Almost ready to trade my CRX for a Tsi but got a question

[NeedaDSM]

I'm pretty sure I am going to trade my CRX for a 90 Tsi AWD. It has a rebuilt motor with a 16G but supposedly needs a wastegate actuater. He says its a $200 part. Now I was looking at the price of external wastegates (they are kinda $$$!!) and saw Greddy wastegate actuater cables for $120. Does anyone know whats my best option here? I plan on keeping the car mostly stock until winters over and just want reliability for now.

 

[BADAZZGSX]

I'd say you could go to a junkyard and get an old actuator off a car there that would probably work. That would more than likely be your cheapest route. If you go with an ext. gate then you have to figure in the price of the part plus having your manny or o2 housing modified to hold it. If I was just gonna drive for winter I would go junkyardin. Or if your not worried about having the turbo right now until you get ready to mod after winter, you can just disconnect the actuator arm from the flapper and run the car w/o the turbo spoolin. It doesn't hurt; you just won't have the effects of a turbo. Now THAT is your cheapest way out till summer, but why buy a turbo if you're not gonna use it. Right?

 

[BoostinAWD]

Just buy a beater 14b off of ebay, or goto machv.com and buy one. They sell them for less than $200

 

[NeedaDSM]

Junkyardin would save $$$ but I would rather buy quality from the start. I was wondering what the difference between the Greddy and OEM part was. And one thing bothered me-after the test drive a VERY SMALL amount of oil was coming from the one end of the actuator cable. And the worthless boost gauge would goto 14psi at only 3500 RPM. Is this normal with a faulty actuator?

 

[V8SHME8]

If you are talking about the factory boost gauge, that is pretty normal from all the cars I have seen. My cars gauge never goes into vacuum and a friend of mine's once it gets any boost flys off the gauge.

 

[lmercado]

I have a friend with a 1990 Talon with a stock turbo, but all the rest regarding the whole flow line is slightly bigger.

One main thing that helped him increase speed was the Front mount intercooler... he smokes S2000, Mustangs and many other DSM's in his class. Without opening the engine at all, not even a slight porting.

Other mods he did were:
*ACT clutch.
*Fuel pump.
*Fuel regulator.
*KYB shocks.
*front and rear strut bars.