Head Gasket Removal and a Heineken

[95BMWIC]

Quite a few months ago I noticed that the passenger side of my block was wet but didn't think much of it as I figured I had some oil dripping down from the valve cover gasket or possibly the oil filter gasket was leaking..

When the weather warmed up I decided to poke around and discovered that the 6th cylinder was leaking (the cylinder closest to the passenger seat) while the car ran. Since I had an extra head - I thought it would be wise to have it cleaned, tested and refurbished at a local machine shop so I would be ready for the repair. The machine shop charged $258 for the work. No new parts - the valves were resurfaced.

I pulled the car into my shop (i.e. garage) and decided to start my journey..

- - - Updated - - -

I started off by doing a quick cleanup of the engine bay

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I removed the hood (with a little help from my daughter) - I wanted to make this as easy as possible and I have plenty of time so my thought process throughout the whole ordeal was to take my time and do a little research. I was looking for worn parts or problems - so I could adress them.

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I removed the air cleaner next..

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[95BMWIC]

To make things easier I decided to remove the radiator - so I relieved it into an OSHA safe container and dumped it in the neighbor's garden...

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(I also flushed the entire cooling system with water from the hose)

I removed the distributor cap and spark plugs Found out the Rotor was shot - Only after 40,000 miles..

I pulled off or disconnected the water hoses, the electrical connections and vacuum hoses from the thermo housing and the intake manifold

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I also made sure I was at TDC..

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[95BMWIC]

In the meantime - I thought I would try my hand at painting again.. I know - I tried this before with some success - however it had been a couple of years and I was expereinceing some paint peeling .. See my origial paint process here

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...e-and-the-325i

In the previous process I used an adhesion promotor (in lieu of primer) and I wasn't happy with it - so I decided to try painting a primer coat instead..

I used Aircraft stripper to clean both the intake manifold and the valve cover..

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I decided to paint the intake manifold because of a few pics I have seeen on this forum.. I figured now would be the best time.. The primer was OD green..

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I used VHT RED Wrinkle Paint from O'Reillys

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[95BMWIC]

I removed the 6 exhaust bolts from the manifold - which was probably the hardest part of the job thus far. I fortunately have an air compressor and an impact gun with 500 foot pounds of torque..
I must also say you need a good swivel socket to reach most of those..

Removed the Timing Belt - AFTER double and triple checking that all marks were aligned for TDC!

Pulled the valve cover off

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And I was ready to un-torque the Head bolts!! But wait - Since I have a Bentley - I thought I better make sure I didnt miss something..

Yup - Torque sequence for removal - important - especially since I might want to use this head again..

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Its important to know that I still left the intake manifold on (the one I painted was an extra).. I also did not remove the fuel rail / injectors nor did I remove the thermostat housing. I pulled the entire unit off with exhaust manifolds and everthing intack.. Except for this damn hose which I forgot....

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[95BMWIC]

Removing the head with the intake manifold is a two person job - and I had my son help me. Its heavy and awkward and I wouldnt want to scratch the head nor the deck.
As you can see the pistons were full of carbon..

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Some cruddy things going on here..

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The Head as removed..

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- - - Updated - - -

Parts List (Partial): Ordered from Pelican Parts and AutohausAZ

Goetze Head Gasket $32

Vicotr Reinz Exhaust manifold and Intake manifold Gasket(s) $26

2 Oil Return Tube Orings $1.35

Goetze Valve Cover Gasket $10 - Don’t buy this - It’s not the one I would have liked..

Rocker Shaft Plugs $5

SKF Cam Seal $5

Cam O - Ring $1.50

2 Dowel Pins $1.75

Torx Head Bolts $29

Valve Stem Seal Set (For the Machinist) $8

Water Outlet Gasket and Thermostat Gasket $6

Exhaust Manifold Nuts $4.56

Uro Crank Case Breather Hose $3.50

Bosch Spark Plugs WR8LC $18 (way cheaper at fcpeuro.com - but needed to fill a Pelican parts order up to $75 - for free shipping)

Throttle Housing Gasket $5

This is not a complete list - as I had other things laying around.. I couldn’t locate a Head Gasket kit that I trusted ( I did not want to get a Victor Reinz head gasket) - so I ordered the parts separate.

[95BMWIC]

The head was a bit dirty - a LOT of Carbon.. However I did just recently pass the 200K mile mark.. (See my instrument pic in my "Selfies" post)

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Here is a better shot - the valve conditions were all consistent among cylinders

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At the end of Day 3..

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[95BMWIC]

Day 4 was a busy day. I spent aproximately 4 hours cleaning the deck with various degrees of success.. First I used OVEN cleaner to saturate the carbon on the cylinder heads. I then used a set of Craftsman brand scrapers to remove the charred carbon flakes that were still stuck on the pistons. I used a vacuum to continuosly to suck up the particles as I worked. I also used a scotch bright in the beginning to knock down the old gasket material - not a lot because I was afraid to scratch the decking.. I then used a razor blade to pull more material off the deck.

As I continued to clean, I moved to a 1000 grit samdpaper and block to try an get the remaining gasket imprint off the block - but to no avail.. Finally as a last resort I used a rotory polisher with a plastic grit disk to knock off what I had not been able to get with the other methods. I used it lightly - but honestly - with the M20 being a cast iron block - I doubt if I took enough off to matter..

Here is what I ended up with:

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I did have some pitting where the old gasket remnants were... Below is a better pic of the area that concerns me..

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Should I have the block resurfaced? Yes most likely but I am not about to go that route at this point. My thought is that a composite gasket will seal up around those areas and honestly if it doeas leak - I will then make the decision to rebuild the lower end and have a better plan at that time.. (To be honest that is why I didnt check the block with a straight edge - Im not planning to replace the lower end at this time - plus I dont have a straight edge to check it with).

This is my fourth head gasket and to be honest I have seen pitting like this in each - so I am not worried - just disappointed.. If I get leakage - I will update this thread..

Top Dead Center!

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I should also note that the deck prep is important and I used brake cleaner sprayed into the sides of the piston (as I rotated each of the pistons to the top) to flush any small particles that I may have missed with the vacuum. I also put a light coat of oil on the cylinders to keep them free from rust while the head is apart. I cleaned the bolt holes (thanks Jeffnhiscars) to make sure my install torque would be accurate..

[95BMWIC]

The New headgasket is from Goetze.. Pelican Parts.com for $32.. I couldnt get myself to purchase the BMW one for $100..

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Bentley manual made a special note about this marking.. not real sure why.. just stated aftermarket gasket wouldnt have the engine liter stamped on it..

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After the deck cleaning I moved my efforts to the head install. I put the new VR exhaust gaskets on with the Copper nuts... Nice!

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[95BMWIC]

Once the deck was cleaned and all finger prints were wiped off with Acetone, I then put in the 2 metal dowel pins on the deck. When I pulled the head off - there was only one - but since I had 2 spots for new ones I put both in.

The only thing that I had on the head was the exhaust manifolds - I did not install anything else. To be honest I wasnt sure if I could do it this way as I could not find anything on just the removal of the intake manifold - so I thought I would run a dry fit to make sure... i.e. drop the head on then put the intake on after the head to see how difficult it was. It was a non issue.. The head is MUCH easier to put on without the intake manifold bolted on. So it is easier to take it off - but not to put on..

The head was easy to locate with the dowels in place - however when I first dropped the head into place the metal dowell was not seeded all the way in so the head wobbled a bit.. Since that is not normal I pulled the head back off and tapped the metal dowell further down into its spot seeding it further into the deck. I did notice a small scratch on the head which must have happened when positioning it over the dowels - it was a minor surface scratch but nonetheless..

Head positioned (without bolts)

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First thing I did was reattach that damn hose in the back!

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I then decided to drop the new bolts in there spots. I oiled the threads with motor oil and the washers then finger tightened them (very loosely with no pressure on the head) - Rememebr I was test fitting the intake manifold in order to see if attaching would be an issue...

I needed to make sure the intake manifold was ready - so I pulled the fuel rail and injectors from the old manifold.

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I purchased the injectors about a year ago from MEPEH off of R3VLimited forums.

His site is here:

http://mepeh.com/index.php/injector-...service01.html

[95BMWIC]

Forgot one piece of important info..

I made sure the head was positioned to TDC before I positioned the head onto the deck. I also made sure the bottom end was also at TDC.

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Installing the Injectors were MUCH EASIER off the car and on the work bench - especially those darn little clips..

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Blurry FOTO - but the dry fit was a success - no issues.. just make sure the intake gaskets are on before you do anything..

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- - - Updated - - -

[95BMWIC]

Well it was getting late in the evening when I decided togo ahead and torque the bolts.. Once this is done you can't go back... So Idouble checked and triple checked my work and re-skimmed the Bentley manual tomake sure I didn't miss something...

I also must say that I was a bit nervous about this step as I do not have aprotractor / torque angle tool (a tool to make sure I turn the bolt 90degrees).. I test torqued on my spare block and determined the force to behefty but nothing too hard.

Bentley states that you torque to 22 foot pounds for the first stage and then90 degrees for the second and a final 90 degrees for the Final torque stage:

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This is also where I discovered that having the Intake manifold off the engineis a big PLUS. I was now able to position myself in such away that I could makesure I had a 90 degree turning radius. The Intake manifold would have severelyrestricted this.

In order to help make sure I turned the bolt heads 90 degrees each time - Imarked the bottom of each head with a small Yellow Dot:

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I then positioned myself to make a 90 degree turn with the wrench and then usedthe Yellow dots as a double check. The intent is to make a smooth pull exactly90 degrees - but without a tool, this is difficult to do - however it should bethe goal.

Here is the bolts after two 90 degree turns..

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- - - Updated - - -

In a bit of panic - I re-checked my TDC lines.. (Whew!)

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I then fitted the Intake..

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And by this time - it is after midnight.. (see the date on the pic..?) and then had a few Heinekens and went to bed..

[xopbartkusu]

I must also say you need a good swivel socket to reach most of those.

[Heatmakerz]

Good write up.

[royAdler]

Excellent write up! Thanks for this.

I have a question I have been wondering about for sometime.

In your pictures of the block the different passages for oil and coolant are clearly visible. Which passages are coolant, which are oil?

Do I have this image labeled correctly?

m20BlockPassages.jpg

Orange = Coolant; Yellow = Oil? Green = ???? (Oil?) Head Bolt Holes = Not Circled.


Thanks.

[95BMWIC]

Excellent write up! Thanks for this.

I have a question I have been wondering about for sometime.

In your pictures of the block the different passages for oil and coolant are clearly visible. Which passages are coolant, which are oil?

Do I have this image labeled correctly?



Orange = Coolant; Yellow = Oil? Green = ???? (Oil?) Head Bolt Holes = Not Circled.


Thanks.

Orange is coolant.
Yellow is Oil.

I dont believe Green is Oil - the passages were dry.... so I am not quite sure.

[barbierij]

To make things easier I decided to remove the radiator - so I relieved it into an OSHA safe container and dumped it in the neighbor's garden

Awesome!

[e21Terry]

A tip for cleaning the deck surface... Rotate the crank so all pistons are at the same height and squirt about 1" of old time shaving cream on top of the pistons. It will catch all the crap that otherwise could find it's way where you don't want it and when it has dried it will vacuum right out.

[myk101]

I find this thread very helpful. I have a small question, I apologize if it may seem trivial but I am a newbie. I have seen those engine block pitting or
pinholes on my M20 cylinder head, do i need to resurface it or just go ahead and slap the head
gasket? Sorry, If ever this post is kinda off topic.

[95BMWIC]

I find this thread very helpful. I have a small question, I apologize if it may seem trivial but I am a newbie. I have seen those engine block pitting or
pinholes on my M20 cylinder head, do i need to resurface it or just go ahead and slap the head
gasket? Sorry, If ever this post is kinda off topic.

I would highly recommend you have the head resurfaced and refurbished. The cost should be around the $250 range (others, too have reported around this range). The head gasket job is a long one and in my opinion - you would not want to do it again because you failed to have the head checked by a machine shop.

[spdracrm3]

Excellent write up! Thanks for this.

I have a question I have been wondering about for sometime.

In your pictures of the block the different passages for oil and coolant are clearly visible. Which passages are coolant, which are oil?

Do I have this image labeled correctly?

m20BlockPassages.jpg

Orange = Coolant; Yellow = Oil? Green = ???? (Oil?) Head Bolt Holes = Not Circled.


Thanks.

FYI the green holes are coolant also , the yellow is oil return from head to pan (not pressurized oil feed to head )

[myk101]

I would highly recommend you have the head resurfaced and refurbished. The cost should be around the $250 range (others, too have reported around this range). The head gasket job is a long one and in my opinion - you would not want to do it again because you failed to have the head checked by a machine shop.

Thanks! Appreciate it. Just had it resurfaced, yesterday. Here in P.I. Resurfacing is just like around $50-60. Its the parts that costs high. Just sayin.

[toybreaker]

To check the head and deck for flat you need a straight edge (as stated by the OP ) and do 5 checks with feeler gauges. Top middle and bottom as well as cross ways rear drivers to passenger front and driver front to passenger rear.

bmw specs might be different but if the head is more than .0025 out of flat get it resurfaced.

save yourself some money and disassemble the head prior to taking it to the machine shop, do a blue check on the valves and seats, ( this will tell you if you need to do any lapping or a full blown valve job ) and buy new springs ( you'll be amazed at how much more responsive it will be after you get new valve springs )

[95BMWIC]

I apologize for not updating this sooner - but been sruggling with many different projects..

After torquing down the head - I still had many things to complete

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The first of which was to put on the new timing belt (Continental)..

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Making sure my timing lines lined up (top and bottom) - AND after loosening and locking the tensioner as far as I could I still struggled to get the belt over the camshaft sprocket. I used a small pry bar to help stretch the belt over the sprocket - note that I am not recommending this - I am just saying that is how I did it (I also did it like this last year).

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Its always important to keep checking to see all your tick marks are lined up. The last thing you want is to worry about whether your a tooth off or not. Make a mental note that it is done correctly.

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Since I had room on the right side of the engine - I went ahead and changed the little rubber grommets on the master cylinder. I laid a towel beneath the cylinder housing and then pulled up on the housing and dropped it into a bucket of water. Water is the easiest way to clean brake fluid. I just pulled the old grommets off and pushed the new ones in. I popped the cleaned brake fluid housing back on and refilled the brake fluid - I did not need to bleed the brakes - I did not get any air into the lines doing it this way.

[95BMWIC]

I replaced my alternator and power steering pump brackets.

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I also replaced my power steering hose (to the pump) and cut off the top of the return line and repositioned it onto the power steering reservoir. (No pic) I decided to replace as much as I could afford to do.

I replaced the spark plug wires and Spark plugs - I read on the forums to use the plain old Bosch plugs- so I ordered these:

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These are the WR8LC replacements (7909)

Ive been pleased so far..

I went through and checked and double checked hoses and electrical connections and buttoned up the valve cover - Used the Goetz valve cover gasket..

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I am happy with the red paint job - it adds a little personal touch to the engine.. hopefully the primer will hold and it will not flake..

[95BMWIC]

Over the next few days (weeks) I had a bunch of little issues.

The car ran great - no hesitations and no oil leaks.

I did however have a hose leak, which I could not figure out what the hell was wrong. It was right here:

Leaky hose.jpg

In which I posted on the forum here: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ttle-Body-Hose

Good info - I ordered the gasket - and replaced the housing - both from autohaus AZ (less than $10 + shipping)

The old gasket was shot - the bolts (screws) came out super easy after spraying them with WD 40 for a couple of days.

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Clean the throttle body extra thoroughly:
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And walla - No leaks:

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