diff --git a/ionic/components/nav/nav-controller.ts b/ionic/components/nav/nav-controller.ts
index a443ec7194..91edc2d10e 100644
--- a/ionic/components/nav/nav-controller.ts
+++ b/ionic/components/nav/nav-controller.ts
@@ -253,15 +253,16 @@ export class NavController extends Ion {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Pop to a specific page in the history stack
+   * @private
+   * Pop to a specific view in the history stack
    *
-   * @param componentType the page to pop to
+   * @param view {ViewController} to pop to
    * @param opts {object} pop options
    */
-  popTo(componentType, opts = {}) {
+  _popTo(view, opts = {}) {
 
     // Get the target index of the view to pop to
-    let viewIndex = this.getIndexByComponentType(componentType);
+    let viewIndex = this._views.indexOf(view);
     let targetIndex = viewIndex + 1;
     let resolve;
     let promise = new Promise(res => { resolve = res; });
@@ -271,6 +272,7 @@ export class NavController extends Ion {
       return;
     }
 
+
     opts.direction = opts.direction || 'back';
 
     // get the views to auto remove without having to do a transiton for each
@@ -285,7 +287,7 @@ export class NavController extends Ion {
     }
 
     let leavingView = this._views[this._views.length - 1];
-    let enteringView = this.getByIndex(viewIndex);
+    let enteringView = view;
 
     if(this.router) {
       this.router.stateChange('pop', enteringView);
@@ -303,7 +305,7 @@ export class NavController extends Ion {
    * @param opts extra animation options
    */
   popToRoot(opts = {}) {
-    this.popTo(this._views[0].componentType);
+    this.popTo(this._views[0]);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -814,22 +816,6 @@ export class NavController extends Ion {
     return null;
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Get the index of the view with the specified componentType
-   * @param  componentType
-   * @return index
-   */
-  getIndexByComponentType(componentType) {
-    if (componentType) {
-      for (let i = 0, ii = this._views.length; i < ii; i++) {
-        if (this._views[i].componentType === componentType) {
-          return i;
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    return null;
-  }
-
   /**
    * TODO
    * @param {TODO} index  TODO
diff --git a/ionic/components/nav/test/basic/index.ts b/ionic/components/nav/test/basic/index.ts
index 91df16917d..d20838f9bf 100644
--- a/ionic/components/nav/test/basic/index.ts
+++ b/ionic/components/nav/test/basic/index.ts
@@ -105,7 +105,6 @@ class SecondPage {
         <button id="from3To2" (click)="pop()">Pop (Go back to 2nd)</button>
         <button id="insert" (click)="insert()">Insert first page into history before this</button>
         <button id="remove" (click)="removeSecond()">Remove second page in history</button>
-        <button id="popto" (click)="popTo()">popTo FirstPage</button>
       </p>
       <div class="yellow"><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f><f></f></div>
     </ion-content>
@@ -130,10 +129,6 @@ class ThirdPage {
     this.nav.remove(1);
   }
 
-  popTo() {
-    this.nav.popTo(FirstPage);
-  }
-
 }