Accident, CEL P2006, Wastegate, Hell

[DiMedici!]

Accident, CEL P2006, Wastegate, Hell - UPDATED w/ Pic

Hi. I have a rather complicated issue about which I hope I can get some advice. It's also likely to be of more general interest for some of those MSP owners who have thrown an inexplicable P2006 code... It's a long story, but I'll try to keep it brief.

There was a collision (totally her fault) in which my MSP 2003.5 sustained front end damage:




Upon pick-up from the body shop (Collision Authority, Green Valley in Las Vegas), there were still a couple of things left undone (motor mount replacement, buffing & wiper fluid nozzles). I drove the car for three days before dropping it off for completion. The evening I picked it back up, a CEL pops up - P2006 Variable Tumble Control System (VTCS) stuck closed.

What is VTCS?
http://www.protegefaq.net/mods_engine.html#vtcs

Protege Factory Workshop Manual - Symptom Troubleshooting VTCS
http://pulledover.org/imports/Downloads/Symptom%20Troubleshooting.PDF pg. 57 (though this is for the standard Protege with a different intake manifold I think)
http://www.pulledover.org/imports/downloads.php has the entire manual available

I was writing a long narrative on how poorly Collision Authority handled this problem, lambasting their customer service and mechanical ineptitude, but bitching about them isn't going to fix my problem. Needless to say, after many trips to them, they decided that the Mazda dealership's diagnostic equipment was more up to the task than theirs. Washing their hands of any responsibility, they sent me to the nearby dealership. The parts that I know were replaced during my many trips to both shops are as follows: VTCS actuator, VCTS solenoid, PCM, and "solenoid packs". However, the CEL returned every time after a few days of driving.

Stumped, the dealership's techs got on the line with, like, Mazda's national tech hotline thing... and they were able to figure out a likely culprit. They checked the turbo's boost, and found it was topping out at ~4.5psi because - and this is how it's been explained to me - there's a "brass bushing" on the wastegate that has been "pushed out" slightly, allowing air to escape. When the service rep. was telling me this, I realized that the CEL often chose to illuminate when I was accelerating onto the freeway and I'd failed to put two-and-two together. Hopefully this diagnosis will help some of the others who are getting P2006.

Here's the thing, though, the Mazda dealership's repair procedure for this issue is complete replacement of the turbo (a ~$3,000 job) because they "don't make individual replacement parts for the turbo". State Farm says they will not cover the repairs since their adjuster has determined the accident couldn't have caused this problem, but it's instead due to wear (which is crap 'cause if this wastegate bushing is the cause of the CEL, and it illuminated for the first time right after the initial repair... how could it not be accident-related?).

Anyway, I'm not keen on replacing the whole damn turbo for a bushing and I'm not going to pay inflated dealership repair costs out-of-pocket, so does anyone have any information at all on this brass bushing (pics, diagrams, etc.)? Specifically, does anybody know a part number? Also, could anyone give me an idea of how many hours of labor I should be expecting for the replacement of this bushing? Is there any aftermarket stuff I might want to consider swapping out while someone's down there (e.g. WGA)?

Any help or advice on issue would be greatly appreciated, and I hope this diagnosis is of help to others. Thanks!

 

[BOOSTR]

Call the advisor back and tell him or her that you are not satisfied with the initial answer and request to speak with the claims supervisor or manager. Let that person know that the car had no such issues prior to the accident and that you want to be restored to the position that you were in before their insured driver hit your car. Be respectful but firm in letting them know that you will do all it takes to have your car repaired at their expense. Including involving the Insurance Department and or legal action if necessary.

You can buy a new turbo(not from Mazda) and have your wastegate bracket transfered on to it to use with either an oem WGA or an ATP WGA for less than $3,000 I am sure. *************.com has both WGAs and you could shop around for the best price on a GT2554R stock turbo.
http://www.turbobygarrett.com/turbobygarrett/catelog/Turbochargers/GT25/GT2554R_471171_3.htm

 

[special--k]

Sucks for you dude, i just had an accedent in on the rear end of my car. My Camber kit is all ****** up now. Anyway. i say +1 to BOOSTER. You need to call the Adjuster. Once you get him/her on the phone, open up this thread and read out word for word BOOSTR's post. It sounds very good.

Good luck dude.

 

[StealthWyvern]

All I need to say is this... P2006 and P0660 are pretty much the same damn code btw.


http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4072996&postcount=15

 

[DiMedici!]

Thanks for your input, all. What I'm most curious about, when I go to this new shop, is being able to instruct them as to the location of this brass bushing that's pushed out. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Below, is a pic for reference:

Would the brass bushing that's leaking be in one of the colored areas pictured here, or somewhere not in this view?

You can buy a new turbo(not from Mazda) and have your wastegate bracket transfered on to it to use with either an oem WGA or an ATP WGA for less than $3,000 I am sure. *************.com has both WGAs and you could shop around for the best price on a GT2554R stock turbo.
http://www.turbobygarrett.com/turbobygarrett/catelog/Turbochargers/GT25/GT2554R_471171_3.htm

Thanks for the link. I'm hoping an outright replacement of the turbo won't be necessary. Even the WGA, according to the dealership, is fine. Also, if I can ultimately prove that this is acident-related, then I can be reimbursed, but I just can't gamble that they will agree.

All I need to say is this... P2006 and P0660 are pretty much the same damn code btw.

I was under the impression that MSP's did not have VICS - only VTCS - due to a different intake manifold design. Though, I can't find the link where I learned this at the moment...

 

[StealthWyvern]

I was under the impression that MSP's did not have VICS - only VTCS - due to a different intake manifold design. Though, I can't find the link where I learned this at the moment...

I think your thinking of the 626 or maybe even the mp3.

 

[BOOSTR]

Your WGA has nothing to do with bushing. They are talking about the exhaust side of the compressor were the wastgate is located inside. I haven't disassembled a turbo but I suspect the bushing sits in the housing below that blue arm that the WGA rod is connected to in your picture. And if yours cannot be repaired, I'm just letting you know that you can transfer the bracket and your WGA to a new compressor.

 

[DiMedici!]

Update

I haven't disassembled a turbo but I suspect the bushing sits in the housing below that blue arm that the WGA rod is connected to in your picture.

BOOSTR, you were absolutely right.

Well, I took the car to a private shop; a client of the company for which I work. They took a look and invited me back to show me what they’d found. Here’s a pic:

The blue-colored object is a pointer the mechanic used. I was really impressed by this shop - they’d actually had this exact thread pulled up on their computer in the garage before I even went back there. More mechanics should Google.

You can see the shiny part, just to the left of the tip of the pointer. It’s the mechanism the WGA arm rotates that’s been pushed out. If you consult my post above, it’s where the green-colored flap - the wastegate, itself (right?) - and the blue-colored lever attach to one another within the turbo housing.

So, I’m writing this post for a couple of reasons. First, I hope that this might help to solve some people’s mysterious low boost problems or their P2006 CEL. However, there has arisen another chapter to my story.

Although this new mechanic also agrees that this particular issue with the turbo isn’t accident-related, he pointed out that the turbo had a thin film of oil coating the outside. Now, I’d noticed oil slowly leaking from somewhere in the front of my engine compartment, right below the turbo just after the accident, and had it towed to the collision shop for that reason. I couldn’t see the source of the leak.

But guess what: the “State Farm Preferred Provider” collision shop didn’t address that issue at all! They did the radiator, AC condenser/lines, but nothing that has oil in it. This is despite the oil leak being the first thing I mentioned to them, as well as the AAA tow guy who delivered it there (so the documentation of this exists and is being mailed to me).

Here are my questions: What sort of impact-related problem could cause an oil leak in the vicinity of the turbo? Could such an impact-related oil leak cause this bushing to have been pushed out? And, on a lighter note, which model of turbo should I get to replace this one regardless of whether State Farm steps up to the plate? T25 or something with a little more boost that could be replaced with little or no modification (I’m totally stock)?

 

[Vicocola]

hey so how did everything go? did it ever get fix? I got the same CEL after the dealership replaced some parts of my wastegate from P0171 CEL... thx!