Is head gasket blown?

[DarbBMW]

I purchased a 1997 318i from a friend, he says it was overheating, sold to me for $500. Car body and stuff in good shape. Car was sitting for 2 years and not driven. I got the car home battery in it, started right up. Plugged my odb2 sensor in it and connected to my Android phone using odb fusion app, watched the temp on the car, never went over 185f, I drove it around a bit, never rises up. No smoke from tail pipe. I the. Did a cold compression check, 185psi on all cylinders. When pulling plugs out noticed oil in the tubes, so suspected valve gasket leak. I pulled valve gasket off tonight. Attaching photos of the inside of the gasket and the cylinder head too. What do you think? With the look of it, seems the mixture looks like coolant mixed with oil. Should I just replace the head gasket now or just the valve gasket and see after maybe a oil change if the issue comes up? Could it be because sitting so long, that may be why the oil looks that way?



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[iknowitsmatt]

Its normal as far as i'm concerned, in 2 years the oil get that colour, maybe you'l have to clean it to see if there's a crack somewhere to be sure?

[Nanniepoo]

If it's two year old oil there's probably a decent amount of moisture in it. Change the oil. Drive it, especially with some long highway trips. Check again.

[66 6]

If it's two year old oil there's probably a decent amount of moisture in it. Change the oil. Drive it, especially with some long highway trips. Check again.

Yup, condensation from sitting and not running long enough to "burn out" the moisture

[B320i]

Vehicles short-tripped in the winter time often get this - its just excess moisture mixing with the oil.

Obviously, you'll want to change the oil & filter (perhaps more) in a vehicle that's sat unused for such a time. If all your numbers are good, its probably just moisture from sitting. A few long drives will help. I'd be suggesting a dual-rated diesel oil in the 15w40 grade and doing short change intervals for a little while to try and clean things up.

[DarbBMW]

Thanks for the feedback.

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[328iFun]

My god,

Go out and run that car. They love it

[DarbBMW]

My god,

Go out and run that car. They love it

I plan on it, trust me! Love the handling of this thing. Drives nice. Just need to replace this valve gasket and all the spark tube seals too. Will be done with that tomorrow and then Saturday will take for the drives and get smog done. Hope to pass that with no issues. Shall see.

[mslevin]

Looks kinda nasty but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Before you change the oil, throw in a little Seafoam or Marvel's Mystery Oil. Drive for a day or so, drain and replace oil and filter. Make sure you get the car nice and hot before smog, and don't turn the car off once you get to the station! Having your catalytic converters up to temp helps a lot with emissions. Check for vacuum leaks and misfires before you go as well.

[Eric93se]

When doing the valve cover gasket be sure to replace the o-ring and gasket seals.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/show...diagId=11_6104

While your waiting for parts it would be wise to check/replace the coolant to see if any oil isin there.

- - - Updated - - -

You guys are real optimistic, He lives in Cali and you think good oil turns into mustard after two years of sitting.

[mslevin]

You guys are real optimistic, He lives in Cali and you think good oil turns into mustard after two years of sitting.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

[newman995]

I agree with these guys. It looks to me like moisture from sitting for so long. Change the oil and do a coolant flush. Check for oil in the coolant when you drain it. Could be signs of another problem. Best of luck.

And $500 is a steal!

[blckstrm]

I agree with these guys. It looks to me like moisture from sitting for so long. Change the oil and do a coolant flush. Check for oil in the coolant when you drain it. Could be signs of another problem. Best of luck.

And $500 is a steal!

I'm a major believer in regular Blackstone reports.

Also, if he reported it was overheating, I wouldn't assume whatever was causing that has just gone away.

Fan, water pump, thermostat - even just low coolant levels are prime causes. I'd check those things too before hitting the highway.

And shut it off immediately if the needle climbs past the 12 o'clock position. This time of year especially, if that needle starts to move there's a real problem somewhere.

[newman995]

I'm a major believer in regular Blackstone reports.

Also, if he reported it was overheating, I wouldn't assume whatever was causing that has just gone away.

Fan, water pump, thermostat - even just low coolant levels are prime causes. I'd check those things too before hitting the highway.

And shut it off immediately if the needle climbs past the 12 o'clock position. This time of year especially, if that needle starts to move there's a real problem somewhere.

I agree with you. It would probably be wise to replace some of those parts if not all of them just to be safe. I am currently trying to fix a cooling issue myself. Its better to spend the cash up front rather than deal with the consequences of major damage caused by overheating.

[DarbBMW]

Currently, driving car and no sign of heating issues, talked to owner of the car before again and he said he really never overheated, it started smoking a bit and climbed up in heat just above middle, he thought it was a head gasket issue. I did replace valve cover gasket, spark plugs, and oil. Seems to be running great. One thing notices yesterday, no heat. So, need to figure that one out. Going to drain coolant on Saturday and replace the blue coolant. He put orange in it right now.

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[mikeysentra]

Be sure to flush the orange coolant out completely before adding your blue. They aren’t supposed to mix well.

[DarbBMW]

Be sure to flush the orange coolant out completely before adding your blue. They aren’t supposed to mix well.

Is it best to leave the plugs out and just run water through it until it is clear? I will have to look up the best way to be sure it is all out.

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Be sure to flush the orange coolant out completely before adding your blue. They aren’t supposed to mix well.

<br><br>Is it best to leave the plugs out and just run water through it until it is clear? I will have to look up the best way to be sure it is all out.<br>
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