Blown head gasket HELP my ride on ac schnitzer kit and rims :3

[MissE34]

So I have probably messed up my car in the worst way possible. I have a 1989 E34 525i M20 auto on Ac Schnitzer kit and 17" Type 1 Ac Schnitzer rims. 4 weeks ago I blew the water pump and over heated my car a bit past 3/4. Me and my mechanic spent hours working on her trying to work out how to get her running again. We ended up putting a new water pump in, re connected the radiator hose and replaced the thermostat which has all been damaged. She ended up not overheating anymore but we feared there had either been a blown head gasket or a warped head. But we left it to see how she would go over the next few weeks.
Today while I was changing the spark plugs and doing general maintenance. I took the radiator cap off to find it caked in curdled gross oil so looks like ive blown the head gasket. I have the service manual but I just want to know if I need to get the cylinder head resurfaced and what else I need to do in order to replace the head gasket and what else I should be looking for that will need replacing on the car from the damage or if anyone else has had this problem before how they handled it.
Im new around her so any help would be greatly appreciated.
http://i62.tinypic.com/2h4xf0y.pnghttp://i61.tinypic.com/2kk4qt.jpg

http://i59.tinypic.com/3469ttv.png

xxxx Madeline

[e24mpwr]

I'm not much of a mechanic, but you're going to have to pull the head anyway for the headgasket. From there you'll just have to measure to see if you have to plane the head.

If you really only went to 3/4, I'm wondering if you already had a headgasket issue. I'd be surprised if you warped the head. You'll get much more educated opinions than mine.

You should check out the DIY and FAQ sections here:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?301-E34-Common-Problems-and-DIY-Fixes

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?938227-gt-gt-gt-E34-FAQ-lt-lt-lt-**PLEASE**-READ-HERE-Before-Posting-Questions

Welcome - and good luck!

[Binjammin]

I'm not much of a mechanic, but you're going to have to pull the head anyway for the headgasket. From there you'll just have to measure to see if you have to plane the head.

If you really only went to 3/4, I'm wondering if you already had a headgasket issue. I'd be surprised if you warped the head. You'll get much more educated opinions than mine.

You should check out the DIY and FAQ sections here:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?301-E34-Common-Problems-and-DIY-Fixes

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?938227-gt-gt-gt-E34-FAQ-lt-lt-lt-**PLEASE**-READ-HERE-Before-Posting-Questions

Welcome - and good luck!

The oil crud in the coolant is a strong sign. OP, you're going to need to flush the hell out of the cooling system, and you should do it just before you pull the head off the engine. The problem is that the oil will dissolve the rubber in the hoses that keep all the coolant on the inside. If you let it sit, your hoses will go bad from the inside out, until they swell up like sausages and burst. It could happen a lot faster than you think. If the car is going to be sitting for a while when the gasket gets done, (and that usually happens when you send the head to a machine shop) you'll want that to have no oil in there. I don't know if you have cascade dish detergent down there, but get the car up to operating temp, and drain the coolant. Run fresh water in, and add a scoop or two of cascade in, let it run up to temp again, bleed it so it doesn't overheat, and drain it. Do that a couple times, then I usually run a couple rounds of just water in it, until the water flushes out nice and clear.

Cascade breaks up oil from dishes in a dishwasher, it works great on the oils in a cooling system too.

[e24mpwr]

She should do this *before* getting the headgasket done? You know I'm not a wrench, so apologies for the stupid question, but wouldn't that potentially put soapy water in the motor where the HG failed?

[K Fox]

She should do this *before* getting the headgasket done? You know I'm not a wrench, so apologies for the stupid question, but wouldn't that potentially put soapy water in the motor where the HG failed?

That's not as big of a concern as you might think - it's not going to get any decent runtime like this, and he is saying to flush it out a couple times with just water to rinse most all of the soap residue away. Ans since OP's already diving into the engine (the head has to come off), getting a little soap in a cylinder isn't any worse than getting a little coolant in. But it will help to save the hoses in the cooling system. That said, we are talking about a BMW cooling system...money well spent is replacing those hoses if they're older (but almost no one replaces the heater core and HVAC hoses - so cleaning those of oil will save you destroying them accidentally).

Fox (agreeing with Bin)

P.S. you also don't have to worry about getting soap in the oil, as it has to be changed anyway also. ;)

[Oldkoole34]

Who puts hammer on balancing weights on the outer lips of acs typ 1s..........?


Sorry to interrupt. Please go on......

94 540ia granitesilver, lowtec 60/30 + Billstein sport, 18" rondell 58.

[ross1]

Who puts hammer on balancing weights on the outer lips of acs typ 1s..........?


.
Same mechanic who cannot diagnose a head gasket. Tires are ill fit anyway.
OP, M20 engine? Auto trans? Could be a failed trans cooler.
Oil into the coolant is likely from the head gasket failing but perhaps the head is still straight. The passages for oil into and out of the head are in a less strong part of the gasket and near the edge of the head, the gasket sometimes corrodes from the outside in. If coolant is going into the combustion chambers the is head likely a bit warped and will need re-surfacing. Do you have the old spark plugs? Were any exceptionally clean?
Assuming HG, have the head checked by a machine shop for straightness. Depending on mileage it could be a convenient time for a valve job, a fresh timing belt, etc.

[Binjammin]

She should do this *before* getting the headgasket done? You know I'm not a wrench, so apologies for the stupid question, but wouldn't that potentially put soapy water in the motor where the HG failed?

"There's no stupid questions, only stupid people." :rofl

Honestly, I don't think that's a stupid question. In reality the only questions that really get under my skin are the ones that have the answers right in the question. "So, I have two of these things in one hand, and two in the other, how many do I have total?" sort of thing. Willful ignorance isn't the same thing as just not knowing.


That's not as big of a concern as you might think - it's not going to get any decent runtime like this, and he is saying to flush it out a couple times with just water to rinse most all of the soap residue away. Ans since OP's already diving into the engine (the head has to come off), getting a little soap in a cylinder isn't any worse than getting a little coolant in. But it will help to save the hoses in the cooling system. That said, we are talking about a BMW cooling system...money well spent is replacing those hoses if they're older (but almost no one replaces the heater core and HVAC hoses - so cleaning those of oil will save you destroying them accidentally).

Fox (agreeing with Bin)

P.S. you also don't have to worry about getting soap in the oil, as it has to be changed anyway also. ;)

Bingo, and on top of it, if you're that worried about getting straight water in the cylinders, you're draining the coolant from the engine before pulling the head, but even if there's enough water left in the head when you pull it to soak the cylinders down with spillage...

wipe it up. lol. Spray a little WD40 in there and it will keep the bores from rusting.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, the hammer weights! :rofl that lip looks mangulated. :(

[BMW IDFR]

Before you bigin the teardown, flush the cooling system to plain garden water, and stick a dish-washer capsule in your radiator.
It is the only thing i trust to clean aluminums and oil deposits/ rust etc...

I use planet detergent, calgon does the trick too.

Now take a deep breath and prepare to remove half an m20! Everyone has too at some point in life....

[ross1]

Before you bigin the teardown, flush the cooling system to plain garden water, and stick a dish-washer capsule in your radiator.
It is the only thing i trust to clean aluminums and oil deposits/ rust etc...

I use planet detergent, calgon does the trick too.

Now take a deep breath and prepare to remove half an m20! Everyone has too at some point in life....
I don't know about the dishwasher detergent. I've ruined the finish of a few of the wife's precious kitchen utensils made of aluminum by washing them in the DW. That stuff seems very alkaline.

[Binjammin]

I don't know about the dishwasher detergent. I've ruined the finish of a few of the wife's precious kitchen utensils made of aluminum by washing them in the DW. That stuff seems very alkaline.

Aluminum utensils? :confused

Yes, it will darken aluminum, and if you have forks and stuff made from aluminum then yeah, it can do that I'm sure, but it doesn't make them stop being forks and knives. It won't damage anything in the cooling system, and even if you're showing the car at Pebble Beach Concours I can't imagine they'd drain the coolant and put a borescope inside the engine to judge you on the color of the aluminum inside the car. :lol:

Even if it were pretty highly acidic, it would still be pretty dilute in the cooling system with water, and we're talking about minutes worth of time in the cooling system followed by a good rinsing, it might etch the surface a little, but it wouldn't do any significant damage. If anything it would probably make it look pretty nice inside.



Seriously though, aluminum utensils? That's a thing?

[ross1]

Aluminum utensils? :confused

Yes, it will darken aluminum,
Seriously though, aluminum utensils? That's a thing?

http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mnjC3DoP2Prt-0R0PKsR1YA.jpg
Here is another that has met a similar fate;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/271429754337?lpid=82

How's this for OT?

[e24mpwr]

It isn't OT so much as a tangent... ;)

[Binjammin]

I need a nice garlic press, damn near everything I make gets garlic in it! Yeah, that's the discoloration I'm talking about, you can go to your local auto parts store and get metal brightener and it should restore it to at least a uniform color.

[zubbie]

I need a nice garlic press, damn near everything I make gets garlic in it! Yeah, that's the discoloration I'm talking about, you can go to your local auto parts store and get metal brightener and it should restore it to at least a uniform color.

off topic but this is for Bin. Best garlic press ever.

http://www.thegourmetshop.net/images/tools/kuhn-rikon-epicurean-garlic-press.jpg

[e24mpwr]

Now we are off-topic... :shifty






:rofl

[BMW IDFR]

Now we are off-topic... :shifty




:rofl
Bin is awesome lol!

ok the detergent is key when you have oil in the cooling system. in the worst case, it may make a water pump shiney

[M540fella]

I've only seen a handful of slant lipped acs, very cool. Most I've seen were 16's.

[Trasportador]

I'm still stuck on the fact op has an Alpine white loveliness with that ac kit and rims. What's all this blown head gasket talk?

[K Fox]

Just one more thing - why hasn't anyone yet mentioned the relative ease with which an M50 drops into the car?? I know we just had that other thread on the same topic, but it bears mentioning here, the M50 was a stock option in the later years of E34, and if you find one secondhand it would drop in rather easily. Something to consider if there is significant work needed to repair the engine currently in the car. The more you know, and all...

Fox (is this stirring the pot??? I hope not...)

[Binjammin]

Just one more thing - why hasn't anyone yet mentioned the relative ease with which an M50 drops into the car?? I know we just had that other thread on the same topic, but it bears mentioning here, the M50 was a stock option in the later years of E34, and if you find one secondhand it would drop in rather easily. Something to consider if there is significant work needed to repair the engine currently in the car. The more you know, and all...

Fox (is this stirring the pot??? I hope not...)

Because Australia. Parts are harder to find and more expensive tbere. M50s grow on trees there, but they dont grow down under at all.

[MissE34]

U_U I dented the rims really badly and they were buckling. Took them to my crazy old man who refurbished them and he put them on there. They're off now, just in that photo they were on there. So, thanks for your amazing powers of observation for picking that one up. 10 points.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks so much for the advise guys!.
My mechanic knows how to do a HG but he also knows I dont have a lot of money so its, as you all know, cheaper for me to do it myself. But seriously why does it matter what I do with my rims. Yeah I thrash my car and since its was my first car and im only 18 yeah I have made a lot of mistakes in that car. Ive probably made every single mistake on earth in that car. but I love it more than anything and im finally starting to get her where im happy with and fix all the problems. None of your opinions about my rims have anything to do with my motor.
I have tried to find a reasonable priced M50 but all of them are absolutely unusable. So Im probably going to go all out and drop a 2jz in there once I have the money.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH THANKS SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME HOW TO FIX MY GIRL! \^.^/
I'll start flushing the coolant out tomorrow and if i run into any snags i'll be back here to annoy you all again.

[Binjammin]

U_U I dented the rims really badly and they were buckling. Took them to my crazy old man who refurbished them and he put them on there. They're off now, just in that photo they were on there. So, thanks for your amazing powers of observation for picking that one up. 10 points.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks so much for the advise guys!.
My mechanic knows how to do a HG but he also knows I dont have a lot of money so its, as you all know, cheaper for me to do it myself. But seriously why does it matter what I do with my rims. Yeah I thrash my car and since its was my first car and im only 18 yeah I have made a lot of mistakes in that car. Ive probably made every single mistake on earth in that car. but I love it more than anything and im finally starting to get her where im happy with and fix all the problems. None of your opinions about my rims have anything to do with my motor.
I have tried to find a reasonable priced M50 but all of them are absolutely unusable. So Im probably going to go all out and drop a 2jz in there once I have the money.
SERIOUSLY THOUGH THANKS SO MUCH FOR TELLING ME HOW TO FIX MY GIRL! \^.^/
I'll start flushing the coolant out tomorrow and if i run into any snags i'll be back here to annoy you all again.

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Hachiko+A+Doge+s+Tale.+First+post+so+be+nice+guys_ 194756_4750299.png


Ohhhh 18? Gotcha. Please, carry on.

[clevertd]

Ohhhh 18? Gotcha. Please, carry on.

http://ironwolf.dangerousgames.com/blog/wp-content/lolz/images/hurrithreadgy6.jpg

[K Fox]

http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Hachiko+A+Doge+s+Tale.+First+post+so+be+nice+guys_ 194756_4750299.png


Ohhhh 18? Gotcha. Please, carry on.

You found a picture with an Akita!!! Very awesome - much cool. But seriously, I now have 2 Akita's in my life, as my sister has moved in since she needs help getting back on her feet. And while they're awesome and fun dogs, it kills me that no one will rent to them...I've been looking for over 6 weeks and not found a place yet. Eventually...meanwhile, it's a hotel that doesn't care so my sister has a roof over her head. Trouble??!? Yeah, but it apparently worth it for Akita's (and really, any dog in general - dog's are awesome).

Fo /threadjack about cool dog pic

[MissE34]

YAY GOT THE HEAD OFF AND BEING RESURFACED! Thanks for all the advise guys xxxx

[93FIM5]

Little late but I've used Mercedes citrus coolant flush and been happy with the results.

[MissE34]

Hey guys, Just letting you know I didnt warp the head. I got it reshaved and I ended up pulling out the whole engine and putting it on a stand in my garage. I replaced the pistons which were kinda warn. The head and everything is back on now and we are just fixing a sensor and she will be back on the road in no time. Its taken me ages because im poor and been waiting for parts. Cheers for all the amazing advise. You guys rule !

[KingDavidsCourt]

If the head wasn't warped, why did you have it shaved?

Sent with a 0 and 1 creating smoke signal generator

[DKJimmy]

If the head wasn't warped, why did you have it shaved?


Because more compression means more power baby :cool

[Binjammin]

If the head wasn't warped, why did you have it shaved?

Sent with a 0 and 1 creating smoke signal generator

I think what she was suggesting was that it was within tolerance. Even if the head were 100% level, the gasket walking usually etches the head, so decking it leaves a nice sealing surface.