ScottTc13

So... I'm beginning to come to the conclusion that I may have a blown head gasket. The symptoms seem to all be there. I'm losing oil quite rapidly. The oil looks like chocolate milk 1000 miles after an oil change. I not positive, but I'm pretty sure my coolant level dropped. I hadn't been monitoring it, but it was below the low line. There are no visible oil leaks on or around the engine, but I can feel a thin film of what feels like oil on the underside of the intake that goes from the SC to the TB. If I open the oil cap when the engine is warmed up, white smoke comes out, not thick, but constant.

What do you think? Headgasket? If so, and I change it, what can I do to prevent a reoccurrence?

CarbonXe

iTrader: (1)

Hook up a vacuum gauge and check vacuum at idle. If the needles is jumping around sporadically, blown head gasket.

Complication

how does your car run currently? are you even experiening problems that would cause you to think you have a problem? Simple way to check if it is a blown headgasket is to see if you coolent looks milky.. open the cap and look inside.

grizzly_choppers

Compression test will answer all of your questions to be sure, but I'll lay money you have a head gasket out.

We've never had to replace one on a tC with something stronger yet, but such things may exist. I would hit up some of the companies that have built boosted tCs and ask what they have used to beef up the head gasket on theirs.

Good luck!

-Alex

O5_TRD_tC

same thing happened to my old car, leaking gasket.

ScottTc13

My car seems to run pretty good. Everyonce in a while it decides it doesn't want to hold idle and it will idle low (500 rpm) and sometimes die, but that has only happened a few times, including yesterday. My main concern is the oil loss, I don't want to lose a connecting rod through the back of my block. I'm going to pick up a compression tester and see what that has to tell me. I have a boost gauge that also measures vacuum, it seems to hold a steady vacuum, it bounces a little in vacuum if you just bump the gas a tiny bit, but I think that is normal.

Thanks for the input so far!!

ScottTc13

Oh yeah, I can hear a fair amount of Pinging if I get on the gas. I know, that's not cool.

Jan06xB

Check for too much pressure in te cooling system after starting the engine cold. That will indicate a blown head gasket - retorque the heads checking for loose head bolts and change the oil asap since it has water in it already and is breaking down. Add more of the proper coolent and keep an eye on it.

O5_TRD_tC

your still driving the car? My advise it to get it towed to a mechanic before u do more damage.

ScionizedRide

thats the same problem i had, at boost it would shoot out a huge cloud of smoke, burning A LOT of oil, bad idling, . . . i found out that i had a blow head gasket, one bent rod, and all rings were goooooone...

so get it to the shop quick before you start shooting internals out through your block

i suggest cometic multilayer gasket and new pistons'rods while you are there anyways

ScottTc13

Rings Pistons & Rods.....oh my... =/ might be time to remove the S/c and trade this puppy in.

Complication

good luck.

IcetC

do you have any other mods done to the s/c besides the ones in your profile b/c i'm going s/c'd soon and this kinda scares me a little the head gasket can be changed but the "rings pistons and rods oh my" kind of scares me i hate taking things apart and replacing them...thanks

ScottTc13

First of all, I don't beat the crap out of my car. I floor it at times but I'm not out street racing and bashing on the car. My other mod which may have (probably) contributed to this problem is 95k miles. Everything else is pretty bland.

Yeah, I don't mind changing a head gasket, which I will probably have to do. But I'm not looking to spend money on rods and pistons.

Jan06xB

Have to ask what you have been using for oil . . . when you pull the head to do the gasket you will see the cylinder wear and if you see grooves in the cylinders or a very big lip at the top of the stroke then you can expect some ring wear or broken rings too. Depending upon how bad the bores are will determine how bad the rings and pistons are. You will not know until you pull the heads or get a bore scope to look inside the cylinders through the spark plug holes. If you can drop the oil pan and pull the head without removing the engine from the car you can end up with a virtually new engine by replacing the rings and pistons if needed and the rods if you really want to make it run better and last longer. Water in the oil usually damages the bearings on the rods and crank and does wonders for the rings too so consider the costs for doing it right vs another car with little trade in value.

kiss_kiss_kill

Valencia? Take it to or call Yimi Sport Tuning (they're off Reuther in Santa Clarita) & talk to Paul. Tell him Tina with the supercharged tC sent you. He'll help ya out. (661) 251-3966.

redrumtc

yea when u r wide open does it make a tap tap if it does dont drive it any more it will blow ur sh!2 up

t_urbo_C_harged

compression test or five gas analyzer should do the trick... oh and if you have a bad head gasket you have to change both coolant and oil, just making sure you know that...

Jan06xB

Yeah good point on the coolent since it has to be drained anyway to take the head off. Actually you may need to flush the engine if the coolent is really fouled with oil but you will see when you drain it if it is. Sometimes it just leaks into the oil and not the other way.

ScottTc13

I've been using synthetic 10w 40. Looks like Yahoo now.

crap...I hope my engine isn't trashed.

At WOT, it sounds like a whole bunch of little tap dancers are doing a ditty in my cylinders. So, I've been taking it easy since I discovered the chocolaty milk oil.

I hear ya on the coolant, it needs to be completely changed anyways, so now is a perfect time.