Wastegate Shim Installation

On the turbo, at the front there is a round thing that is about the diameter of a soda can and about 3/4" - 1" thick. That is the wastegate actuator. It is kind of hard to see until you remove the accordian hose to the turbo(~3" diameter rubber elbow thing that goes from the front of the turbo to the AFM housing. The BOV and a few other smaller hoses hook up to this. Don't forget about the tiny hose underneath either). Remove the accordian hose and you're almost there. The wastegate actuator has two bolts that attach it's bracket to the turbo. Remove those two bolts. It is still attached to the turbo by a rod that goes under the turbo which attaches to a lever. If you want to use more than 4 washers, I'd suggest getting longer bolts. You'll need 8mm x 1.25 pitch bolts. The stock bolts or 25mm should be good for 4-5 washers. Place the washers between the wastegate actuator bracket and the turbo for each of the two bolts(*TIP - put one drop of superglue on each washer to hold them together. This will keep you from constantly chasing individual washers that have fallen off while you were trying to put the bolts back in). You'll have to use two hands because the rod that goes to that lever under the turbo will give you a little resistance. Make sure you only pull directly forward(towards the front of the engine), and don't try to bend it down. Now put it all back together and you're done! It really is very easy. It took me about 20mins to do and I usually take my time when working on my car. I wouldn't recommend going over 5 washers without upgrading your exhaust and intake. 5 washers should put you anywhere from 8psi to 10psi. An aftermarket boost gauge will be a great help also.
If you have any questions about it, LMK.

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psterling@pcc1.com