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Like an idiot, I put together my M52 with my freshly rebuild head, copper spacer, and cutring gasket, only to realize I forgot to copper spray the spacer, and that I definitely didn't prep the block enough. I was in a rush when I put this together and this is what happened because of it. I'm not planning anything crazy (sub 500HP) but I'm still paranoid about this. I have a Precision 6262, so I shouldn't need too much boost to reach my goal.
Is it worth pulling and getting a new gasket + resurfacing the head again for this, or will I be safe?
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I emailed CES and they said the copper spray shouldn't really be an issue, but I'm still worried about my lack of prep on the block.
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What did you do to prep the block? To me Prep is everything but, I'd say for what your after you'll be fine as along as both mating surfaces were clean and dry.
Last edited by E30s50dude; 01-07-2020 at 02:56 PM.
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I pretty much made sure there was nothing sticking to the block, and went over it with a whole can of brake cleaner and a brass brush.Originally Posted by E30s50dude
I'm hoping that the copper spacer will make up for any imperfections in the block. When I pulled it, there was an MLS gasket on the engine, so I assume it had been cleaned relatively recently. The head definitely looked like it had been rebuilt too.
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u owe my mule an apology
If its already together I would just keep going. The worst thing that can happen is it could leak oil or water out the side. Its probably going to be fine.
86 325es, 2.8L m50, S476sxe, ProEFI 128 ecu, e85, solid rear axle, TH400 trans, 28x10.5w slicks, zip ties, popsicle sticks, tape
best time 9.06 @ 151.8 mph, best 60 foot 1.30
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Thanks. That's kind of what I figured, especially since I'm probably only going to run 10-15lbs of boost. I'm just going to triple check that the studs are torqued correctly.
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Do I not need to worry about oil and water mixing?
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Wait, what?
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
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DIY BMW Tools. Charlie For President
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run it. Hopefully you used rtv around the timing cover area.
u owe my mule an apology
There is only one way to find out
86 325es, 2.8L m50, S476sxe, ProEFI 128 ecu, e85, solid rear axle, TH400 trans, 28x10.5w slicks, zip ties, popsicle sticks, tape
best time 9.06 @ 151.8 mph, best 60 foot 1.30
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Uhh... Let's just say the timing cover will be coming back off soon
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I spoke with someone at CES and it sounds like you can remove the timing cover with the head still on to RTV this area. Hopefully I can get enough close to the edge where it meets the block to be effective.
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It is a pain, since the crank pulley must come off and it’s on there with 300 lbs tq. Also make sure you get all the bolts. Some are on the bottom and there are 2 from inside the head, at least one of which is recessed in a cavity that is probably invisible because it is filled with oil. Make sure you reseal the upper front of the pan as well as the bottom front of the head. The best way to do this is to remove the oil pan as well, but that is a lot more work.
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Luckily, I haven't put the oil pan or crank pulley back on yet.
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Either send it like Perry said, or if you're prepared to go through the trouble of pulling the timing cover, just do it right and pull the damned head. The odds of you getting the timing cover off and on without mangling the gasket and having it seal well afterwards aren't good.
u owe my mule an apology
I have to agree with Juggs, your probably going to make things worse pulling the timing cover off. Its really not meant to come off with the head still on.
86 325es, 2.8L m50, S476sxe, ProEFI 128 ecu, e85, solid rear axle, TH400 trans, 28x10.5w slicks, zip ties, popsicle sticks, tape
best time 9.06 @ 151.8 mph, best 60 foot 1.30
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I guess this is what I get for rushing through this. I'd rather take an oil weep at the timing cover than a poorly sealing head if I tried to pull everything off again (without replacing gaskets that is)
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Ooops, I didn’t RTV the timing cover area either.
Stock gasket, studs, E85.
Seems to be holding.
Does the Bentley recommend RTV? I don’t recall
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not sure what bentley says but def recommended. Just like copper spray on head gasket...
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Prep doesn't look terrible to me
I have what appears to be seepage between the head and block, nothing major. Car hits 14 psi for several miles now
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That's the other thing too, many people incl myself had seepage with the cooper ring gaskets anyway. Mine was pretty minor, mid block on the exhaust side and stopped on its own, maybe just needed to swell from the water.
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I think for the sake of peace of mind, I'm just going to pull everything to clean the block, copper spray the spacer, and RTV the timing cover.
Since I didn't put any spray or RTV on to begin with and since it hasn't been heat cycled, I'm thinking I can reuse the gasket. John at CES actually recommended this (but liability says otherwise)
I'm going to inspect the head and see how deep the grooves from the rings are, and probably have the head resurfaced (again) before putting it all back together.
This is a real pain considering I already had timing set and the exhaust manifold on the head, but I'd rather be sure that it's solid.
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How the engine looks now for those interested
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