usually when backfiring that means your running rich...that guy has a good point about the cat if you still have it on the car

 

No cat its just a test pipe. I could check it this weekend if it is clogged some other way.

 

+1
Usually if its glowing then your way lean... not good.

 

Yeah but it backfires. so i assume im running rich. that and im getting 13 mpg

 

would a vacuum line being loose cause the air/fuel mixture to lean out? Because my idle moves up and down between 1k and about 1400 or 1500. I had to replace a rubber cap on one of the vacuum sensors that had blown off and it caused the idle to be like it is.

 

What is average and normal for you? Compared to what, dude? Try cooling the turbo down for about two miles before you shut the motor off. Drive it gently, off boost at about 2500 RPM for a couple miles before you pull into your driveway. Otherwise you will coke the bearings. Duh!

 

Watch this video if you really want to be scared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1qQUe3nqaE

 

you're sure it's not afterfire? afterfire is basically the same as backfire except it occurs under lean conditions

make sure all the coolant/oil lines going to it are flowing properly

 

I think it's normal for a turbo to be glowing after being driven hard... I've seen mine glow (turbo and the part of the ex.manifold that connects to the turbo) after driving hard and then stopping and popping the hood. It happens, but if you really did what you wrote and "drove normally", then no, it's not normal.

 

Absolutely right. I've seen mine glowing plenty of times. On road trips especially, when going like 70-80 for an hour or two, I've seen it glowing. Or right after a hard 5-10 min drive at night. The only difference is you can see it at night. Perfectly normal, just let it cool down. It's really hot metal/cast iron, it's going to glow like that.

 

If you are getting 13MPG, you are running rich as hell. A ton of unburnt fuel is going into the header and auto-igniting in the header/turbine housing causing the header to glow.

Since you said you are getting tuned next week, a mod list would be a good thing to post....just want to make sure you're not a retard and running 1000cc injectors on a stock tune or something stupid like that.

 

Well dude, Normal driving is coming home from work and not going above 4K rpms the whole drive. Sooo the two to three miles that your talking about is what seems to be the same as my daily drive home. Which i would assume that the turbo is getting way to hot for just normal driving. Oh and i have a turbo timer, you know to let the car idle for a couple of minutes to let the turbo cool down. I have always had one on my car. Duh!

 

Mod list is in my signature and i have a stock turbo and stock injectors and dynoflash ecu flash. Im getting an aem ems installed next week.

 

I guess it could be that too. Im not sure really. Ive never had this happen before. But i was thinking about checking my wastegate to see if it is stuck closed or something. That and check my exhaust to see if it has any obstructions. And hook a scanner up to it to see if i have any codes that might have a factor in this.

 

Yeah, thats what it looks like only i wasnt driving my car even close to that. I was just crusing basically. bad *** motor though. haha