e39 i6 head gasket kit question

[Charofire]

The engine I bought was a runner. That's why I felt it was worth grabbing. Since the previous repair obviously didn't work on the 528i block very well, I don't want to take the chance, and by the time I would buy the time sert equipment, the costs would be quite a bit higher. So I'm going to reseal the 330i engine while its out and see what happens. I'm not sure why so many people think the 330i engines are oil pigs. I replaced the head gasket on an overheated 330i 6 years ago. It ran like a champ for 4 more years before I sold it. It definitely didn't burn a quart of oil every 1500 like I've seen some report. I understand the rings are inferior, but I suspect 95% of 330i owners don't have egregious oil consumption issues.

[effduration]

The engine I bought was a runner. That's why I felt it was worth grabbing. Since the previous repair obviously didn't work on the 528i block very well, I don't want to take the chance, and by the time I would buy the time sert equipment, the costs would be quite a bit higher. So I'm going to reseal the 330i engine while its out and see what happens. I'm not sure why so many people think the 330i engines are oil pigs. I replaced the head gasket on an overheated 330i 6 years ago. It ran like a champ for 4 more years before I sold it. It definitely didn't burn a quart of oil every 1500 like I've seen some report. I understand the rings are inferior, but I suspect 95% of 330i owners don't have egregious oil consumption issues.

Well it's not just a 330i, it's any M54 engine (e46, e39, e53, etc.). Based on forum reports and my own experience with five M54-equipped cars I currently drive. The oil burn issue is primarily due to the inferior original piston ring design. I don't know what the percentage is, but for M54 cars above 100k on original piston rings, consuming excessive oil is way above 5%...There are certainly cars that don't.

Not for nothing, but your original question in this thread gave us no sense that you had replaced an M54 head gasket previously...what gaskets and bolts did you use before so successfully?

There are several different head gasket kits on eBay for the e39. I'm assuming the low end, inexpensive kits are to be avoided. Can someone suggest which manufacturer is OK to buy from for hg?

[Charofire]

I didn't replace it myself. I bought the wagon 5 years ago from a father's who son worked at the local BMW dealership. The son had replaced the HG and showed receipts for the cylinder head work. It wasn't until a couple months later that I noticed the tiny stumble in the morning when letting the car sit overnight. I thought nothing of it until I realized that stumble was a tiny bit of coolant being consumed. Eventually I overheated the wagon - never all the way in the red - but enough to the point I didn't want to keep worrying about it, especially with a wife and two toddlers.

[Charofire]

Update: The previous owner HeliCoiled the block. That's why the HG must have leaked. Time-sert is the only solution with damaged threads for blocks. I should have the 528i running tomorrow with the 330i engine. Motor mounts were trashed so replaced those as well.

[Charofire]

Project completed this afternoon. The wagon runs perfectly. At first, I had an engine light on. I then did the throttle sync steps and cleared the stored TB code and all is well. I did a few pulls on the freeway. The butt dyno says its quicker, but I'm just relieved the donor m54 was in great shape. I drained the torque converter at the same time as the engine swap and did a full fluid exchange on the auto tranny. In short, I do not know if this motor is consuming excess oil; I'll update the thread after 1,000 miles. Probably wise to add a catch can from all the threads I've read on the e46fanatics forum, but I'm sure someone here will know as well.

[effduration]

Great to hear...Glad it worked out...We have seen it before, though not many times...An M54 works fine in an M52TU car using the M52TU's harness, intake, TB, DME (with the stock M52TU tune), coil type, etc.

[Charofire]

I also kept the m54 ignition coils. I forgot to mention; I had a pretty severe exhaust leak as one of the cats had split in half. I peeled back the heat shield and welded the cat back together. It's quiet now.

[Charofire]

I've put 500 miles on so far. Running strong. Best part is not having to run the heater all the time.

[Charofire]

Update: the swap has been great! I had EML issues for a couple of weeks, but I had the same EML intermittently before I swapped the motor. I tried some Deoxit and the dreaded EML light has now been gone for 4 months. Now, I'm trying to hunt down the slight shuddering when I brake. I replaced the entire front suspension so its not going to be control arms or bushing related. The ABS light is not on. Is it likely warped rotors or could it be something less obvious? I've read everything from a bad torque converter, to a failing valve body, but I am not sure how to diagnose this further. I replaced the transmission and tranny fluid when I did the motor swap. The jerky stopping at low speed is still present. It's a 1999 528i with the GM tranny, not ZF. Could the guibo be the culprit as well? Tranny is 4l30e.

[effduration]

Thanks for updating... The EML light (now gone for 4 months) could be do to the infamous round plug on the throttle body connector. The back of the connector is exposed to elements and gets wonky. If it comes back spray ddrsomething in the back on the pins.

Shudder could be anything. Rotors, stuck caliper, swollen brake hoses.

[ross1]

Update: the swap has been great! I had EML issues for a couple of weeks, but I had the same EML intermittently before I swapped the motor. I tried some Deoxit and the dreaded EML light has now been gone for 4 months. Now, I'm trying to hunt down the slight shuddering when I brake. I replaced the entire front suspension so its not going to be control arms or bushing related. The ABS light is not on. Is it likely warped rotors or could it be something less obvious? I've read everything from a bad torque converter, to a failing valve body, but I am not sure how to diagnose this further. I replaced the transmission and tranny fluid when I did the motor swap. The jerky stopping at low speed is still present. It's a 1999 528i with the GM tranny, not ZF. Could the guibo be the culprit as well? Tranny is 4l30e.

You can eliminate trans issues by popping into neutral when coming to a stop.