hey guys,

i recently went to the garage to disturb my formula's winter sleep and start it up so it could run for a while. and i was also looking forward to enjoying its healthy rumble with the 2055 headers and aerochamber catback on there... well, not so!!

after start up, the engine sounded good but when the rpm's settled back to idle it became apparent that something was wrong. it sounded as if it was only running on 7 cylinders or so. there was no misfire or any other indicator for faulty ignition. i switched the engine off to re-check everything in the engine bay and noticed that there were some black sludgy deposits in the coolant...

so now i'm thinking, either a blown headgasket or it's a head/block problem, because when i parked the car in summer it was running good and had no problems. it has recently become pretty cool with some nights' temperatures down to about -10°F, but in this garage it normally doesn't get that cold because it's right under a (heated) flat and has thick walls. i haven't checked my coolant yet but i think it's mostly water in there because it's a summer car, with maybe a quarter of antifreeze mixed in.

it's a bummer because i was planning to start a new motor next winter, so the upcoming summer would have been the last season for this little L03
what do you guys think i should do? any quick way to check if it's the headgasket or some metal has given?
i'm going back to the garage tomorrow (it's 1 hour away from me) to visually check the block and freeze plugs, also drain some coolant and re-check.

thanks in advance!
greetz
ownor

 

put a coolant pressure tester on it to about 10-15psi. if it will hold pressure at all. if it will you need to jack up the engine and drop the oil pan and check for leaks with pressure on it. sounds like a cracked block though.

 

Does it have the KC4 engine oil cooler/heat exchanger? If so, it may be leaking internally.

 

for that pressure test, can i use any kind of compressor with a suitable fitting to pressurize the radiator? or do i put it to the thermostat housing opening in the intake manifold? never done a pressure test so far.

pretty sure it doesn't have the engine oil cooler, although i'd love to have one..
the radiator is rather new because i already managed to bust my automatic tranny oil cooler on my old rad last year. so theoretically it could also be old sludge from that ATF finding it's way into the coolant system back then. i've changed coolant twice though since then and also drained the block through the knock sensor hole.

the pressure tester sounds like my best bet.
did you mean to say if it doesn't hold pressure i need to drop the oil pan, right?
i'd imagine it might still be hard to identify a cracked head or a headgasket that way.. any more input on this?

 

i may have misunderstood. do you have oil in your radiator? or coolant in your oil pan? a blown head gasket usually pressurizes the cooling system. so, with the engine cold there should be no pressure on your radiator hoses. if you start the engine and rev a few times and there is pressure instantly you have a blown head gasket. the other method i posted was to check for coolant in the oil pan.

 

(i copy and pasted this) if you suspect a blown head gasket this is how to diagnose it. a head gasket can blow in a couple different areas, between two or more cylinders, into the crankcase, or into the cooling system. if it blows between two cylinders the engine will skip a compression test will find the problem. if it blows into the crankcase it will also skip and can be found with a compression test but will also cause excessive blow-by. if the head gasket blows into the cooling system (most common) here is how to diagnose it. with the engine cold fill it with coolant and leave the cap off. start the engine. if coolant blows out the head gasket is blown. or you can put the cap back on and start the engine. if the radiator hoses become pressurized almost instantly. it is important to relieve any residual pressure before doing this test. a cylinder head will crack when cold water is added to an overheating engine (don't do it!!) if your engine gets over 220 degrees turn it off and let it cool or call a tow truck. if your head is cracked you will lose coolant through the exhaust (you'll never see where the coolant is going)