PLINK!
That is the sound I heard as I pulled away from a stoplight today to head onto the freeway. Where I normally would run the car through the gears (1-3, maybe 4th) I instead backed off. I was just fully engaging first gear from a dead stop as I hear this light but noticible PLINK! sound from under my hood.
So I gingerly step on the gas and watch for smoke, watch oil pressure, watch temp, watch wideband, and watch boost gauge...wait, boost gauge is only reading 11psi! No! My foot is halfway to the floor and I'm at 4000 rpms! Shift to third...step on gas, repeat gauge scanning...9psi...no smoke, no more weird noises, but...no boost! Do it again, 5psi...3psi......I'm on the freeway, no going back for another few miles. I'm very ginger on the car, no smoke, no overheating, oil pressure is fine but...no boost when I step on it a bit. I'm perplexed, praying a hose popped off or something.
Yea, so I get home, pop the hood, and find something interresting. I got this POS 3" intake pipe with my FMIC kit for my 1g, and pulled it over to my 1g when I got it. The pipe is just mild steel, it looks like crap, and it has a craptastic air filter on the end of it which broke in half about a year ago...it has been one of my few conscessions on this car in which I broke out the zip ties. I meant to replace it, but just never did.
As I pull it off to inspect the turbo, I hear some rattling noises...well, well well, look what I found. My heart sinks...this small piece of metal on the inside of the filter broke free and fell into the inlet of the turbo...
