AGP Wastegate Actuator Instructions - The Be-All End-All

[Ben@AGP]

Installation Procedure.

1. Remove the five 10mm bolts holding on the top portion of the heat shield. (You might want to use WD-40, Liquid Wrench, or PB Blaster to help in the removal process of the bolts.)
2. Remove factory actuator by pulling the pin out of the flapper arm and taking out the two 12mm bolts holding the body to the compressor housing.
3. Line the new bracket assembly up to the compressor housing and tighten down the two 12mm mounting bolts. Hand tight will work just fine.
4. Loosen the jamb nut on the arm so you can adjust the length of the rod end to match up to the flapper arm on the manifold. Pull the flapper arm towards the driver’s side of the vehicle so the flapper door is closed.
5. Slip the rod end over the flapper arm and reinstall the pin to hold in place. At this point you want to make certain there is a little tension on the wastegate actuator. Turn the adjustment nut towards the firewall of the vehicle about one full turn.
6. You may need to bend the corner of your heat shield to clear the new actuator, and reinstall.

Running the Vacuum Lines

1. Remove both of the associated vacuum lines from the number 2 solonoid that is located on top of the stock airbox. One line comes from the turbo (green line), the other line goes to the stock WGA (black line). These lines will not be used anymore. You do NOT need to cap these lines at the solenoid.
2. Attach vacuum line with bleed fitting to the turbo (where you removed the green line), and run that directly to the top of the new WGA. You may want to secure both sides of the vacuum fittings with zip ties to prevent them from blowing off. If you are using a boost controller, you will NOT use the supplied bleed fitting.
3. At this point if you are not running the Mopar Stage 1 or Stage 2 PCM, you’ll want to remove the red vacuum line going to the TIP sensor solenoid (red line). Cap the nipple on your upper IC hose with a vacuum cap. This will eliminate the Part Throttle Overboost Check Engine Light that is common on Stage 0 vehicles when upgrading the actuator and/or boost controller. If you have a 2005 vehicle, you may need to order stage 1 to completely eliminate check engine lights.

Adjusting the Actuator

In order to achieve the best performance out of this modification, you will need to “preload” the tension on the actuator. This is accomplished by loosening the jamb nut from the rod end and turning the adjustment nut towards the firewall. Every car is different, so there is no set number of turns to get the correct tension. Start out with your boost controller completely open (lowest boost possible) and adjust the tension on the wastegate actuator so that the car will produce approximately 15 psi of boost. Once you have achieved 15 psi without a boost controller, tighten the jamb nut against the rod end and start turning the boost up with the boost controller until you have reached the desired boost. If you are not using a boost controller, tighten the wastegate to achieve desired boost. This process may take a while to dial in perfectly, but it’s definitely worth it. Keep in mind that you might not want to take the car beyond 16 psi at redline because you are reaching the limit of the stock fuel system.


This is how you would run the line from the turbo to the actuator if you were using a boost controller. Turbo XS HPBC shown.


This is how you would run the line from the turbo to the actuator if you were just using the supplied bleed.


This is a picture of the supplied bleed.

[Ben@AGP]

The arm on the WGA flops around, is it broken?
No, there is nothing wrong with the wastegate actuator. It is perfectly normal for the rod to move when not under tension.

Which line do I use to hook up the wastegate actuator?
We recommend using the source on the compressor housing where the green line was connected.

I heard from a friend that you get more horsepower with the blue line and more torque with the green line, is this true?
You need new friends. A pressure source is a pressure source whether or not it comes from the throat of the compressor housing or the outlet of the compressor housing. You do not get any different power output from either source.

I didn't use the bleed when I installed my WGA but my car boosts to 18 and holds 15 at redline, should I install the bleed?
Your choice, it seems as if you're getting the most performance you're going to achieve without the bleed. Personally, I wouldn't change anything.

Why can't my WGA hold 19psi to redline?
Dodge made a turbo that is too small for the engine. You simply cannot get enough air through the turbine to generate "more boost". Even if you welded the wastegate door shut, you will still only get 15-16psi at redline.

Can I hook up the WGA to the stock lines?
Yes. We don't recommend it as the car will eventually learn the higher boost, but it's your car and you can do what you wish with it. If it works for you and you're happy with its performance, I wouldn't change it.

I just hooked up the WGA and now I get a flutter at part throttle, is this normal?
Yes. The WGA allows the turbo to spool up faster and will give a lot of part throttle boost. Sometimes you will get a lot of flutter at part throttle and at low RPM full throttle. This is just a by-product of having a turbo that's way too small for the car. You will learn to drive the car differently.

Do I need to cap the solonoids where I removed the green and black line?
No. No matter what your friend tells you, as long as you remove the lines from the solonoid, there is no need to cap them anywhere.

I installed my WGA, and now I get a Check Engine Light. What do I do now?

If you have stage 0, you will need to remove the red TIP sensor line that goes from the upper intercooler hose to solonoid #1. Completely remove this line from the car and cap the nipple that is left on the upper intercooler hose. If you have stage 1 or 2, you do not need to do this.
NOTE FOR 2005 USERS. You may get a P2074 code with stage 0. The first step is to make certain your vehicle has had the reflash 18-042-04 performed at the dealer. If you have already removed the red line and you have had the reflash completed at the dealer, you may need to purchase stage 1 to rid yourself of all check engine lights for your 05.

I just bought an AGP Wastegate used and it didn't come with a bleed. Is it safe to hook up without one?

Certainly. The bleed is there to help equalize the pressure in the line going to the wastegate and should make for a more smooth boost curve, and holds boost a little longer. If you don't have a bleed, try hooking it up without one. You're not going to hurt anything. If you want one, drill a .045" hole in a fitting and you're good to go.

How do I get rid of PTB (Part Throttle Boost)?

This is one of the drawbacks when upgrading your car with an AGP WGA. Because the turbo is so small, it spools up too quickly is a lot of situations. When you install the WGA, you have more tension holding the wastegate closed longer, which results in higher boost, and holding that boost to redline. PTB occurs because the exhaust energy, created with just a small amount of combustion, speeds the turbine shaft to a point where the compressor creates "boost". This "boost" is unable to make it all the way into the engine because your foot is only opening the throttle plate a little, and the extra "boost" only has one place to go, and that is back to the compressor wheel, causing surge.

This PTB that everyone talks about sounds much worse than it actually is. You will learn to drive your car differently so you don't experience it all that often. The benefits of 15psi at redline definitely outweigh the drawbacks of occasional PTB.

Don't let someone sell you a spring "upgrade" for the wastegate by claiming it's going to hold more boost at redline and eliminate PTB. It will not, or we would sell it.

I can't boost past 10psi, my diaphragm must be torn. Can I get a replacement?

If your diaphragm was torn, you would not be able to control boost at all. Boost would be way too high, not low. You have a boost leak, or multiple boost leaks which is preventing you from running higher boost. Fix them.

What size hose should I use for connecting my WGA?

Since you'll be eliminating a lot of the factory vacuum lines with the installation of the WGA, you can certainly use leftover hose from that. If you wish to use new hose, we recommend 7/32" vacuum hose that can be purchased from your local auto parts store.

I have Turbo Toys from my stage 2 setup. Can I still use DAB?

If you hook the WGA up using the factory vacuum lines, you'll still be able to use Dial A Boost. If you hook the WGA up like our directions state, you will not.

Since I've decided to keep my DAB because I run Turbo Toys, should I still use the bleed that was included?

Although we do not recommend running the wastegate to the factory lines and solonoid, we do understand that people with Turbo Toys want to keep the DAB function. Most likely you will not need to use the air bleed when you connect the wastegate to the stock vacuum lines. You can certainly try it both ways.

[Ben@AGP]

We have now included a heavy duty spring for those that feel it might help achieve desired boost curve.