I need a verdict on this engine

A clean filter inspires confidence.

I say run it.  Use some good Shell Rotella T4.

In reply to Pete Gossett :

If only I had known, I had a logbooked 1G talon tsi AWD for sale for near challenge money until about 3 months ago. Had a small 16g, upgraded rear differential and other bits, it was an old rally America logbook. Cage needed updates 

The whole thing is berkeleyed. You should drop it off at my place. I'll trade you some TP, a can of Lysol (never used!) and a case of Mt. Dew Voltage for it. 

captdownshift said:

In reply to Pete Gossett :

If only I had known, I had a logbooked 1G talon tsi AWD for sale for near challenge money until about 3 months ago. Had a small 16g, upgraded rear differential and other bits, it was an old rally America logbook. Cage needed updates 

[cries internally]

Are you sure the milkshake is from a failed head gasket? In my experience, 4G63 head gaskets don’t usually cause the oil and water to mix, unless severely overheated. They usually leak combustion gasses into the water jacket under boost. Driven hard, it will push coolant out the overflow, but not leak under normal driving. Two failed head gaskets in a row sounds very unlikely, unless the head or block is damaged. Most oil/water mixing that I’ve seen on DSM’s come from damaged oil coolers. It’s not hard to over tighten and damage them internally. 

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

That's good to know, thanks!

The guy AnthonyGS bought it from last fall stated the HG was blown. Is there a good way to test the oil cooler for internal failure? Or do you think I should try a compression and/or leak down test to rule out the HG, then presume oil cooler?

If the head gasket leaked, there will be some pretty obvious marks.

I’d think that you should be able visually see if it has been overtightened. The mating surface should be flat and square. If it looks crushed at all, it would be suspect to me. Maybe pressure test the cooling system with the oil filter removed? You may have to remove the cooler itself. Disconnected the oil cooler from the filter housing but leave it attached to the coolant lines. No water should leak out of the oil cooler under pressure. Or just pull it completely off and test it by itself with with a bike tube and some some fittings. 

Pete Gossett said:

In reply to mtn :

Eric used to run an ESP DSM back in the early 00's and was wickedly fast. I have a very clear memory of being behind him at the start during some pretty heavy rain, and when he launched the car literally drove out from under the water, which then splashed onto the tarmac.

Great description. He left a car-shaped hole in the rain. That's a hard launch.

In reply to Daylan C :

Oops, meant to post that in the build thread. I moved it over there.

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

EDIT: Ok I think I figured it out - I have an aftermarket oil-to-air cooler, and the factory sandwich one that should have been installed between the oil filter & mount has been removed. See first pic.

I'd take the head off and have a machine shop check it for cracks and warping before I tossed a new head gasket on it...

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Well, there goes that theory. I was hoping it would be something simple. 

In reply to Boost_Crazy :

That's ok, I really appreciate the suggestion, and I learned something about the car that I likely wouldn't have otherwise!

I've been bit by optimism enough times that I'd pull it and look at everything.  Just my .02. 

In reply to Pete Gossett :

Looks like it could possibly be leftover media from when the block was shot-blasted when it was rebuilt.  Even after hot-tanking and finishing I have spent more hours cleaning out oil and coolant galleries in freshly machined blocks (over and over and over) than I care to think about.

Take the head to get it decked while you are at it. I've seen too many people skip this step. Replace headstuds and I'd suggest an OEM hg