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Thread: 1988 325i Convertible Owner in Desperate Need of HELP

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Campbellsville, KY, USA
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    1988 BMW 325i

    Question 1988 325i Convertible Owner in Desperate Need of HELP

    Hello all. I'm trying to solve a mystery regarding my '88 325i, 6-cylinder convertible. When I purchased the car, the coolant reservoir was a dirty brown (which at the time of purchase should have been a red flag), but other than that seemed totally street ready and I was very excited to own it. After about a month, though, a t-joint blew out in the coolant line; after replacing that joint, the engine began overheating, I had lost interior heat, and my coolant was visibly dirty with oil. We consulted with our close friend/expert mechanic, and he said it's likely a blown head-gasket. So, we (my father and myself) began the process of replacement. I'll go ahead and list what has been done to the vehicle so hopefully you can narrow down the potential problems remaining.

    -New head gasket
    -Head checked for absolute flatness, both head and top of block cleaned to near factory look
    -New head bolts (torqued and then turned to the correct tightness)
    -New water pump (and water pump gasket)
    -New thermostat
    -New intake manifold gaskets
    -New timing belt
    -Flushed and pressure tested coolant system
    -Flushed and pressure tested radiator
    -Purged heater core
    -Oil drain and oil filter replacement

    Important note: Both the coolant and oil were sludgy like chocolate pudding, which means they were somehow interchanging, rather than one moving to the other, but not backwards. The old head gasket seemed fine, there was no noticeable damage to the gasket, and none of the cylinders were steam cleaned, which means water was not getting in the cylinders.

    After piecing the engine back together, we let it run for about twenty minutes (until it reached operating temp while idle) and then drained and refilled the coolant system to ensure that all the gunk within the hoses was gone (we did this twice). Checked the oil, and it had a little foam on the dipstick and refill cap, which we attributed to potential burn off of the remaining coolant/water in the oil system.

    Fast forward to maybe two or three trips driven in the BMW and the coolant in the reservoir is speckled with oil, the oil has more foam in it each time, I am losing heat in the cabin, and the engine is overheating. In searching for a PCV that may explain the air not leaving the oil we learned that this model has no PCV, so we checked the hoses which should be removing air, and found them blockage free. As far as the other issues, we have received three separate answers from three separate mechanics, and I wonder if any of you care to shed some light on what may be causing the problem.

    Answer 1: The transmission may be leaking into those systems through the radiator
    -Highly doubt this one, since we have no less transmission fluid since purchasing the car, and the sludge had no red coloration at all
    Answer 2: The catalytic converter may be shot, forcing back pressure into the system, making the two liquids meet somewhere in the head
    -I doubt this is the problem (though the converter may be shot, who knows what else is long-since dead on this car). No backfires, no blown exhaust gaskets, etc.
    Answer 3: I have a cracked head, and there is no way to resolve the issue without buying an $800 replacement head
    -I shudder to think this may be the answer; we did not send the head off to have it tested for cracks.


    If you made it all the way through this post, any advice or insight would be much appreciated. Thanks so much.

    Marshall

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Maryland
    Posts
    1,221
    My Cars
    325ix, 325ix, 540i
    Your head is probably cracked. Take the valve cover off and look where the thermostat housing bolts go into the head.

    Also, all the coolant reservoirs are dirty brown now.
    If your e30 runs bad, switch to Megasquirt first. Then try new spark plugs, cap and rotor, wires, oxygen sensor, crank shaft position sensor, coolant temp sensor, air flow meter, idle control valve, throttle position sensor, digital motor electronics unit, harmonic balancer, fuel injectors, engine harness...

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