WASTE GATE SOLENOIDS

[MrMarty51]

Just curious as to who has tried what for brands on waste gate solenoids and Your experiences with them.
My 2000 K3500 had a Delco solenoid on it.
After going the rounds with cleaning terminals, replacing the vacuum pump and trying a new boost sensor and installing a new NAPA waste gate solenoid.
I finally got proper connectivity through the terminals and got the boost back to specs.
Upon the very first road test, NAPA solenoid quit working. I came home and installed the original Delco unit and then had the boost functioning as it should.
I took back the NAPA solenoid and got a replacement, well, the new replacement had the boost gauge bouncing like a YOYO after about 15 miles.
I had already ordered a new Delco unit from RO, in the mean time I installed the home made turbo master.
The new Delco unit arrived and I tried testing vacuum and voltages with the TM installed, that does not work, the ECM will try to compensate for the higher boost levels at most any given speed.
I removed the TM, installed the vacuum actuator and the boost system worked very nice, responding as it should and running about 2 PSI boost at seventy.
Made the journey to church on Sunday, after about 20 miles the boost went from about 2 PSI cruising down to almost 0, then slowly would climb to almost one PSI of boost, then slowly back down. Pulling the hills it appears to be functioning as it should and gives great boost and no smoke out the pipe.
Yesterday I took back the faulty NAPA solenoid and got am exchange unit. I got off My lazy @s a little but ago and installed the new NAPA unit, did not even make it a mile up the Yellowstone hill and it was already bouncing the gauge like a yoyo.
I decided to try a different brand of solenoid and ordered a BWD from Oriellys. It wont be here until Tuesday or Wednesday, coming out of Denver.
I`ll report about the BWD units after I try it.
so far, I will not try another NAPA unit, I will take this unit back to them and have them credit My debit card the cost of the solenoid.
I will order another new Delco solenoid from RO to see if that will give Me the proper boost at cruising speeds and also to have a spare unit on hand.
More to come.

 

[MrMarty51]

OH Yeah, I forgot.
If I stand on the throttle and cause the trans to shift down, at about 25 MPH, the boost now jumps to almost
12 pounds. LOL

 

[Will L.]

You’ve put more effort into the wastegate than most people will.
12 is up a tad for “stock”. If you are trying to run up there on purpose, a 1 psi variation is not a lot.

All that time and effort, let alone any $ is better off turning that gm turbo into ammo for a catapult and then install something appropriate sized for six and a half liters instead of one sized for four liters.

 

[MrMarty51]

That is stock, I just punched it to see what it would do.
LOL on the catapult thing. LOL

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

2000 will run a tad more boost than earlier years. Before you go condemni,g a solenoid just because boost drops but comes up when you give it some throttle, connect a scan tool and see what desired vs actual is, and also wastegate solenoid duty cycle. See if the ECM is pulling boost for some reason. It's not common, but my 95 had abad boost pressure sensor causing mine to do all kinds of stuff. New boost solenoids did like yours, new boost sensor and all was well. See what is going on before condemning/wasting money on parts.

 

[MrMarty51]

2000 will run a tad more boost than earlier years. Before you go condemni,g a solenoid just because boost drops but comes up when you give it some throttle, connect a scan tool and see what desired vs actual is, and also wastegate solenoid duty cycle. See if the ECM is pulling boost for some reason. It's not common, but my 95 had abad boost pressure sensor causing mine to do all kinds of stuff. New boost solenoids did like yours, new boost sensor and all was well. See what is going on before condemning/wasting money on parts.

I had previously installed a new boost sensor, not a Delco but it seems to be working as it should.
with the NAPA solenoid, the boost would run up to 10PSI and soon as it got there it would drop to about 1 or 2 pounds then right back up to about ten again. That would be running at a steady throttle maintaining 65 to 70 MPH.
Maybe I should install the original boost sensor and see what the NAPA solenoid does with that ?

 

[Husker6.5]

You are trying to fix something that is NOT broken! Why?

 

[MrMarty51]

You are trying to fix something that is NOT broken! Why?

Now I`m in the experimental stage, seeing what products work and which ones to avoid. LOL

 

[JMJNet]

It is a great experiment. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
There were a few that had problem with non ACDelco parts before but none had tried the different aftermarket brand.

I read in the other forum about the OPS about a member who actually sent a letter to an aftermarket supplier.
Their engineer actually got back stating that the spec that they used to make the OPS was not even the same as ACDelco.
I got the feeling that either ACDelco sent them the wrong spec or they produced the part just by copying the look but not the spec.

 

[MrMarty51]

It is a great experiment. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
There were a few that had problem with non ACDelco parts before but none had tried the different aftermarket brand.

I read in the other forum about the OPS about a member who actually sent a letter to an aftermarket supplier.
Their engineer actually got back stating that the spec that they used to make the OPS was not even the same as ACDelco.
I got the feeling that either ACDelco sent them the wrong spec or they produced the part just by copying the look but not the spec.

Thank You JM, I like trying different things to see what will and will not work.
sometimes My experiments is failures and sometimes not. LOL
I`ll know more about the BWD control solenoids after Wednesday.
The BWD boost sensor seems to function nicely, might even be getting slightly more boost than stock sensor. It wil spike to 11 pounds of boost in an instant, then back off to about 9 or 10 after the initial stomp on the pedal. LOL
I will also try the original boost sensor just to compare.

 

[MrMarty51]

Two successful 60 mile round trips to church and home. the boost system is working wonderfully.
Getting onto the interstate from Rosebud, up hill pull, got into the throttle to meld with the traffic. Boost went to 10psi and no black smoke. LOL
Trucks happy, I`m happy.
After I got home I installed the BWD boost control solenoid, more to come on that after a few road trips.

 

[MrMarty51]

Just did a 60 mile trip with the BWD boost solenoid.
It worked as it should. I would say that the BWD solenoids would be okay to run.
A hill that is steeper than any of the others and the EGTs would go to 900 on, with the boost system properly functioning, it went to only 600 degrees.