Winnidude

I've been dealing with this issue for a while and hoping some brains could help out.

After 15-17 minutes of hard driving on the track, in particular, tracks that have stretches that the turbos are working hard. The. Turbos shut off, no CEL but the turbos go into a limp mode. Car actually drives good still but no boost. The codes through durametic tells me the driver side actuator is overheating.

Dealer replaced actuator last summer and it happened with 2 different actuators. They recommended some heat shield tape to protect actuator from engine and exhaust..

The driver's side actuator is near the exhaust manifold, where as the passenger side is on top, hence I think there is more heat.

I put some heat shield tape on this past week at Mt Tremblant but not sure I'm knowing how to effectively put that on, some fell off. I do know that when I took the tape off, some sections were burnt on the glue side, so I know this area is getting really hot.

Questions:
1. Should I even have this problem? Other turbo owners who track their car, do you have any issues running really hard on hots for times longer than 20 minutes? Don't seen any posts about it
2. This area is getting really hot, there are 4 components in this area, exhaust manifold, the turbo, the actuator, the side of the motor and a few heat shields. How do you find out which component is causing the excessive heat? Would a problem with a turbo cause excessive heat? The actuator rod does move freely prior to sessions and the car runs great right up til the overheat scenario.


3. Should I create some kind of air scoop to cool area? Anybody else ever create cooling ducks for the turbos.

My car details are below, I do have an EPL tune, exhaust but no other engine mods.


Any help would be appreciated

elite1

I recently tracked my car at 5200ft with ambient air temps of 96F and experienced no issues with my actuators.

Last year, I ran stock 997.1 intercoolers and had extreme turbo lag due to heat after a 10 min run. I never saw any errors though.

This past offseason / winter, I upgraded to the 997GT2RS or 997.2 intercoolers and only found this same issue after 20 mins+ and the lag was only for a few turns at the track I run. Huge difference if I compare the two!

I don't think your issue is related to your actuator. I think you have a cooling issue prior to the turbo by your explanation.

Winnidude

Thanks, thought I would have seen more posts if this was common. The actuator is getting hot according to durametric logging. The exhaust manifold wouldn't get any hotter based on using more boost or not. So that leaves the turbo or actuator is generating abnormal heat. I think the actuator is just an electric motor used to change the pitch of blades in the turbo.

If the actuator motor was trying to move the blades and the turbo blades were stuck, could that cause either to get excessively hot. But I did check the free movement of the rods prior to the session just not when I got off.

I'm going to talk to a local speed shop about cooling techniques but that sounds like I'm putting a bandaid on the real problem. Heat tape won't do any good if the actuator if generating the heat. Could I ever get enough air into that air to keep it cool if its just general normal heat.

Kevin

You might have a turbine housing VNT vane issue. The vanes are binding. I have seen two turbines that have had this same issue. It's a non repairable issue. As the turbine housing heats up, the vanes stick. You can see if this is happening by trying to move the linkage. It should be easy and fluid, if it is binding, you have an issue.

Winnidude

If its a turbo vane issue, that explains why a new actuator had the same problem. And that results in the actuator overheating because it's motor to fighting resistence?

ecpchris

Correct

Allan_Rybak

Hello , did you find the solution of this problem ? we have the same problem with overheating turbo actuator on passenger side bank after few laps on track...

Kevin

Allan,
Welcome to Rennlist...
Please take a few pictures of your turbocharger. I need to see your bearing housing or center section. What part of the country has your car lived in? Any history in Chicago or the Northeast.
It's the chicken or the egg scenario.. If the bearing housing lever is corroded it starts to seize, you risk warping the VNT nozzle ring. If caught early it can be fixed with a new cartridge>>if it is cooked 900F the metal alloy turns to jelly. Then it's time for new turbine/turbocharger (cheaper in the long run)
Post some pictures or links to the pictures and I will give you my recommendations.

Allan_Rybak

Hello , thanks for your answer. I will send photo tommorow when i put the car on lift. The car live in a central Europe - Poland.
Both of turbo chargers are after rebuild but the problem with overheating on the passenger side (b2) actuator is still the same. (both turbo has new compression wheel, main shafts ,bearing and seal) , variable geometry was cleaned and didn't look bad , both side has a simmilar play and nothing block run smooth - but in 30 degree C at the test table , and all the Time we has only temperature fault at one of actuator b2 ( no stiff or others mechanic fault of this turbo actuator). In my opinion is posiible two option: blocking the variable geometry at high turbos temperature, or actuator is faulty. I will send photo tommorow

Best Regards Alan

mikestyle

Did you have this problem, before and after the rebuild?

Kevin

My guess is that at high temperatures the VNT lever shaft that runs thru the bearing housing/center section has seized.
The actuator is working harder due to the resistance/load.
There could also be a problem with the assembly of the VNT stack and heat shield arrangement causing clearance issues when the turbocharger is Hot..

Allan_Rybak

Mikestyle - Yes the same fault.

Allan_Rybak

You have right, but i read a lot of post where people have fault of actuator "stiff" or implausible signal when they have problem with connection rods sized/corroded/dirty, so iam wondering why if problem is in sized lever or vnt stack clearance ( the same more resistance to move it by actuator as sized connection rods ) i dont have any "mechanic" fault (stiff etc) but only overheating actuator? it is no possible to faulty actuator ? It has a electric motor with thermistor, so maybe motor was sized?
\BEST REGARDS ALAN

Kevin

Chicken or the Egg. Spend the $800 on a new actuator.. If you have the same fault show up weeks later, you know it's NOT the actuator and it's the VNT stack or seized shaft.

Rig.Stunts

With my failing actuator I could smell of burning electrics after a drive.

Eventually, it failed at the track and I had a boost out of range error.

It does seem a heat shield solution would be a great idea . . .