CR Blown Headgasket...

Thought I'd post this up to see if anyone has experienced a blown headgasket on the '09+ CR's. Quick back story...

Recently bought an extremely clean '09 Sportwagen with a seized turbo from it's original owner. Extensive dealer service history (not that that's always good, but the guy was meticulous). This included a full fuel system replacement at 93k for HPFP failure, and a timing belt service at 120k. Car had 159k at the time of purchase.

I fixed the car, upgraded to the CR170 turbo, deleted EGR, Buzzken exhaust, Malone Stage 3 & DSG programs. During the work I noticed the expansion tank contained a lot of brown murk and I assumed an inappropriate coolant mixture somewhere along the line. The "coolant" was also murky and mostly water. The heat was not working in the car so a plugged heater core could fall in line with a coolant mixture.

I ran the car for a month and ~5k miles without issue. I live in Florida so heat hasn't been necessary. However, I decided I wanted to replace the nasty expansion tank and flush the cooling system. All went well and I was able to remove a good amount of muck from the system & heater core. There was a decent amount of corrosion in the hoses, likely from the high water content of the coolant and possibly due to a coolant mixture.

A week later the car starts producing, white sweet-smelling smoke and is loosing coolant at a minimal rate. There's also some minor pressuring (bubbling) in the expansion tank. I'm going to check for exhaust gas in the cooling system today and possibly perform a leak down. I suspect a very small head gasket leak. I'm only about 5k miles into my Malone Stage 3, and I use the car for daily highway driving. There are plenty of guys out there with this set-up so I don't suspect the upgrades caused the issue. I think the culprit is corrosion that freed-up during the flush and has exposed a small leak. But, I've been wrong before.

Just thought I'd share my experience and ask a few questions:

1.) Has anyone else experienced a blown headgasket on these CR cars for whatever reason? I haven't found much.

2.) Has anyone had to send off a head to be checked and/or rebuilt and should my usual machine shop specializing in headwork be able to handle a CR head? They've done ALH heads in the past.

3.) Should I consider headgasket sealer and dumping the car? Lol!

Thanks in advance!

-Patrick

I'll place my opinion about "upgrades" aside for the time being as they probably didn't contribute to the present problem an any appreciable manner. This leaves us with the question of where and how coolant is migrating into the cylinders and exhaust gasses into the coolant. Obviously the head is a primary suspect here.

Assuming a head or gasket problem you realize that a leakdown test under static conditions may yield exactly nothing. Hopefully not the case but very possible. Given that the EGR cooler has been removed (not blocked off) this tends to limit where exhaust and coolant could interchange and pretty much leaves the head as a suspect area. So we'll discuss the head.

You mention that the previous owner had a meticulous record of services done to the vehicle. Is there any mention of an overheating problem? The reason I ask is that something like this could slightly warp the head or cause damage to the block itself. Assuming this not to be the case, then the gasket will be a primary suspect.

Assuming the head needs removed, then you already know what has to be done. You'll be looking for evidence of gasket failure and I hope it will immediately show up. While the head is off you'll check the block deck for any possible damage. The same may be said for cylinder walls. While unlikely, warping or a hairline crack is a possibility. The same may be said for the head. Since we aren't at this point looking to do anything but verify a good head, any trusted shop that does such work should probably fit the bill. Then again, for about the same cost plus shipping you can have one of the trusted techs here do the work.

Suggestions? Assuming only a bad gasket, just make sure to replace it with one of the proper thickness. While the timing belt is nowhere near TBO I'd replace it at minimum. Actually I'd replace the entire package including water pump as you'll already be there and then know with absolute assurance that all has been done correctly.

Pay close attention to the coolant passages and make sure they're clean. Improper coolant or coolant fouled by exhaust gasses will often leave deposits on internal passages to include your heater core. Deal with it now instead of later.

VagCom and proper tools will be required. This isn't really a difficult job, however it's not one that will allow much margin for error. Some of us view such a job as major surgery beyond our abilities. Others see the same job as nothing but a minor annoyance. I can't judge how you as the owner feel nor do I know your abilities.

Sealer? Not an option really. If it works, and I doubt it will, then temporary at best. And dishonest or unethical to dispose of the car to an unknowing new owner. On the other hand very ethical to dispose of the vehicle to someone like myself who has the ability and willingness to do the proper repairs if you wish not to be further involved.

Good Luck!

We owned an 09 Sportwagen that developed the brown coolant. I suspected that someone had mixed the wrong coolant at some point. Another theory is that the inter-cooler icing issue may have caused a head gasket issue. If your engine gulps a slug of water could that hydraulic pressure cause a head gasket to blow out?

Liquid water in the cylinder will almost certainly result in a bent rod. The gasket (good or bad) won't matter.