a 1.375" stainless puck shaft and assembly for $49.00. After I had this new stainless shaft and puck installed, I have never had a sticking or frozen issue with the assembly.
 
This is why in my original post i never stated who it was from because i didnt want to get into a fued over this just want to figure what is the deal. TA performance and Tube Technologies is aware of the problem and have fixed it once for me. It happened again after it was fixed in a short time and i need to figure it out. I dont want to send it back if its only going to do it again. *Nick i didnt buy it from u and im not sure how the TA perf. pipe is assembeld, either with or without stainless hardware.(i would think with) I appreciate the help on it tho. The problem is im driving the dam thing broken and i cant take it off to get it fixed cause im using the car everyday and i cant afford to have my car off the road for a week to get a pipe repaired. Just seems like a stupid thing to keep happening and that theres not a simple way so that im not fully screwed.

Again im not sayn anybody sells junk just looking for a simple way to get this resolved, without starting fresh with new stuff.

Thanks Donny
 
Problem is there is no simple fix or repair without taking the pipe off the car. Depending where you live you could order the parts from jason or nick. Then on a Friday night take the pipe off the car. First thing in the morning replace the parts or take it to someone who can. Re-install it on Saturday night or Sunday.
 
See that is a simple fix cause taking it off the car shipping it to cali waiting for it to get repaired and shipped back isnt to me. But the next problem i guess would be finding a person to weld up the new piece. Can anyone tell me if there is a specific way to align the wastegate to get it welded on the pipe so the puck sits flat and true to the turbo?
 
As was said above, once I had the downpipe off the car I wiz wheeled the old arm (shaft) off the pipe, took the pipe and new stainless shaft asembly to a friend of mine that welds stainless, he put a couple beads on it and I was out of there in no time.
 
Thats it then, i guess the only thing i have to hope for is that TA perf. does not use stainless parts and this might be the fix. Well see.

Thanks to all
 
I bought my DP from TA about a year ago. Only got it installed in time for the midwest challenge in September before it sat for a while.

It started sticking this week. I have been driving the car to more cruise nights but have not raced it yet.

Good thing as the boost would have been way too high with a stuck shut puck.

I talked to Tim he suggested that I try some carb cleaner. It sticks because of carbon buildup in the bushing area?

I tried the carb cleaner and let is sit of 1/2 hour then tired to wiggle the valve open. It worked.

But I am concerned that it will stick again at a bad time?

Any updates from anybody else??
 
Worth the bump. This is a problem that stems from poor quality product that only surfaces when the puck freezes and all of a sudden the boost spikes. Even with the best monitoring you are subject to the flapper that can relieve the building pressure. If you push it, like everybody with a sports car does, you are relying on parts. We all try to buy the best but sometimes you get something that fails.

I bet everybody that has had this problem has found parts that are not stainless. It was obvious in my case, but many others are gambling with a part that will fail and don't know it.

If you run an aftermarket "THDP" copy, check to make sure it is stainless at the flange and bushing and flapper...
 
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