Hi Everyone, This is my first post. I have a strange issue with my Forester 2.0 S turbo where the turbo does not work unless the vacuum pipe to the actuator is pinched tight so no vacuum gets through. What happens is the turbo cuts in at around 2000 revs and the car shoots off like a rocket, but this is short lived because the waste gate dumps all the pressure and the car acts as if the spark plugs have just been pulled out. I can barely use the throttle. Any thoughts folks? thank you for taking the time to read.

Faulty actuator?

Thanks for your response, I am thinking the same, but it is a guess. I was hoping for a reply along the lines of, "oh I had that same issue and I found the actuator to be faulty."  I have been told that actuators don't often go wrong, but is this a common fault for a Subaru?

They can go weak due to heat so you could start by adjusting the waste gate arm to make it shorter to put more pressure on the gate (if yours is adjustable), one full turn at a time, testing boost after each turn, has this just happened or have you just got the car or has it got gradually worse over time