Outer Limits 4x4 Board

A little bit of knowledge required here.

I have a 1986 Mk patrol 3.3L Turbo and its not a bad bus. does what I need it to. Working on hooking an intecooler up at the moment.. But...
What's all this talk about wastegates?? apparently changing this wastegate thing gives me more boost? I know more boost = more power and shorter motor life but where's the balance??

Someone told me a standard SD33T runs about 6 (pounds?) of boost. and I have heard people saying they have been to 20 !!!! sound's way too much. Should I increase my boost to 8 or 10 maybe. is it worth it?

How does it all work??? what is a wastegate and what has the boost got to do with it..
I imagine this is probably a broad topic with many points of view, but if you know how this all works can you please explain it to me so I can make a decision on what I want to do..

Please use small words...lol Many thanks guys

owww !!! my head hurts. Thanks dude that was informative.

So know we know how it works. What can be done to my SD33T to make it more efficient adn produce more power
I have a straight through exhaust.
working on 3" inlet and intercooler.

Does my turbo have an external wastegate? where can I get replacement parts. I want to get this right before I go anywhere near the turbo.. All comment welcome

Im not too sure on your particular car but most factory produced turbocharged vehicles have internal wastegates, although the same princple applys to all turbochargers regardless of what the wastegate is. Usually external gates are larger allowing more control of the turbo.

To get more boost out of your turbo would require a boost controller. These can be had from as cheap as $50 off ebay right up to over $1000 for things like an Eboost, or even more complicated peices of gear.

The boost controller essentially regulates the amount of air getting to the wastgate diaphragm.(sp)

By bleeding air away from the wastegate the wastegate flap will stay closed for longer forcing exhaust gas through the turbine and increasing boost levels.

You have to make sure the rest of your system has been adjusted to compensate for the increase in boost pressure. You may need more fuel, decent intercooling or less timing depending on how much boost you want to run.

Some turbos are not very good at running high boost levels either. Some may be prone to breakage at say 15psi dependant on the turbo of course.

Some also become very inefficiant at higher boost levels and start forcing really hot air out of the compressor into the engine. This isnt the best way to do things as you want cool air going in.

This is a bit long so Ill wrap it up. Hope it helps a little.

The turbosmart website instruction manual pdf's are a good read if you want to learn a bit more about things.

http://www.turbosmart.com.au/index.php?s=downloads