Ok so my 97 2500 has been having some issues this week, I've been pulling 14 hour days at work all this week so i haven't really been able to tear into it yet, I think I might know what it is, but before I go spend a lot of time and money I was hoping for some opinions.

The truck has been hit and miss all week in regards to power, sometime I'll barely hit the throttle and she will just **** and get, other times I'll have my foot buried in it on a level surface and it will take me 60 seconds to get up to 60mph. I can hear the turbo screaming, but it feels like i have 0 boost (unfortunately i don't have any guages in it to know for sure). I checked all the turbo's plumbing and the wastegate hoses and they all seem fine. I think the actual wastegate itself might be shot. any ideas before I drop $150 on a new wastegate?

 

test the actuator with compressed air. dont just throw parts at it. does it smoke like hell when it is running poorly?

 

Not getting a lot of smoke, a little at idle but that about it, I blew air into the wastegate actuator and it would start to close a little bit, but then all the air would start coming out the bottom of the actuator head making it open back up. The actuator itself is leaking like I thought.

 

sounds like cause for a nice shiny new wastegate

 

badda bing!