Blown CX-5 Head Gasket?

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2014 CX-5 Touring
Backstory: 2014 CX-5 Touring with 130k miles. Was getting flashing red engine light, with no heat from the vents. It also shut down a few times while my kid limped it home. Code scan was P011A. I replaced thermostat and burped coolant, but still got the same issues. I figured the water pump had failed and heater core is probably plugged.

So I'm replacing my water pump & heater core, along with flushing the coolant, and an oil change since it's due (plus I can check for coolant in the oil). When I drain the radiator I don't get more than gallon of coolant. This also happened when I did the thermostat, but I thought maybe there was coolant in the engine that wasn't draining. Well when I drained the oil it didn't appear that there was coolant mixed in, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be seeing. The oil looks like brown milk chocolate. However, what DOES concern me is I drained nearly four 2 liter pop (soda) bottles worth of oil! Am I looking at a blown head gasket? I'm guessing "yes".

Any help is appreciated! I will probably be replacing the head gasket myself unless the almighty Youtube scares me off.
 
That sucks if that is the case. Gonna watch thread.

I will say that if I was personally affected I would probably still drop a used motor in mine (assuming it was too far gone to be repairable) if I was affected by this. Not going to get caught up in this IMO "overpriced" new/used car market.
 
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What was the oil level on the dip stick prior to draining the oil? “Brown milk shake” sounds like an emulsion of oil and coolant, which doesn’t lubricate particularly well. After the OP replaces the head gasket (assuming the head isn’t warped or cracked, he’ll need to have it checked) he should replace the oil, drive until the engine is warmed up, then drain and replace the oil again. (The emulsified oil won’t drain well and what remains will contaminate the new oil, the first change will flush it out.)
 
Backstory: 2014 CX-5 Touring with 130k miles. Was getting flashing red engine light, with no heat from the vents. It also shut down a few times while my kid limped it home. Code scan was P011A. I replaced thermostat and burped coolant, but still got the same issues. I figured the water pump had failed and heater core is probably plugged.

So I'm replacing my water pump & heater core, along with flushing the coolant, and an oil change since it's due (plus I can check for coolant in the oil). When I drain the radiator I don't get more than gallon of coolant. This also happened when I did the thermostat, but I thought maybe there was coolant in the engine that wasn't draining. Well when I drained the oil it didn't appear that there was coolant mixed in, but I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be seeing. The oil looks like brown milk chocolate. However, what DOES concern me is I drained nearly four 2 liter pop (soda) bottles worth of oil! Am I looking at a blown head gasket? I'm guessing "yes".

Any help is appreciated! I will probably be replacing the head gasket myself unless the almighty Youtube scares me off.
As mentioned , the "chocolate milk" is classic coolant in the oil. Barring a cracked head, two main culprits are the head gasket and intake manifold gasket. The quantities mentioned appear to add up also. The radiator only holds a gallon so that is correct. The roughly 8 quarts worth of 'oil' drained was a fill of oil (5 qts) plus coolant from the engine block since the radiator was full. The engine was down on coolant so it overheated and went into limp mode .
As for flushing out the 'chocolate milk', I learned to (and did when I replaced a blown head gasket) was put a gallon of kerosene in the oil pan and crank, not start ,the engine to churn things up. Flush again followed by fresh oil and filter when the job completed. Then another oil change and filter soon after. Always change the filter as it will load up with gunk, residual oil/coolant mixture plus whatever else gets loosened up. Good luck.
 
I don't see any reason to replace the water pump unless it's leaking or making noise or the heater core unless it's leaking. Even if it's plugged (which you wouldn't know until after the engine is fixed) try back flushing it. The lack of heat is due to lack of coolant going through the heater core.
A failed water pump could cause overheat and blown gasket but it seems more likely to me that the gasket failure occurred first causing the overheat /limp mode and lack of heat due to insufficient coolant plus loss of cooling system pressure.
 
Backstory: 2014 CX-5 Touring with 130k miles. Code scan was P011A. I replaced thermostat and burped coolant, but still got the same issues.
Here’s a good discussion for “P011A” code:

P011A on '14 Touring...


⋯ The oil looks like brown milk chocolate. However, what DOES concern me is I drained nearly four 2 liter pop (soda) bottles worth of oil! Am I looking at a blown head gasket? I'm guessing "yes".
Yes indeed. I’d agree with Kedis82ZE8 that in your case at 130K miles getting a used engine could be a better option.
 
So I'm starting to look into other options. One of them being to sell the car and live without another vehicle for a while. Any ideas on what a '14 CX-5 Touring, stock with the exception of Katzkin aftermarket leather seats with seat warmers might go for?
 
Thread of another owner a few years back…

 
Thread of another owner a few years back…

As expected Fish1 had found replacing the engine with a used one is cheaper than fixing the cracked head. Not surprised he replaced the engine and got rid of his 2014 CX-5 soon after.

Car is fixed. In the end replaced the engine. It was a crack in the cylinder head (less cost for replacement engine from a salvage yard than new head). Best guess on what happened is had a small coolant leak that went unnoticed finally got low enough and caused engine to overheat and cracked the head (I had heat working on previous drive). My fault for not regularly checking coolant level lesson learned and should have pulled over immediately and not driven several miles to the next exit (but stopping on the side of highway in freezing temperatures was a good excuse not too) . Also learned to appreciate more the cars with low coolant and oil sensors as well as a functioning temperature gauge. The temperature warning light does not come on until it sees 250F (120C) maybe it was running hot for a long time just don't know. May move on from the CX-5 after this experience but will still be in the Mazda family still love my MX5.
 
So I'm starting to look into other options. One of them being to sell the car and live without another vehicle for a while. Any ideas on what a '14 CX-5 Touring, stock with the exception of Katzkin aftermarket leather seats with seat warmers might go for?
IMO, the best bet to you right now is to replace the engine with a used one, then trade or sell it for a good price at current market. If you have time and can DIY, replacing the cylinder head and the gasket could be cheaper with your own labor.

Like others have said, with a cracked head or failed head gasket, your 2014 CX-5 is worth not much.
 
...Was getting flashing red engine light, with no heat from the vents. It also shut down a few times while my kid limped it home....
Of course I have no info to why the decision was made to continue on (safety of occupants certainly outweighs breaking stuff) but for those reading the thread ...

If you get a flashing red engine warning light, continuing to operate the engine is gonna cost you a lot of money. Other than stopping will put you in great danger, it's time to pull over and call a tow truck. A tow is gonna cost a couple hundred (and may even be covered by your insurance) an engine replacement is gonna cost many thousands (and not be covered by insurance and maybe not even warranty if the manufacturer discovers you continued to operate it).

@rickprins , I'd say your looking at a cracked head and whatever underlying problem that caused the overheat to begin with. +1 on a salvage engine likely being the most cost effective option.

Bottom line is, your kid is home safe.
 
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Thanks everyone for your input! I am deciding between scrapping the car and fixing it whether repair or replace engine. My problem is I am strapped for money. Car is paid off so there's no debt to satisfy. Other than a small dent in the drivers rear quarter panel it is in great condition - besides the engine of course. If I could get a few grand then I'll probably part ways with it. I don't NEED another car at the moment. We've been surviving by sharing cars, since I work from home.
 
Option1 :

Get a new engine installed. Keep old engine block and convert it into a coffee table!

Option 2:

Build the engine up yourself. New seals, plugs, belts, ect. This way you know its reliable again. It also maximizes resale value. Used small SUVs are hot right now.
 
Mount that 4-2-1 exhaust on some kind of fancy platform

Seriously though... I am sympathetic to where you are at. It sucks to have a failure like this. Loss of vehicle value, transportation, etc.
4-2-1-exhaust-system-4.png
 
That sucks if that is the case. Gonna watch thread.

I will say that if I was personally affected I would probably still drop a used motor in mine (assuming it was too far gone to be repairable) if I was affected by this. Not going to get caught up in this IMO "overpriced" new/used car market.
My head gasket is blown also I'm getting advice by others to just drop new motor but the cheapest I can find is 2500. I'm tapped right now because I spent all my money on buying the Mazda. They sold it tome with blown heads. So can you let me know what steps your taking
 
I haven't looked but anyone have quick leads on used JDM motors for the CX-5? I've never had to swap a motor myself but the "used motors from Japan" ads seem like they have been around 30 years now
 
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