ANother problem with my new Turbo is the boost gauge. When I get on the gas, it goes into the yellow boost range, then on up into the red. Solidly in the red, at this point I back off as things are rushing by fast.
Am I right to think the needle should NOT be in the red ?
Is this indicative of a non functioning wastgate?
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744 & 745 16v 4+OD, 245 SE auto, 242Ti 4+OD, 245DL auto parts car

Assuming you have the stock boost gauge, which is just a yellow and red bar, it should NEVER go into the red (unless you have a modified engine running higher boost than normal, in which case you should have a better boost guage than the stock one anyway, so you can know the actual psi of your boost.

My boost guage needle never goes past about "1 o'clock", which is around the stock 6psi for my car (non-intercooled). Like the other guy said, horizontal to the right (3 o'clock) would be over 10psi, which is not a good idea UNLESS your car is intercooled. You can run higher boost (up to ~10psi) on an intercooled engine safely. If someone intercooled your motor after it was originally purchased, and then turned up the boost (see #4 below) but never bought an aftermarket boost guage, then your car *might* be just fine. You say the car is a Ti, (Turbo intercooled), and it's an '84 where intercooling was a dealer-installed option, so this could be exactly what happened and your car is fine.

***

Otherwise, you're right a boost guage going into the red could be indicative of a non-functioning waste gate. These are a few of the possibilities I could come up with:

1) The hose that runs from your turbo to your waste gate actuator is detached or ruptured, it will stop you waste gate from functioning properly. This hose can be easily found on the passenger's side of your engine compartment, about 12 inches long, running from the underside of the turbo down to a metal diaphram-shaped thing, called the wate-gate actuator. It's pretty easy and cheap to replace the hose if it's broken.

2) your wastegate actuator could be broken/stuck so that there is no limit to the amount of boost you're running.

3) the wastegate itself is jammed (pretty unlikely)

4) if you recently bought the car and some crazy dude owned it before you, he could have turned up the boost really high by adjusting the long bolt that runs from the wastegate actuator to the wastegate. It's really not supposed to be adjusted, but some people do anyway in order to run higher boost. This bolt can be accessed/inspected fairly easily from underneath the car on the passenger's side.

hope that helps
-AdamBC

Thanks, I'll check these things tomorrow.
It is intercooled, I assume by a dealer (the original owner worked for Volvo in NJ and the delivery date is January 1985).
Really appreciate the informative replies from everyone.
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744 & 745 16v 4+OD, 245 SE auto, 242Ti 4+OD, 245DL auto parts car

Not in the red, or not above 13-14 psi at any rate, so you should have a (better) calibrated gauge. You should check the wastegate hose, and then the wastegate. It is not functioning properly and might cost you an engine.

I think that depends how fast you want to go....
or go to the shop?....
Horizontal to the right is 10-11 PSI, spec on my diesel.