Hahn Racecraft Wastegate Actuator Upgrade This installation VFAQ is being written in retrospect, after the numerous problems I have run into. To date, I have removed and reinstalled the unit 3 times, and am preparing to do it again. For this reason, there are no pictures including the removal of the stock actuator. Once you do the removal yourself, you will understand why - it is simple. However, as simple as this installation may be, do so at your own risk. I make no promises as to the accuracy of this document. These instructions are just a reproduction of the methods I used to install the HRC Actuator. I may have done something horribly wrong that will cause my car to explode tomorrow. Again, follow these instructions at your own risk. :) Before you begin: Installation of the Actuator requires modifications to the lower heat shield. I tried to bend it first, to get it to fit over the larger HRC actuator, and failed. At this point I tried to cut it up, and did a pretty good hack job in the process. Cut as little of the heat shield as possible. Since installing the HRC Actuator and hacking my lower heat shield, the stock drivers side fan has started to melt. Looks like I will have to install some aftermarket fans. Here is a pic, the top blade is warped due to heat: The length of the control arm of the actuator will affect boost production. I was not able to adjust the arm without fully removing the actuator, so expect to install and uninstall this unit multiple times before you have it adjusted properly. Step One: Make sure the car is cool. You will be working close to the radiator, turbocharger, and exhaust manifold. This is not a project you want to perform until the car is cool. Gather the proper tools. I used needle nose pliers, 10mm and 13mm wrenches, 10mm and 13mm sockets, and a flat-head screw driver. Step Two: Remove both cooling fans from the radiator. The HRC instructions say to only remove the drivers side fan, but I found that the job is much easier if you remove both. Each fan is held in place by 4 10mm bolts, one in each corner of the fans frame. Also, each fan has an electrical plug, which you will have to unplug. The fans lift up out of the engine bay. The stock actuator should be simple to spot - it is a slightly smaller version than the unit HRC shipped you. It will be bolted to the turbocharger with two 10mm bolts and a small metal clip which holds the control arm onto the wastegate section of the exhaust manifold. I found that removing the clip from above the car is impossible. Get down on your back and slide under the car. Working upwards can be a bit uncomfortable, but it is much easier to get a good angle on the clip from this vantage point. Removing the clip can be tricky. It is shaped like a "U", so I found that slightly opening a pair of needle nose pliers will let you put pressure on both tips of the clip, and let you force it off of the wastegate flapper. If you get the clip worked off a little bit, you can use the flat-head screw driver by putting one corner between the center of the clip and the flapper, and pushing it off. Both of these methods have worked for me. Now that you have both fans, and the stock actuator removed, you should be faced with something similar to this: (Note that this pic was taken after I hacked up my lower heat shield.) Step Three: Assemble the HRC Actuator. Attach the actuator to the provided mounting bracket. The bolts that hold the actuator to the mounting bracket are 13mm. You will need both a rachet and an open ended wrench in order to tighten them properly. At this point, you have to adjust the actuator as well. See the picture below to make sure you are putting the parts together properly. If you have the bolts facing the wrong direction, the bracket will not fit around the turbocharger. HRC provides two washers. Placing these two washers between the actuator and the mounting bracket will effectively shorten the length of the actuators control arm, thus making it require more pressure for the actuator to open the wastegate. The connector tip on the actuators control arm is also adjustable. Screw the nut in to where you want it (I would suggest half way as a starting point) and then screw the connector tip on until it is flush against the nut, and tight. Again, screwing the connector tip further onto the control arm will shorten the length and make it harder for the actuator to open the wastegate. If you make the control arm too short you will get MASSIVE boost creep. At one point, I was hitting 16psi in 1st/2nd gears, but 5th gear was pegging my boost gauge at 20psi. I was hitting fuel cut in both 4th and 5th gears. The assembled actuator will look like this: Step Four: Bolt the mounted actuator onto the turbocharger. Hook the connector tip of the control arm onto the wastegate flapper before trying to bolt the mounting bracket to the turbocharger. If the connector tip is not angled properly, do not unscrew it to adjust it. Just hold onto the upper section of the rod and turn it, it will turn both clockwise and counter-clockwise. Be gentle with it though. Take your time and do not get frustrated. Bolting the assembled actuator onto the turbocharger is not easy. The bolts are at a very awkward angle. If the exhaust manifold is still hot you will have no chance at all of getting this done. Once the actuator is bolted to the turbocharger, climb back under the car and put the clip back onto the wastegate flapper, on top of the control arm. Here is a picture, from under the car looking up at the control arm after it has been attached to the wastegate flapper. The clip had some red paint slapped onto it, to make it a little easier to see: Here is a picture of the installed actuator, taken from the passenger side of the engine bay. Note that I had not attached the signal hose from the boost controller to the actuators nipple yet. Step Five: Put everything back together. Make sure to reattach the pressure hose from your boost controller to the nipple on the actuator. Bolt both fans back in place, and make sure to plug the cables back in to each of the two fans. Adjust your boost controller - If you have a manual boost controller. I would set it lower than normal for now. Take a few minutes and do a visual inspection. Make sure there are not any unplugged cables. Make sure there are no bolts or nuts that you forgot to put back on. Make sure there are no loose pressure hoses. Give the actuator a wiggle also, make sure it is not loose. If everything looks and feels good, juice her up and take a spin. And get ready to pull it right back off again. You now have 3 different things controlling your boost production. Boost controller - Obviously, the boost controller will start sending signal to the wastegate actuator based on how you have this set. Washers between the actuator and mounting bracket - This shortens the control arm, and makes it harder for the wastegate to open, and thus produces more boost. However, if the control arm is TOO short, the wastegate cannot open fully, and you will get crazy boost creep. Keep an eye on your boost gauge or you might do some serious damage to your engine. The position of the connector tip on the end of the control arm - This also shortens or lengthens the control arm. If this gets too long, the slightest signal from the boost controller can fully open the wastegate, seriously restricting boost levels. I was not able to clear 10psi in 1st and 2nd gear at one point. And thats it. Hopefully you have managed to install and tune your car without breaking anything. Comments? Corrections? E-Mail me.