Can you actually see the gate or do you have to do a pressure check to determine? I can see where the actuator arm ends but when I look at it from under the truck I don't see a **** thing. Or must you actually remove the turbo to determine if it is stuck? Any help is much appreciated.

 

if you crawl under the passenger side door and lock up on the back side of the turbo you will be able to see the actuator arm.... you can use a small hammer or set of vice grips to try and it... if it doesn't come free you will need to remove the turbo to free it up... PB blast is a must! works best if you take a short drive then spray down the back of the turbo while it's still warm

 

The waste gate vents excess exhaust drive pressure from the manifold side of the exhaust fan to the tail pipe side. It is internal. To see the gate itself, you'd have to take the exhaust flange off the rear of the turbo.

BTW this is a VERY rare and HIGHLY unlikely failure. The spring that closes off the waste gate is inside the actuator the hose attaches to and it is STOUT. It is much more likely to fail closed, though I have never heard of that either. People do disable the gate to get higher boost pressure. It is an inferior mod to adjusting the waste gate both in flow and in engine durability.

 

it is rare... my wg hose was pinched off for a long time by the P.O. once I got the truck I took his clamp off the hose.. my actuator arm was very rusty and stuck open just the slightest amount... just enough to loose boost.. a little pb blast and heater fixed it up