Hi,
I've got a MY05 L200 4WD (MK3, K74T, 4D56T) pickup. She's in a pretty rough shape and needs some TLC for sure.
It struggles uphill, and it feels dead over 2000 RPM.
I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my nonexistent mechanical knowledge. When I located the waste gate actuator to check for excess play, I found no play and good resistance (I think).

Yet, the lever doesn't touch the limiter (as seen on the linked image)
https:// i.postimg.cc/Pq3kMf8n/ PXL-20251109-153421186.jpg
(please remove the extra spaces)

Is it possible that the waste gate might be stuck or forced open?
I only hear a faint turbo whistle at very low RPM (up to 1300-1500 approx).

I wonder if someone could take a peek and give me some much-appreciated expert feedback, pretty please!