I'm in Columbus OH visiting my sister and brother in law. He has a '89 Conquest TSI thats in quite good shape. He replaced the engine with one from a balanced n blueprinted engine. Ever since the swap he said the turbo won't "kick in"... One said he drove the car 25 miles from the warehouse it was being stored in to the house. When the boost gauge gets to just a shade past 0, it just seems like it wants to quit. Out of boost, it runs okay he said. Any insight appreciated. I'm gonna check for vac leaks/hose routing in the morning.
I'd wonder if the waste gate is jammed open somehow. Beyond that...??
But have fun storming the castle, boys! 
hotg54b
New Reader
1/6/11 9:26 p.m.
Check the waste actuator. It maybe disconnected or stuck. Also, check to see if the turbo is not seized.
mndsm
Dork
1/6/11 9:29 p.m.
^ that. Sounds to me like something is trashed and when the car is getting into boost, it's catching massive backpressure and wants to die. Or- if the WGA is stuck, it could be that the car is expecting boost, dumping fuel, and bogging it. Any symptoms from the exhaust? Soot, etc?
Pressurize the intake tract to check for a boost leak. If there's a hol or loose clamp it'll be fine until you start to build boost then the massive air leak will cause the car to stumble and shake from running extremely rich.
