engine and drivetrain Broke down in the AZ desert (aka Fjord Blues)

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=degrees&latdeg=32&latmin=54&latsec=24&longdeg=-112&longmin=34&longsec=1

Well thanks again everyone for the advice on how to stay cool for the drive back from AZ to WA. Unfortunately about 190 miles into the trip my new 2002 keeled over with a blown head gasket. My AAA membership got her to the nearest shop in Gila Bend (that Gila as in gila monster, by the way.) I've got a contact, who I should have used in the first place, that can get me pretty cheap car transport back up to Seattle so that's the current plan. As for myself, I was able to catch a Mexican worker shuttle, a taxi, and an amazingly reasonably priced last minute American West flight to get back up to Seattle on Saturday night.

So now the question is what went wrong. I'm pretty sure it was the head gasket that went but I am worried that it might have gone so far as cracking the block. I'll have to wait till she's in my garage to know for sure.

The other question is what do I do from here. If it's just the head gasket then I'll strip her down and take car of that, no problem. If the block is cracked or the heads are too warped then I may be in the market for a new engine. Anyone know the relative costs of the usual engine replacements: used 2002 block, refurbed 2002 block, any other engines that easily fit in there, etc?

Thanks all,

Dave.

[Guest Anonymous]

I just whipped you off a novella about my engine rebuild, one Seattleite to another. Check your email. Hopefully it will answer some of your questions.

[Guest Anonymous]

occurred before the major problem. Were you experiencing overheating of any sort? Did a hose blow? Was the temp gauge working? Was there something the seller didn't disclose? Maybe we should have advised you to re-torque the head before you left.

[Guest Anonymous]

Dude,

I did the same thing this spring buying an 02' sight unseen out in tucson, hoping to make it back to buffalo...we made it about 30 miles out of tucson in 103 degree heat before our first breakdown!!!

Anyway, I know what your thinking=the worst, don't sweat it; I never have seen one of these blocks split, more often head gasket and the worst a cracked head, witch is relatively cheap. More than likely the gasket is old and let go. Just think about the rust free southwest car you now own!

best of luck and welcome to the club!!

[Guest Anonymous]

It just that simple......aint that right maynard

[Guest Anonymous]

Something I've never thought of before: do I need to machine just the head or also the block? I guess it's much less likely to warp the block but it wouldn't do to just machine the head if that other surface is no good, right?

Dave.

[Guest Anonymous]

first the only reason to machine the head is if it is

warped (not within .002). Check with a straight

edge and a .002 shim.

The head will warp before the block surface does,

(aluminum vs steel).

You can actually get a big ass file and "machine"

the head flat if need be. I heard that machinist

apprentices in Germany are given a file for two

years before turning them over a lathe!. I have

actually "machined" a head that way once, still

holding.

Four precautions: use new head bolts, make sure

that you don't rest the head on a open valve (it will

bend) , grab the timing chain with a wire to keep it

in position while the head is off, and suction all the

oil that fell in the head bolt holes.

It really an easy job, if you take your time and have

an extra hand to lift the head.

We really need to come up with "safe" 02 houses,

to help out. I think this is one thing that prevents

people from driving a rust free car back East or

North. I am in Hollister and can be reached at

831-801-2665

Michael

72 tii

[Guest Anonymous]

uglier places to breakdown that the Sonoman National park.

Maybe write a book about this migrant-worker taxi, planes, trains and 02-mobiles tale..

Its all character building. right? Recently got from Atlanta to Vancouver BC in one piece, my accident happened two days after getting home.

As the other posts attest - and this is with the 'pinch of salt' accompanying internet hack mechanic diagnistics - it could be worse. Pulling the head isnt that hard. The head gasket isnt too pricey or problematic to replace.

Maybe the karma gods are really smiling - wanted you to do a mild valve, seal replacement at the same time...might as well...

Keep us all informed, and good luck./

[Guest Anonymous]

So here's the exact sequence of events. I'm cruising along and the temp was reading about a half centimeter below the red range. All of a sudden I look down and it is on the red border. I take my foot off the gas and drop from about 75 mph to 60 mph. The temperature goes down again to the more reasonable but still pretty warm level. That holds for a while and then the temp shoots up quickly to the middle of the red range. I drop down to about 25 mph and go over to the side of the road. I keep driving even though the temp is high because it's the middle of the desert and I figure I'd rather blow a head gasket than become vulture chow. I make it about another 5 minutes at this speed and then the engine just cuts out. No bang, no boom, no nothing. I put in the clutch and coast about a quarter mile till I get to a good emergency pull of point. I pop the hood and the engine is gently steaming/smoking but I don't see any major fluid dump or any broken hoses. I let it sit for a while to cool down and try cranking it over again. Seems a little slow to crank but nothing too bad. Doesn't even sound like it wants to turn over though. That's when I called out the tow truck to get me back to civilization, or the closest approximation that Gila Bend can provide. When we got it to the service station it had cooled down enough to pop the radiator cap and we topped up about two gallons of water. We tried cranking it over at that point and it was essentially gurgling through the radiator opening and when you put your hand over that opening you could smell the fuel mix. We checked the oil but there wasn't any apparent water or foaming.

Anyway, I'm pretty confident it's a blown head gasket at least. Does anyone know if it's worth getting the full $130 Felco head gasket kit instead of just the $51 head gasket? The auto parts store computer said the full kit included valve guide seals and everything. That seems like overkill to me. Better yet, anyone know exactly what gaskets I need to do the job (since it seems like buying them separately online is much cheaper)? I'm thinking at very least the head gasket and the valve cover gasket.

Dave.

[Guest Anonymous]

Just swap Seattle and Arizona with Portland and Oakland. Bought

a car sight unseen, made it less than 10 miles after picking it up

before I overheated and realized I had coolant in the oil. It turned

out to be a cracked head. Kept the car anyway, as this was a

good excuse to rebuild the engine and custom build an EFI

system. never again will I be so quick to hand over the money,

though.

hopefully yours is just the gasket; that's easy enough and gives

you a good excuse to freshen up other stuff (valve seals, timing

components, etc) as others have noted.

good luck,

dave

[Guest Anonymous]

gauge reading that close to red just cruising. Normally with the normal 50-50 coolant mix and Water Wetter I run a little above the midpoint in my '74 even in 100+ heat here in SoCal. Did your temp gauge start out lower than what you say and gradually go up? Did you turn the heater on for the extra cooling? There's something about Phoenix and any car trying to escape, as my buddy bought a '98 740il in April there and 12 miles into crusing back to L.A. it blew the top hose after the dealer had checked everything for his trip (the dealer had to take the 740 back as my friend then refused to buy it).

[Guest Anonymous]

They put out a small book, we could do it online via cc email, that has names, adresses and phone numbers of freinds of bmw's nationally. Lets do it!

[Guest Anonymous]

First, you need to know what put your motor into the red zone in the first place. So along with the head gasket, etc, stuff( later) , you should probably get that car running cool and consistent cool. I dont know what your radiator looks like, but maybe a simple rad shop boil/clean- what ever they do to resurrect a used radiator is in order.( i dont like doing this, but it may be cheapest way to get a rad in the car) You also need a new thermostat: after an overheat event like you had, you must replace the thermo( 30 bucks). Hopefully, you overheated because your radiator was not cooling the coolant mix. I hope your water pump was working to distribute the "cool" liquid into the engine. At any rate, you will need to diagnose and fix the cooling problem as well as diagnosing and dealing with the head issue. When you are in the red like that you are in a no win situation... have to keep engine running to get coolant through block, but that did not sound feasible. Sounds like you may have been lucky and not cracked your head. There are lots of used heads around for sale. If you are going to reuse your head that is on the car right now, with valve guides, etc, as is, you are probably o.k. with a regular head gasket. Remember- it is a head in unknown condition to begin with . If you go to replace your head with a rebuilt one, I would sport the extra money and get a cuttin ring gasket. They are rare- but they are out there for around 130 bucks. If you need a long block- those are out there too for cheap. I see them on ebay all the time, and i bet there are ones in your area, i know there are ones down here in sfo. Probably best and cheapest way to go is to buy a 320 radiator for 130 bucks new from "Radiators 911" on the web. 5 bucks shipping to your house. Get the hoses- probably another 30 bucks. Get them from a BMW dealer- they can show you( get a print out) of the whole 320 cooling system and cooling parts required. Also get a new thermostat- your choice 71,75,80 degree all cost the same. I demand the German made ones, not the knock- off ones that are a couple bucks cheaper made in Brazil, or some such Non German manufacturing place- do not economize on this. I think Behr makes them and another German company too ( W???). Buy a new standard head gasket. Buy a new VC gasket. Put in 50/50 coolant water mix and add a bottle of water wetter. Recheck gauges to make sure they are providing accurate readings( sounds like they are) and cross your fingers. Total cost for this best case scenerio( ie, you just blew your head gasket and your head and block are crack free) package: 130 (rad) + 30 (thermo)+ 30 ( new hoses/clamps)+ 15 ( coolant and wetter) + 70 ( gaskets)=275 bucks. Call it 300 bucks to get a rust free 02 back on the road with a new radiator and thermostat. Not too bad- many more scenerios and suggestions, i am sure. But, that is what i would do to just "get it runnin' cheap". Good luck: I am glad you made it back o.k. OT: I remember Gilla : bought some gas there on the way to SFO from Florida Keys in a Westfalia. I am grateful I did not have a melt down in that section of the country- rather remote and hot as hell! Good luck- your 02 will be ok !

[Guest Anonymous]

biennially. Have used it before...handy to have on a long trip... Join CCA.

Mike

[Guest Anonymous]

Aluminum heads and metal blocks expand at different rates. New head gaskets have instructions for properly torquing them down. You need new bolts to have success here. Make sure that the block's surface and head's surface are FLAT!