Blown head gasket

[Roxiib]

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT I CAN EXPECT FROM GREAT NEWS TO WORST NEWS AFTER DROPPING MY "HEADS" OFF AT THE MACHINE SHOP TOMORROW?! VEHICLE IS 1997 328ic

Ex:
whats the max i can expect to pay?

Could this turn out to be a non-fixable head repair?

PLEASE CHIME IN TO LET ME KNOW ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, thank u

[mgoods50]

I would ask the shop before dropping off what their hourly rate is, or if checking the head is a fixed rate job.

Youre only dropping off one head, right? Your engine has only one but your post was plural "heads". If more than one, I'd expect to pay double.

At least, they are going to clean it, resurface and check for cracks etc. Is the shop removing the cams? (More labor)

They are gonna tell you your head is fine, it needs repair, or it is beyond repair. Cost depends on the shop. You can pick up a complete head on panjo, I saw one the other day when I listed my s50 head.

PS- STOP YELLING.

[flyfishvt]

Every shop I've seen charges a flat rate to test the head and plane it flat. That process generally runs $200-300 depending on the shop. If they find damage to the head then they charge an hourly rate to repair it. If the head has multiple cracks you could be looking at an additional $200-300 in repair costs. Getting a valve job (highly recommended ) is also extra. $75-100 around here.

It's a good idea to purchase your head gasket kit before you drop off the head. The kit will include new valve stem seals and the shop will install them for you.

It's possible your head is warped beyond the point of repair. It's possible valves are damaged beyond repair and they'll need to be replaced. It's possible it's cracked beyond repair. All these things are possible but not common. Find a shop that is familiar with BMW heads.

If it's going to cost too much to repair the head you gave some options. You can find a used m50 head and get that one serviced. Has to be a m50 head in your case. Can't be m52 head. Used heads can be a bit of a crap shoot unless it's already been refurbished. For about $650 you can get a fully refurbished head shipped to your door from places like Autohead Performance. I got one for my m3 last summer. It's fully tested, planed and a valve job. Completely ready to drop onto the engine.

[snaponbob]

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT I CAN EXPECT FROM GREAT NEWS TO WORST NEWS AFTER DROPPING MY "HEADS" OFF AT THE MACHINE SHOP TOMORROW?! VEHICLE IS 1997 328ic

Ex:
whats the max i can expect to pay?

Could this turn out to be a non-fixable head repair?

PLEASE CHIME IN TO LET ME KNOW ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, thank u


Anything is "possible".

1) Ask local BMW, MB, and Audi independent repair shops who the use for head repair. Be specific about those that do a good job with cracked heads.
2) Why did you pull the head?
3) When you do select a shop, ask them to pressure test the head. VERY important to reveal any cracks. (There are common spots for cracks after overheats. There are also fatal cracks in oil channels.)
4) In the KC area the best shop here completely cleans, tests, shaves, and rebuilds E36 heads for about $300. In N. Cal it may be more. A crack brings it to about $450, and a couple cracks wind up with about a $500 total. Any more cracks and the head may be killed.
5) The shop I use actually can straighten a badly warped head. Just discovered this a month ago. (Learn new things all the time !!)

Just read the title of your post. Why do you think the HG was blown? Since you have the head off, IS it actually bad. It is more common that a head is cracked than a head gasket failing. Did the engine overheat?

[flyfishvt]

Contrary to popular opinion the head gaskets rarely fail on these cars. It's certainly possible but not as common as a cracked head. And certainly not as common as everyone thinks. The wall between the exhaust ports and the coolant jackets are a little thin. When the engine overheats you get a crack between the two of them. Easily fixed in most cases.

[ChuckDizzle]

CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT I CAN EXPECT FROM GREAT NEWS TO WORST NEWS AFTER DROPPING MY "HEADS" OFF AT THE MACHINE SHOP TOMORROW?! VEHICLE IS 1997 328ic

Ex:
whats the max i can expect to pay?

Could this turn out to be a non-fixable head repair?

PLEASE CHIME IN TO LET ME KNOW ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, thank u

The best news you can hear from the machine shop is that the cylinder head just needs a thorough cleaning after they perform the necessary tests. The worst you'll hear is that it's either warped or cracked beyond repair. I paid about $450 (includes labor to remove and reinstall camshafts and such) to have two cylinder heads checked, the first was cracked and was not repairable and the second was fine but needed a valve job.

[flyfishvt]

Cams are simple to remove. It should be done before the head is removed but that's not the case here.