Uprated actuator ???
04 November 2001, 12:37 AM
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Calling all brainy people,
I have recently had a Unichip fitted to my Terzo by InterPro (Bristol)with excellent results. BHP has increased from 242 to just under 280 (@6250rpm) whilst the torque has increased from 241ftlb to 281ftlb at 3500rpm. Fantastic improvement in acceleration and so much more torque at lower revs.
Whilst parting with my hard earned cash we were discussing what else could be done and the guy there suggested having an uprated / stiffer actuator fitted as mine is "a bit flappy".
Can anyone tell me what all this is about:
- what does the actuator do?
-what difference will changing it make?
-what different would it make to the performance?
-is it worth spending £300 - £400 on?
Any help / advice is greatfully accepted.
Many thanks
Simon
I have recently had a Unichip fitted to my Terzo by InterPro (Bristol)with excellent results. BHP has increased from 242 to just under 280 (@6250rpm) whilst the torque has increased from 241ftlb to 281ftlb at 3500rpm. Fantastic improvement in acceleration and so much more torque at lower revs.
Whilst parting with my hard earned cash we were discussing what else could be done and the guy there suggested having an uprated / stiffer actuator fitted as mine is "a bit flappy".
Can anyone tell me what all this is about:
- what does the actuator do?
-what difference will changing it make?
-what different would it make to the performance?
-is it worth spending £300 - £400 on?
Any help / advice is greatfully accepted.
Many thanks
Simon
04 November 2001, 09:34 AM
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Simon,
Firstly, if you have a TD04 turbo, they are adjustable (to some degree) and it may just need tweeking. You can check if it's loose, by just trying to move the rod, in, and out of the main body. If you have any slack, romove the heat shield, and you'll see the threaded fitting. Just take up the slack, and then give it a couple of extra turns, to give it some preload.
If you do this, you will need to get your boost control adjusted.
As for what the actuator does, well it is what's used to open/close the wastegate on the turbo. The wastegate opens to bleed boost, or closes, to allow boost to build.
If the spring in the actuator is too weak, it won't be able to keep the wastegate closed, because the exhaust gas pressure will blow it open. If this happens, boost will be lost on spool up, and the turbo won't be able to hold boost at higher rpm.
An uprated actuator will allow you to get the max spool up your turbo is able to give (assuming the ecu is mapped correctly) and hold the boost to the red line (if the turbo is able to flow what your asking of it).
As for £300~£400 for an actuator.....DAYLIGHT ROBBERY...they cost about £150, for an uprated, adjustable one. It just bolts on.
Mark.
Firstly, if you have a TD04 turbo, they are adjustable (to some degree) and it may just need tweeking. You can check if it's loose, by just trying to move the rod, in, and out of the main body. If you have any slack, romove the heat shield, and you'll see the threaded fitting. Just take up the slack, and then give it a couple of extra turns, to give it some preload.
If you do this, you will need to get your boost control adjusted.
As for what the actuator does, well it is what's used to open/close the wastegate on the turbo. The wastegate opens to bleed boost, or closes, to allow boost to build.
If the spring in the actuator is too weak, it won't be able to keep the wastegate closed, because the exhaust gas pressure will blow it open. If this happens, boost will be lost on spool up, and the turbo won't be able to hold boost at higher rpm.
An uprated actuator will allow you to get the max spool up your turbo is able to give (assuming the ecu is mapped correctly) and hold the boost to the red line (if the turbo is able to flow what your asking of it).
As for £300~£400 for an actuator.....DAYLIGHT ROBBERY...they cost about £150, for an uprated, adjustable one. It just bolts on.
Mark.
04 November 2001, 10:50 PM
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Mark,
Many thanks for your help. It is very interesting what you say.
On my power curves it hits 281ftlb of torque at just over 3500rpm and holds this until 4750rpm, after which it starts to fall away, reaching 240ftlb @ 6000rpm. As for the BHP curve, it rises all the way to 6000rpm, but it slightly flatter after 4750rpm (the same point at which the torque starts to drop off). Could this be characteristic of an underperforming actuator?
If I was to have it changed I assume I could expect more top end torque / bhp. Maybe it would reach the magical figure of 300bhp, or maybe I'm just living in a dream world.
I'm not sure what type of turbo it is. It is the standard unit on a MY98 car (Terzo). Is this the TD04?
It is also good to know that I can except a bill for considerably less than £300-£400.
Once again, cheers for the help.
Simon
Many thanks for your help. It is very interesting what you say.
On my power curves it hits 281ftlb of torque at just over 3500rpm and holds this until 4750rpm, after which it starts to fall away, reaching 240ftlb @ 6000rpm. As for the BHP curve, it rises all the way to 6000rpm, but it slightly flatter after 4750rpm (the same point at which the torque starts to drop off). Could this be characteristic of an underperforming actuator?
If I was to have it changed I assume I could expect more top end torque / bhp. Maybe it would reach the magical figure of 300bhp, or maybe I'm just living in a dream world.
I'm not sure what type of turbo it is. It is the standard unit on a MY98 car (Terzo). Is this the TD04?
It is also good to know that I can except a bill for considerably less than £300-£400.
Once again, cheers for the help.
Simon
04 November 2001, 11:54 PM
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Simon,
Your figures don't indicate a dodgy actuator, but they are typical of a TD04. If you want more power/torque higher up, you need a bigger turbo (TD04 is tiny).
I'd be very interested to know how much boost you're running, and what overboost you hit. Do you have a boost gauge. What boost control are you using ?.
First check the actuator, as I suggested, and see if it is an issue. If it's faulty, I'd suggest sticking with the standard one. The TD04 isn't really capable of flowing a lot of air, above 6000rpm, and if you try to, all you'll do is create a lot of heat, and little, or no power.
Mark.
Your figures don't indicate a dodgy actuator, but they are typical of a TD04. If you want more power/torque higher up, you need a bigger turbo (TD04 is tiny).
I'd be very interested to know how much boost you're running, and what overboost you hit. Do you have a boost gauge. What boost control are you using ?.
First check the actuator, as I suggested, and see if it is an issue. If it's faulty, I'd suggest sticking with the standard one. The TD04 isn't really capable of flowing a lot of air, above 6000rpm, and if you try to, all you'll do is create a lot of heat, and little, or no power.
Mark.
05 November 2001, 09:57 PM
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Hi Mark,
Since having the Unichip fitted a couple of weeks ago my boost now peaks at 1.3bar (approx 19psi) and holds 1.2bar.
I have a very technical boost controller - it is called my right foot!!! Seriously, the boost is adjusted using a bleed valve. The only reason for this is that originally I had a Superchip fitted (before I found out more about them on here)which uses a bleed valve. The Unichip is now fitted in conjuction with the Superchip. I have been thinking about an electronic boost controller, but don't know if I would really alter the boost in practice. The bleed valve has been set by the guys at Interpro (near Bristol)and I have no intention of fiddling with it.
Thanks once again for your help.
Cheers
Simon
Since having the Unichip fitted a couple of weeks ago my boost now peaks at 1.3bar (approx 19psi) and holds 1.2bar.
I have a very technical boost controller - it is called my right foot!!! Seriously, the boost is adjusted using a bleed valve. The only reason for this is that originally I had a Superchip fitted (before I found out more about them on here)which uses a bleed valve. The Unichip is now fitted in conjuction with the Superchip. I have been thinking about an electronic boost controller, but don't know if I would really alter the boost in practice. The bleed valve has been set by the guys at Interpro (near Bristol)and I have no intention of fiddling with it.
Thanks once again for your help.
Cheers
Simon
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