Just in case anyone looks at this with the same issue with the passenger side turbo geometry actuator sticking I got it resolved. Basically had the fault appearing as the feedback from the actuator was not what was expected with the signal sent to it as it was seized solid. No amount of prodding it or hooking it with wire made any difference and finally I removed the passenger front wheel and all the heat shields in that area and disconnected the height sensor. Next the engine mount was removed by jacking up the engine itself (you need lots of extensions to reach engine mount bolts from the engine bay) and that allowed by to get my hand on to the actuator arm. Still no movement at all (you cant get your hand fully on it just a finger or two). At this point I had received quotes from a few garages based on the turbos being renewed as this is the only thing that would sort it sir and these were eye watering ire a couple of grand. So I though I would at least have a look at how much movement there was inside the turbo by removing the first exhaust section on this side. This was pretty easy and allow you to waggle the turbine wheel to see if any play or obvious oil leaks. There were none. So at this point I am thinking its not the actuator arm that's stuck its the variable vanes within the exhaust side of the housing that are gummed up. So I did the old fashioned thing of carefully squirting Mr Muscle through the exhaust turbine and allowing it to foam up within the housing and blanking off the outlet just for a short time with a piece of cardboard. Obviously you have to be careful that you don't get dribbled on with NaOH. While I waited I reached through and attempted moving the actuator arm with a finger. This took approximately 20 seconds to free the arm at which point it was easy to move it by finger tip through its full range of motion. I then started the car without the exhaust attached so all the foam that was still present was pushed out through the now gleaming turbine. I did this an extra time to thoroughly clean the inside then reattached everything and the car has been brilliant since. The only tricky bit was aligning the exhaust gasket on the exhaust before reaching in to try to replace the exhaust bolts. This was easier with a few tiny drops of superglue to hold the gaskets in place while it was all re attached and tightened. Everything else was straightforward.

So OK not very pc using oven cleaner but it has saved me 2 or 3 grand getting it fixed and it drove like a dream afterwards. If worried you could check range of motion on the IID Tool to make sure it wasn't sticking at all and all 4 traces (2 from each side) were perfectly overlapping after this.

Anyway hopefully save someone the hassle in the future and maybe not get totally stung by a garage replacing the turbo for purely stuck vanes. And actually if this hadn't worked I see no reason I couldn't have taken the whole turbo out without dropping the engine as it was all uncovered really once the engine mount was out.

I know this is an older thread, but it is a useful one and still relevant. I’m new to the forum but far from new to Land Rovers!

Having completed this job today, I can confirm that it’s only a 20-minute job to free-off and lube the actuators (once you’ve found the one on the n/s turbo). It probably took me an hour or so to find the best access route to the n/s turbo actuator so thought I’d share my experience. Hopefully it might help someone out.

I was getting P132E error code (Turbocharger boost control B performance) and ‘Engine System Fault’ on first start-up.
Range Rover on ramps.

Suspension in highest setting.
Bonnet up for best lighting conditions.
Axle stands as well just in case (my ramps are sturdy but home-made).
Splash guard off (mine is missing).
Tools at the ready; I used WD40 penetrating oil (with a long flexible straw nozzle [the hinged trigger type]), WD40 high performance silicone lube (with a long flexible straw nozzle [hinged trigger]), a very bright modern LED torch with a focussed lens rather than a wide angle (I found my adjustable lens Coast HP7 to be perfect, a lesser torch won’t do) and a very long (18-inch or so) screwdriver where the shaft doesn’t flex too much.

Lube the o/s turbo actuator (dead easy to find), there should be next to no resistance at all on the arm. Penetrating oil to free it up, moving it with your fingers. I then used copious amounts of silicone lube to maintain the movement. There was rust coloured oil pouring out of the two small ball joints on the connecting rod which must be the problem, rather than the actuator itself. The movement goes through about 90 degrees.

Now, the n/s one. Lying on your back looking towards the front of the RR, your head needs to be around half to three-quarters of the way back long the gearbox sump. You need to be lying just off-centre to the n/s of the RR. Look at the front prop shaft coupling where it meets the front diff. You will see the oil return pipe from the turbo to the sump disappear up into a void just above and to the right of the coupling. Keep your head where it is and shine your torch directly into that void at the exact angle from your eyeline. You will see the actuator arm and connecting rod going vertically up. It’s tight but get your penetrating oil and liberally spray; you won’t see the upper end of the connecting arm, but you should be able to get at it by angling / bending the straw nozzle. Next, carefully use your screwdriver to lever the arm up and down to free it off – be careful not to pop the connecting rod off as it’s just a ball-joint. I levered on the arm itself. It sweeps from around 45 degrees down to around 135 degrees. Repeat the process with the silicone lube.

Tools away.
RR off ramps.
No more error messages, bongs or performance issues.

I hope this information helps someone save a few quid / headaches.

Richard.

I wonder if this will cure my restricted performance fault? 2010 MY Vogue SE TDV8 3.6 Stornoway Grey- fully loaded

RNHobbs wrote:

I hope this information helps someone save a few quid / headaches.

Richard.

Hi Richard, yep very useful had a sized actuator on my L322. Followed your advice and all sorted. Was lucky enough to have the use of a ramp so it made it a lot easier to get at the left side.

Had the same problem - P132E code - stuck turbo actuator. A local LR specialist failed on this one. TBH it was clear when I took it in that they just couldn't be bothered with it. Very disappointing for a garage well known in the area.

Then I took it to a non LR specialist garage and they did me proud. They removed the prop shaft and exhaust to get better access and were able to find and free off the actuator. The car is now working better than ever. Cost £300 inc vat, which I think is a good deal.

2007 TDV8 Vogue with 73500 miles.

Hi, I had the same issue with my 3.6 not long after buying it, came up with restricted performance so took it to a local indie with a good reputation here in the North. He confirmed the actuator was stuck but said he would free the stick one and clean up the other. He had the car for 1 day and the charge was only £66 plus VAT, had no problems with it since and that was a couple of years ago. He said it is a pain to do but did say it’s something you can do yourself when you know what your looking for. He said it often happens if the car isn’t used much which at the time it wasn’t.

You have a very good indie there and a bargain price. I have a cheap OBD scanner and found the code, which I reported to my indie. Not only did they not do the job, they also charged me £55+VAT to scan the fault I'd already told them about. I had a list of jobs I asked them to look at, but only if they could free off the actuator. They didn't succeed. But they did change the oil & filter, which is a bit like having your nails done when your problem is a broken arm! They also managed to check the o/s actuator that was easy to get to, which wasn't stuck. They reported that it was free, so the turbo may be toast. It's not.

Total invoice £356, and they wrote all over the bill that they suspected that the turbos are screwed, which they aren't. If & when I come to sell the car, how does that look to a prospective buyer? We hear all the time about main stealers, but sometimes the Indies can get it wrong.

Aylmer Motorworks http://www.aylmer.co.uk

Having gone back to the indie I mentioned in this thread to give them a fair opportunity to respond, I was very disappointed in their dismissive, defensive and unhelpful attitude, so they deserve to be named & shamed. Here's my review on Google reviews:

Disappointing service and attitude.
I've used Aylmer in recent years to do routine & preventative maintenance and have spent not insignificant sums with every visit, but that's to be expected with Land Rovers of a certain age. They were fine with the routine, easy jobs but when I had a fault that was a trickier job, they didn't want to know.

I gave them a list of jobs to do, but start with the tricky job and do the others if the main fault was fixed. They didn't do that, but they did do an oil change and charged me for that, along with a diagnostic and delete of the fault codes, which didn't work as the fault was still present and just came back up when I started the engine. I have an OBD scanner and told them the fault, but then £55 for them to repeat that process is profitable, easy work I suppose.

They said the fault would require the engine to come out, which would entail 28 hours labour, minimum.

They clearly didn't want to do the difficult to reach task and returned the car to me with the fault and a bill of £350, writing on the invoice what they thought was wrong with the car, which turned out to be incorrect. This is now a red flag to any potential buyer if I wanted to sell it. They wouldn't correct the invoice when I asked them to, so I'm stuck with it.

I took it to another, non specialist garage and had the work done for £200 and when I reported this back to Aylmer they were defensive, dismissive and unhelpful . For that, as much as the poor service, they deserve this feedback.

Firstly a big thanks to RNHobbs post for his description of access it helped big time and got my good friend to locate it as I couldn't find it. Once I found it I had a 5mm diameter solid rod I bought from BQ for £4 which really helped and RNHobbs is spot on with the circa 18inch legnth. I had a modified flexible bucket handle but there was too much play in it. Once you locate it get the rod on it (post lathering with penetrant) and get movement on it. It's so fiddly but just persevere and get your line of sight. It's easier to push it up at first and then try and get it back down. I'd reccomend a slim (pen size) line torch as once you see it and put the rod in the gap your line of sight gets blocked. Hope the photos help - click my gallery to see them. 3.6 TDV8 - on probation
L322 Supercharged - gone
P38 - 4.0se - RIP

Hey guys, I’m having the exact same issue. Was told by the garage that I usually use that it needed a turbo replacement as the passenger side turbo actuator is seized.

Having read this post and many others, I was filled with confidence that I could fix it. I thought before hand I would actually check, as best I can, that the turbo was ok. I did this by removing the exhaust downpipe, this was really tricky, next to no room to get a socket and ratchet on!

Once removed I could freely spin the turbine, there was no play in the shaft and the blades seem in great condition too. No oil, just dry carbon.

After this I was so sure I’d be able to fix it, finally locate the actuator and try to free it up by adding lots of lubricant and pushing it up with a rod, the thing will not budge. It moves around 2mm but that’s it.

I’ve added the mr muscle and tried, no luck. Will not move.

Do you think it could still be the turbo? How much force are people applying to move the rod? I can’t apply any more physically than I am already.

My only last hope would be to try and get enough space to get my hand or something on it by removing the prop shaft perhaps.

Anyone got any ideas on something else I should try? Could it still be the turbo or perhaps even the actuator has failed.

Would love any advise. Thank you

Is yours the 4.4 diesel? If so, get yourself in a position to see the actuator and get someone to start the engine. On start up you should see the actuator move the rod a couple of times by alot more than 2mm.

No mine is the 3.6 v8 or 3.7 can never remember.

I know how much it SHOULD move as I can easily move the driver side

Does the actuator move on ignition on or engine start? Anyone got a video of it moving?

The actuator on the right hand/ primary turbo on the 4.4 tdv8 cycles through its movement by just turning the ignition on and off. No need to start the engine. I know because I recently checked mine.

Old thread, but as relevant as ever!
I had the bongs, messages, reduced performance and fault codes to suggest I had a stuck actuator.

Got under the car yesterday and, indeed, the right-side actuator was stuck. Quite easy to get to with the undertray removed. A 12mm spanner fits nicely on the arm of the actuator and I managed to loosen it up and work it free. I soaked it with wd40 and chain lube, which penetrates well and doesn't evaporate.
All good again! 😃

Mine is a 2007 lhd 3.6. I don't know how much changes underneath between lhd and rhd, but if it was the left actuator stuck, I'd have been in deep trouble. With your head arranged just so, you can just about see the lower half of the vertical link. But getting at it with a meaningful tool? You'd be very lucky to succeed. I managed to prod it with a length of tig rod and happily, I could see it moved with ease. I soaked it with penetrant and chain lube and thanked my lucky stars.

I can't overstate the value of this forum. Whatever that car throws at me, some kind soul has been there before and taken the time to describe exactly how it can be fixed.
Thank you all!

Cheers,
Henrik