My wife’s 2009 vw beetle overheated and was leaking coolant today. I thought it was just an old hose that needed replacing. It turns out the hoses are fine but the gasket that connects the upper oil pan to the bottom of the engine block blew out between bolts. I can feel the rubber and see the coolant pour out when I flush the system. The car has sentimental value but I would imagine any repair to be too costly on a job like this. What do you think it would cost and is it worth it?
98k miles, 2009 vw with a leaking rear main seal as well
There does look to be a channel alongside this part that could be for cooling and is where the coolant is leaking. So maybe the coolant hasn’t mixed with the engine oil only blown out away from the tank.
If this is the case, this would still mean that the head gasket is blown right?
If that upper oil pan has coolant passages in it then that would be where the coolant is most likely coming from.
If it does not have coolant passages then the only way coolant would get to that area would be by mixing with the oil somehow. This could be due to head gasket, cracked head or block, or failed oil cooler if cooled by the engine coolant. (The latter is a common failure in BMWs, don't know if it applies to modern VWs. The only VWs I've worked on personally are the old air-cooled variety.) Another area where coolant can get into the oil would be failure of an internal water pump, but looking at that part for your car at rockauto.com it appears to be an external type driven by the fan belt.
You can find a repair manual for your car in the link below. I could not find those details with a quick look but maybe you'll spot some detail(s) that I missed:
https://charm.li/Volkswagen/2009/
@chucktobias thank you this is very helpful. Looks like its a loss
If you are seeing coolant come out from between the engine block and oil pan there is something seriously wrong going. Unless that thing has a really wacky design coolant should not be present there. Possibly a blown head gasket, cracked head or block, maybe a liquid-cooled oil cooler if so equipped would let coolant get into the oil. I'd try to get eyes on where the coolant is actually escaping to verify what's going on.
It's not worth putting a lot of money into 16-year-old VW. (Kelley Blue Book pegs the value of that car in good condition in a private party sale at about $3800, and their estimates tend to be on the inflated side.)
@chucktobias thank you! I checked it and it is definitely leaking from the seam and the gasket is definitely blown because I can peel it with my fingers from the outside. As far as coolant in that part of the “upper oil pan” which I never heard such a thing except for on a volkswagen, i assume that it shouldn’t be there if that is where the cams are housed
At 16 years old with engine problems, no, I certainly wouldn't sink more into it.is it worth it?
As far as coolant in that part of the “upper oil pan” which I never heard such a thing except for on a volkswagen, i assume that it shouldn’t be there if that is where the cams are housed
Are you talking about the valve/cam cover gasket? ("Oil pan" generally refers to the pan underneath the engine.) There still should not be any coolant there, at least not on any engine I've ever dealt with. Sounds like a blown head gasket could be the cause.
@chucktobias VW calls this part of the engine the “upper oil pan” in their engine diagram. It is the section directly above the traditional oil pan
It looks like that engine has a 2-piece oil pan on the bottom of the engine. I found the following description from an eBay vendor selling used parts: "The upper oil pan is the piece that sits above the lower oil pan, where the engine oil is drained, and directs the engine oil into the lower pan, preventing the oil from foaming."
So the question is whether there are coolant passages in that thing. Normally I would not expect any in an oil pan but that looks like a pretty unusual setup.
@chucktobias I now see what you are saying. There does look to be a channel alongside this part that could be for cooling and is where the coolant is leaking. So maybe the coolant hasn’t mixed with the engine oil only blown out away from the tank.
If this is the case, this would still mean that the head gasket is blown right?