Exhaust, turbo, & intake questions w/ pics

A few quick questions about the attached photos:

backstory at this link:
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98596

1) In the 02 sensor hole before the CAT on the CBFA motor, should I have that white stuff in there? Seems to be clothes almost like a fabric, not sure if that is part of the stock design or if that CAT shit the bed and it's part of that coming apart. If so what is it? If not so, what is it?!

2) The stage 2 APR intake pipe has what looks to be metallic pieces stuck to the inside primarily at the elbow that turns down to the turbo input, I say primarily because there was one piece of whatever it is at the elbow behind the MAF. I checked the intake in front of the stage 2 pipe, nothing in there, as well as the pancake pipe and the intercooler hose after the pancake pipe, nothing could be seen in either of those. If it is a metal, where could it have come from? PCV blow by from the head? up from the intake side of the turbo? Whatever it is it requires a knife or something hard to scape it from the carbon fiber.

3) How do the front and rear 02 sensors look? I only ask because of my low catalyst bank 1 code (P0420) I've had for awhile (maybe related to stock down pipe and that white stuff if not normal). Not sure if visual inspection can determine anything

4) Looking at the hot side of the stock IHI K03 turbo, the bit on the end of the shaft made me nervous last night, after seeing some pictures it appears as if that is normal?

5) Any visual or physical way to determine if the turbo is shot? I can get a camera to look down the intake side of the turbo or take off the muffler on the output side if necessary. There is a fairly good oil leak somewhere on the back side, not sure if at the turbo or somewhere else. The DV is out as well now for replacement.

Current plan is to install AWE DP tonight and new DV valve and start it. If it runs fine I guess I'm good. If not either the turbo is shot or their is engine damage somehow. Last time it was on a little over a week ago the only codes it was throwing were under boost and that p0420 low catalyst bank 1, (that code i've had for 18 months though). If there were motor damage i'd like to think i'd at least be showing misfire codes, or that the timing was out. Hopefully all the crazy noise and shitty running was from the toasted diverter valve and the holes in the stock flex pipe.

I can provide more pictures if something else would help answer any of these. Maybe I'm being too paranoid, but I'd rather do my clutch before replacing the turbo or building the motor. Hopefully, neither of those will be the case just yet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

get that oil leak solved, seems to be from your cam cage.

jettaglis said:

get that oil leak solved, seems to be from your cam cage.

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cam cage?

cam cage= valve cover gasket, the valve cover on our cars is the cage for the camshafts too that uses a green sealant instead of a seal.

jettaglis said:

cam cage= valve cover gasket, the valve cover on our cars is the cage for the camshafts too that uses a green sealant instead of a seal.

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ahhh, I know they have a tendency too leak on our cars, I'll have to put that on the list after I have all this stuff sorted, thanks for the input!

1) Your very first cat (right after the turbo flange in the round canister part) looks like a charcoal bricket but its a filter, so nothing white there.

You know the more I look at your pics and think about things, is it possible that they gave you the APR stage 2 tune instead of stage 1?

Reason I say this is because for starters you said you had the P0420 code for a long time. Two, Stage 2 raises temps. Hotside coming out of the turbo the turbine looks dry and white, your 02 sensors look white, you have white in your downpipe, you have white/metallic spots in your intake. All could be signs of high temps and too much back pressure on the turbo because of the oem downpipe.

Just a thought.

GoodTimesIndeed said:

1) Your very first cat (right after the turbo flange in the round canister part) looks like a charcoal bricket but its a filter, so nothing white there.

You know the more I look at your pics and think about things, is it possible that they gave you the APR stage 2 tune instead of stage 1?

Reason I say this is because for starters you said you had the P0420 code for a long time. Two, Stage 2 raises temps. Hotside coming out of the turbo the turbine looks dry and white, your 02 sensors look white, you have white in your downpipe, you have white/metallic spots in your intake. All could be signs of high temps and too much back pressure on the turbo because of the oem downpipe.

Just a thought.

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Certainly a possibility, I've had the tune for just about 3 years now, have had that code for half of the time, clutch started slipping in 4th shortly there after and has been slipping in 3rd when wide open for awhile now, much worse when it's cold out. Aside from having an APR dealer check the ECU, there isn't another way to check whether it is stage 1 or 2 is there?

In the first Cat right after the turbo flange, there should be something in that round canister right? I can add pictures later, but there was nothing in there at all. Could the catalyst have somehow been pushed down the pipe to the area right in front of the second Cat where it hangs from the subframe? That is where the hole for that 02 sensor is and I can see that white shit. If this were the case, I'm sure that would cause some serious back pressure and heat buildup at the turbo, which theoretically makes a lot of sense and could related/causation of the bad Rev D DV going, white coloring on the 02 sensors and white/metallic shit in the intake

sauceman101 said:

Certainly a possibility, I've had the tune for just about 3 years now, have had that code for half of the time, clutch started slipping in 4th shortly there after and has been slipping in 3rd when wide open for awhile now, much worse when it's cold out. Aside from having an APR dealer check the ECU, there isn't another way to check whether it is stage 1 or 2 is there?

In the first Cat right after the turbo flange, there should be something in that round canister right? I can add pictures later, but there was nothing in there at all. Could the catalyst have somehow been pushed down the pipe to the area right in front of the second Cat where it hangs from the subframe? That is where the hole for that 02 sensor is and I can see that white shit. If this were the case, I'm sure that would cause some serious back pressure and heat buildup at the turbo, which theoretically makes a lot of sense and could related/causation of the bad Rev D DV going, white coloring on the 02 sensors and white/metallic shit in the intake

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Yes, immediately inside that canister should be just a solid black looking disc covering the whole inside diameter. As I said it looks like charcoal or something. If that first canister is empty and you can put your hand or whatever in there then something is DEFINITELY not right. And that would explain the particles in your intake.

I think we just solved what is going on.

EDIT: Found an image:

GoodTimesIndeed said:

Yes, immediately inside that canister should be just a solid black looking disc covering the whole inside diameter. As I said it looks like charcoal or something. If that first canister is empty and you can put your hand or whatever in there then something is DEFINITELY not right. And that would explain the particles in your intake.

I think we just solved what is going on.

EDIT: Found an image:

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Looked this morning at work and couldn't find an image with a view even close to what you found before I had to be productive, thanks! that is not there at all, or in the flex pipe either as far as i can tell. I think that's probably what is where that 02 sensor hole is as well as in my intake, hopefully, this getting sucked or pushed through the turbo didn't hurt it. Can't miss two days in a row at the gym so I likely won't have this back together til 9-10 tonight, will update then, Thanks for the help! I really appreciate the input!

Here's the problem, wish me luck that nothing else got damage

sauceman101 said:

View attachment 51651View attachment 51652View attachment 51653

Here's the problem, wish me luck that nothing else got damage

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Just rip all that stuff out of there, it will feel like a whole new car. Or better yet upgrade to a stage 2 pipe.

sauceman101 said:

Here's the problem, wish me luck that nothing else got damage

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Dude, those photos are crazy! I've never seen anything like that. Your cars been strangled to death. Just wait till you get your new downpipe on, going to feel like a completely different animal.

Did you use leaded race fuel? That's what that looks like

Yep, may want to check what tune you had. If it was stage2, it might have been what caused the first cat to disintegrate. I'm betting it started a hole in the center, then it unraveled around and around until the whole thing came loose and plugged up the pipe

jettaglis said:

Just rip all that stuff out of there, it will feel like a whole new car. Or better yet upgrade to a stage 2 pipe.

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AWE down pipe is on now, sounds great!

GoodTimesIndeed said:

Dude, those photos are crazy! I've never seen anything like that. Your cars been strangled to death. Just wait till you get your new downpipe on, going to feel like a completely different animal.

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Completely strangled, with the new down pipe it revs freely again and sounds great, when i get on it something squeals (guessing the turbo) and won't go into boost, haven't taken it off jackstands yet but it seems like limp mode minus turbo power.

Cadubya said:

Did you use leaded race fuel? That's what that looks like

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Sadly no haha

Cryptic1911 said:

Yep, may want to check what tune you had. If it was stage2, it might have been what caused the first cat to disintegrate. I'm betting it started a hole in the center, then it unraveled around and around until the whole thing came loose and plugged up the pipe

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Goodtimesindeed, suggested further up in the thread that this may have been the case, maybe the catalyst coming apart like this is what stretched the flex pipe and pulled it out of the subframe mounts as I've been told it takes some force to do that.

Going to upload two videos to youtube with what it sounds like now and add the link in another post in a few. I'm assuming the K03 is toast and the MAF sensor got toasted by exhaust back pressure getting forced into the intake. If the K03 is toast, time to find an F23 or used K04.

Codes after starting it 3 or 4 times last night and letting it run are P0101:Mass or volume air flow A circuit range / performance and I still have P0299 Turbocharger / under boost

I really have all winter to figure it out as it's not the daily anymore!