Air leak on bottom of turbocharger

[glennm01]

While doing a coolant drain/flush/fill this afternoon, I noticed a decent amount of air coming out of the bottom of my turbocharger (2004 FG649), right where the actuator arm goes into the unit. The black soot in the photo below tells the story. Anyone ever deal with a leak here before? The shop guide is devoid of any details on what's going on in there, and before I start rooting around blindly, I thought I'd check here first for any insights. Thanks!

 

[javajoe79]

Not uncommon on turbos in general. There is no seal there, just a bushing that the wastegate pivot rides in. That one doesn’t look too bad IMO. If you unhook the actuator rod you can get an idea of how worn the bushing is.

 

[glennm01]

Thanks for the insight. I removed the pin and actuator rod this morning, but couldn't get that piece that goes into the housing to come out. Didn't want to force it without more info. Any idea how that's secured in there? The bushing does look okay all the way around from the outside at least.

 

[javajoe79]

Thanks for the insight. I removed the pin and actuator rod this morning, but couldn't get that piece that goes into the housing to come out. Didn't want to force it without more info. Any idea how that's secured in there? The bushing does look okay all the way around from the outside at least.

That piece doesn't come out. You have to take the turbo off, grind the weld off of the arm and slide the wastegate out from the inside or the opposite and cut the gate off of the shaft to replace that bushing. Based on your picture, that is a tiny and normal leak. I would leave it alone and not worry about it.

 

[glennm01]

Fixing it definitely sounds like more trouble than it's worth. Thanks again for the help.

 

[javajoe79]

No problem.