Hi Everyone, my names Al. New to forums but I have recently acquired a 2009 Cobalt SS Turbo Sedan, which apparently seems to be pretty rare?
Currently it is not running as the previous owner said it had some coolant mixed with oil (Which i verified), But I'll probably be pulling the engine apart soon so see what went wrong.

Hoping to get this thing running and build a pretty nice sleeper car.

Excuse the dirt, have not gotten a chance to wash her yet.

 

Yes they are pretty uncommon.

Very nice find hope you get it running!

 

Welcome. I hope the problem is something simple like a head gasket. If it's a bigger issue I hope you got it for a really good price.

 

I don't remember if the sedans also suffered like the coupes, but a porous block would do the same if it cracked. Not super common, but common enough to mention.

 

Did 09 suffer from the pourous block or was it just the 08s?

 

Late '08 into '09

 

Aw I never really knew. I knew it was early on, but really they were a 3 year only car.

 

Welcome!

 

Anyone have a recommendation on where I should start?

Should I drop the Engine/Subframe to inspect the headgasket? Where does the porous block problem normally occur?

 

Real quick, before getting too far. I saw you said you had a bit of a mix, but where? Is it milkshake in the oil pan or coolant system? If it's the coolant system, these have an oil cooler that likes to go internally.

​​​​​​Otherwise, as to the porous block, it'll be internal. If I remember from reading on here, it cracks between the sleeve and coolant jacket towards the top due to lack of support and poor casting.

You'll know after teardown, but that's less common than it sounds, just something to be aware of. If it's the head gasket then that's pretty straightforward.

 

Very clean SS Sedan and welcome

 

You should start by giving up and selling it to me..... Ohh and welcome.

 

I feel like blown head gaskets are a fairly rare occurrence on these cars, so I would be planning for the worst.

 

If you need parts LMK. I have almost a complete engine out of a 2010 SS.

 

After taking the engine apart the actual head gasket it self doesn't look to have any damage on it. I'm inclined to believe its the porous block issue but is there anyway to confirm, definitely a lot of chocolate milk everywhere.
Any recommendations on replacements? I was looking at ZZP's LDK long block, which looks like a direct replacement.

 

Definitely porous block, or cracked sleeve. From what I've seen, many people have done the LDK unless you can source a donor engine somewhere.

 

Oof. That sucks. I feel like half the people that I know with LNF's are actually running LDK's. LDK would be a good choice. The way to check for a porous block involves running UV dye in the coolant and then using a UV light to inspect the inside of the block after a run cycle. If you already have the engine torn apart, it probably isn't worth investigating, but at the same time... it's not THAT hard to put the head back on the car. I wouldn't even bother with new head bolts or head gasket for that kind of test.

I would DEFINITELY have the oil cooler pressure tested though. I haven't heard of LNF oil cooler failures being common, but it is a possibility. With that said, my experience with oil cooler failures (VW's) is that the high pressure oil will move into the low pressure coolant system, rather than the other way around.

 

Purchased a ZZP LDK Longblock, wish me luck!