In a petrol car the turbo will most likely spool out of control until either it or your engine malfunctions, usually the engine's head gasket ('s). In a diesel engine it could go either way. Some are vacuum controlled and some are electronically controlled. If electronically controlled it will not produce boost. If vacuum controlled, normally the turbo will only produce a few extra lbs of boost, if any.
I guess you could, but what would it do. A wastegate controls the amount of boost and with no turbo there is no boost to control.
You shouldn't. The wastegate eliminates the extra boost when it's not needed.
There already is a wastegate in turbo diesel engines, most all turbo (petrol/diesel) engines for that matter. The purpose of a wastegate is to give the exhaust gasses a passage to flow that doesn't spool the turbo over the desired psi. The 2 most common wastegate designs are: 1. a series veins that surround the exhaust wheel of the turbo and pivot to open and close off the pathway to the exhaust wheel. 2. a swinging plug that opens a hole at peak boost and allows exhaust gasses to pass whithout spinning the turbo any further.
Integral part of turbo.
Depends on how the ECU controls the turbo. If the ECU never lets the wastegate open, the turbo may overspin, which will damage it. On Audi/VW cars, a bad tune can cause an overlean condition, which melts the wastegate flapper door. This will cause your turbo to not boost.
modifying or installing an adjustable wastegate.
Depends on where the problem is. If the problem is the wastegate acutuator (gold or rusty cylinder attached to the turbo), replace it. If the problem is the wastegate flapper assembly (arm attached to turbine housing on the turbo), pentrating oil works wonders. If that does not work, you have to replace the turbine housing.
Only true way is to pop the hood and see if it has a turbo on it or not. To tell by sound just listen for a "psshhhh" sound after the gas is let off, that's the wastegate dumping the extra pressure built up by the turbo. There is another sound it makes but kind of hard to describe that in text. But the wastegate dumping of pressure is a sure bet its a turbo. Or if the owner has the badge work shaved so you can tell what it is...it also could be a VR6 with a supercharger / Turbo set up. Only real way is to pop the hood and look for the turbo on the back of the engine on the exhaust manifold or look for a boost gauge on the dash cluster.
if the turbo is the factory equipped turbo and not an aftermarket/performance turbo, your wastegate solenoid may be malfunctioning or you may have a vacuum leak somewhere. Your turbo's wastegate actuator is run off vacuum, and it controls boost. If the actuator never actuates, the turbo will make way too much boost.If it is a performance/upgrade turbo, surge is caused by poor turbocharger design. You have to send the turbo to a turbo shop to fix the surge issuehelp@coloradoturbo.com
It screws into the turbocharger. Look for wires running to the turbo.
Many turbos come with an internal wastegate. For this, you do not need a wastegate. However, if your turbo does not have an internal, you will need to purchase a wastegate with a spring (psi) that is right for your specific application. You will also need a turbo manifold with a wastegate flange. Make sure the flange and port on the wastegate match those of the manifold, ie., 35mm, 38mm, 44mm, etc. The bottom flange with supplied gasket should be bolted to the manifold facing away from the engine to prevent venting directly on the engine. A dump tube is highly recommended for efficient/proper atmospheric venting. Then you need to run a pressure/vacuum line to either a vacuum block or the intake manifold or anywhere there is adequate vacuum on the 'clean' side of the engine. (Cold-side piping coming from [not going to] the intercooler if applicable).
Boost level is controlled by the wastegate on the turbo. The wastegate should start to open at 15 psi and fully open at 20 psi. This is to keep from over boost that was set by the factory.