Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral BMWJoe: BMW E36 316i

really looks gud keep the gud work coming, looks so much better than standard

Cheers Rhys

Finally found some time to update this thing.

Incase some of you didn't know, at the end of Jan, I had a coolant leak into the oil. Presuming it was the head gasket, I decided to put it in my garage and work on it myself as I planned on replacing the cam and tappets anyway.

Today I finally pulled the head off it (PARDON!).

Started off looking like this:




Then moved to this:




and after quite some work, much referring to a haynes manual and a good collection of tools which I didn't have, I eventually got to this stage:





and the gasket has seen better days - every coolant passage rusted, but I can't see no visable signs of a coolant leak.




Anyway, I'm planning on buying a refurbished head with a performance cam from a place called www.fabautoparts.co.uk who sell all sorts of stuff for BMW's.

The quote ive been given is for £598.99 inc. VAT - Some people have said its quite pricey. Just wondered what anyone else thought?

Also continued on my plans from my first post and added more plans too, however, engine work comes first.

- Removed all the interior and will replace old grey carpet for thick black carpet and cloth interior for leather

- Injectors look like new, so newer injectors won't be needed.

- I've seen a few white e36's with tinted rear lights and I have to say I think they look awful, so I think I'll be sticking to standard rear lights.

- Removed standard fan and shroud and will be fitting an electric fan to maximise space within the engine bay.

- Also planning on converting rear drums to discs.

- Exhaust system is removed. Currently looking for a downpipe (which includes cat) from another 316i so I can make an easily swappable cat/decat system.

Found out why my exhaust was blowing - Big hole in the backbox lol



- Started colour coding the trim. Got the idea off e46 models as the colour coding trim on white ones looks swish.








That's all I've managed to do so far - Only have time (and enough daylight) at weekends, so progress is slow, but hopefully it'll pick up with the lighter evenings

Hopefully looking to have it all done for the summer

So it doesnt look like it was the head gasket after all??

Looks like you done a fair old bit of work there. Remember if you want any help, lemme know, I got nothing better to do matey.

I seems so, but I'm unsure if it needs to be visable for a leak to actually occur?

I'm hoping it is that problem - If not, what else could it be?

Cheers for the offer matey

What were the symptoms that made you believe it was HGF?

I suppose it doesnt have to be visable, but from what I have seen on the MGR forums, they usually have visable signs.

Mayonnaise in the Oil and coolant loss.

Only discovered the mayo after I bought new oil to do an oil change.

Tried that K-Seal coolant leak repairer as you suggested, but I wasn't taking the chance of it getting worse.

And as I said, I wanted to replace the cam and lifters anyway so I'm sort of glad it happened as it kicked my ass into gear otherwise they wouldn't have got done.

Was the mayo thick and in your face on the oil cap, or was it only thin - sometimes condensation can be confused for HGF.

Coolant loss could be a leak somewhere I suppose. Was the car bad to drive? Was it chugging at all, hesitating, any smoke.

Usally you can see signs of where the K-Seal has gone to work on the gasket POF if its HGF, it works by attatching itself to any places of great heat exceeding that of the rest of the gasket and then leave a splodgy residue on the gasket which is visable when you remove the head. Of course it can take upto 20 minutes of the engine running to find its way.

Yeah, it sounds like it was a good excuse to do the work you wanted either way hehe.

it wasnt condensation, definately mayo.

First noticed it on the oil cap, and as I was doing the work, I noticed it on almost everything including breather hoses.

Didn't notice any obvious problems driving it, just the knocking noise which I presumed was the camshaft (and as you can see in the pictures, some of the lobes are quite badly worn)

The only thing I did notice before I found the mayo was the MPG gauge going haywire, but this could have been due to finding one of my sensor wires badly worn and conductors inside shorting on each other due to damage from the viscous fan.

Only found a bit of the K-Seal on the gasket, mainly around the coolant holes where it was badly rusted

Regarding the MPG gauge, was there a noticable reduction in actual MPG or just the gauge going crazy lol. If there was a reduction, could be the lambda sensor (if your car has one of course).

Sounds like it prob is HGF then, hard to say of course. But if it was running alright, you could have used the K-Seal with no problem over the winter months hehe. I know of drivers on the MGR forums who have run their cars with HGF on the back of K-Seal for over 10,000 miles lmao - their just too bonidle to fix it properly lol.

there was both a noticable reduction in actual MPG and the gauge going crazy. And the damaged sensor wire was actually from the lambda sensor lol

Lol!

When will you be getting the new parts for the engine? What timeframe are you looking at to have everything sorted and back on the road?

Just about saved up for the recon head, so I will be getting that at the beginning of next month.

After that, Just gotta save up for everything else.

Probably about June/July once everything is done.

It's a long time to go without a car But, I s'pose I'll enjoy it all the more

Just hope it flies through it's MOT after spending a load of money on it lol

Yeah, at least it will hopefully be ready just as the peak of summer is coming into play.

Almost like you where writing this for me matey same time scale as mine.

Glad you got the head off matey you have put alot of work into this car your at the garage almost everytime i go to mine exept you stay alot longer than lazy arse me

Is the head going to be standard or you going to get anything done to it???