CD's old car- new owner and head gasket issues

[ccrelan]

Hey Everyone- Back in May I bought Creighton's old 2002 from list member 76 Deuce. The car was mostly idle till this past week when I got it registered. The only things I have done to date is: buy a set of 320 recaro seats, reinstall the rear seats, and get a parker performance console & new radio. The car was running great and was very entertaining to drive

The head gasket blew close to home yesterday- fortunately I was close by There is no doubt it is shot. I am wodering as a non-expert mechanic if this is something I should tackle myself. I am curious what type of special tools I would need for this job and where I could bring the head to be resurfaced? I am just a bit anxious to do this myself and ovelook something and/or do something incorrectly. I am anxious to get the car moving again. I literally drove the car one full day before this happened. I live a town away from Creighton in Rowayton, CT. This wasn't exactly the way I was hoping to introduce myself.

Also, I have a set of Cobra race seats that I will be parting with shortly if anyone has any interest.

Thanks in advance- Cory

[ccrelan]

Sorry for all the typos everyone! It was being a pain in the rear to post for the first time. I got a bit ansty and kept hitting submit....

[HarryPR]

Welcome to the FAQ!

Regarding the head gasket change, I would say go for it. Just make sure you have all the necessary parts and tools and a good manual (Haynes comes to mind) at your side. You will also have a few dozen knowledgeable guys here helping you out.

I did my first head gasket r & r years ago, without any mechanical knowledge other than minor stuff (plugs, brakes, etc.). There was also no 2002FAQ board then, and I couldn't afford a mechanic at the time. I followed the instructions, took the head to get it resurfaced, and bolted everything back.

Used that engine on the DD for three years, removed it, placed it on my current 02 and it lasted 10 more years without a glitch. I had to re-do the head again about five years ago after an overheating incident.

[Mars]

..I am wodering as a non-expert mechanic if this is something I should tackle myself.

As a non-expert mechanic or someone who I am assuming is calling themselves "not mechanically inclined" at all how did you make the determination that the head gasket has blown?

I'm not ragging on you but rather trying to determine if you really have a blown HG or not.

In other words, what are the symptoms you are experiencing with the car? Is it just overheating? Do you have white smoke coming out the back tail pipe? Do you smell a sweet coolant odor in your exhaust? Is there any milky white-ness mixed in with your oil? Is your coolant just disappearing with no evident leaks? Is compression gone on one or more cylinders? Loss of HP?

Please post what your symptoms are. It'd be a shame for us to help you with a full head rebuild and put it all back together with all that time and $$$ only to find out later on it was just your radiator overheating or something. Just lookin' out for ya.

[ccrelan]

I was driving home from having a new cd player installed. The car had started to run a bit rough all day. I was at a light and white smoke started billowing out the tail pipe. As I got closer to home the temp gauge finally pegged. Like I said, it was close to the house and I didn't have drive far to get to the driveway.

At home, the oil cap had milky crud all in it and the radiator was about 1/2 full. I theoretically know how cars work, but haven't done anything beyond basic maintenance myself. Mostly, I have never had a garage space to work on my cars. I have another driver at the moment so time isn't the issue here.

I've owned a number of Alfas in the past and this is my first bmw. Cory

[aaronF-in-ATL]

I may be interested in the Cobra seats. Could you send pics or further description and price please? Also are you willing to ship, and if so, price to Atlanta.

karenandaaron at gmail dot c0m

Thanks, Aaron

[colorobo2002]

repairs. You'll have great access to the engine compartment for cleaning up stuff. You could port match your intake, replace a leaky front seal on the motor, etc, etc. Take it slowly, keep your timing chain aligned and you'll be fine. Not really a difficult job to do. You just need to take your time, as there are a lot of steps, use a good manual, and have the proper tools (ie: torque wrenches, dremel with scotch pads-if you want to clean carbon off your pistons, air compressor for cleaning, etc.). Label your wires with tape and permanent marker.

Btw, as some warned, be sure the head gasket's blown, milky oil on the valve cover cap can also be condensation if the car hasn't properly warmed up. But your loss of coolant, overheating, and white smoke billowing out the rear sounds like classic blown head gasket. Compression test will likely confirm the problem.

[Mars]

Yeah, you pegged it. Sounds like she's blown for sure. If you can get a qualified mechanic to do a leak down or compression test on it but all the symptoms you mentioned are textbook signs of a blown HG.

Sorry Was hoping it was something simpler for you. Time to open 'er up.

[Guest Anonymous]

I would like to suggest the obvious - contact CD (I Sold it!) before you do anything substantial on the car.

I am not suggesting he had anything to do with your situation. Nor do I have any information as to what representations he made when you bought the car. But - he probably knows the car better than most and may have some helpful information to impart. I'll bet he can suggest the type of headgasket set and from whom.

I would also expect he could answer some of your most obvious questions before you ask them.

If all else fails, tell him that the only thing you have done to the car was add Mystery Oil and boom!

Good luck, and keep us posted of your progress.

[ccrelan]

I am the second owner since CD sold the car. I will get in touch with him shortly and see what suggestions he has for me. He lives about 10 minutes away.

I also try to get some pictures of the seats posted tomorrow.

[Mike Self]

1. Find out from CD if he replaced the valve guides with the later style that use the later style valve stem seals...if not, now's the time to have that done. The OEM alve stem seals are a weak point on the 2002 M10 engine, and were replaced with a better design on the later M10s as used in the E21 and E30 cars.

2. Obviously have the valves ground while the head's off. Just good insurance unless again CD can tell you that this job was done recently.

3. When you take the head in for resurfacing, make sure you also take the front timing chain cover. They have to be milled together or you'll get a leak at the joint 'cause they will no long align. And make sure the shop knows just how much can be milled off the head. There isn't much tolerance there.

4. To preserve your cam timing when you remove the head, crank the engine until #1 cylinder is at TDC (mark on cam and front cam journal align), then unbolt the sprocket from the cam and wrap some wire around the chain below the sprocket to hold it in place. Hook a bungee cord through the sprocket's center hole and fasten the other end to the top of the hood (prop it open with a broomstick) to put tension on the chain. That'll not only keep the timing correct, but will also keep the chain from slipping off the crankshaft sprocket.

5. While you have your iron manifold off, take a grinder to the manifold around the four lower stud holes until you can get a socket onto the nuts. It'll save you a lot of time reassembling (and the next time you have to remove the manifold!)

Have fun...

mike

[winstontj]

Good news is that you know the PO & PPO of your car and you live right near CD so I'm sure at a minimum you can get the full history of the motor. I have a feeling that it's going to be just a simple head gasket because CD probably did most everything else. The "while you are in there" repairs may not exsit on a car owned by someone so anal (and good to thier cars) (CD I mean that in a good way). As others suggest talk to CD and find out the history. Were the valves ever done? Guides replaced? Seals done? Maybe it's time to think about a cam - something mild like a 288 to go with that nicely tuned 32/36?

Is this your primary driver? If so I would say that you should have an experienced hand nearby to help you with the project. The thing is you don't want to fudge it so if it's not your primary driver take your time, I'm sure that the car came with some manuals (maybe not) so go slow and start learning. heads are easy on our cars. Buy a decent set of metric sockets, a good torque wrench and a spring compressor and you should be good. CD may be able to loan you (or help you with) any of the specialized tools you may, but probably won't need)

[76duece]

Having owned the car and enjoyed it, I think it's set up just right. Get the head gasket, valve cover gasket, intake manifold gaskets, exhuast manifold gasket, distributor housing gasket, upper timing chain cover gasket, have the head hot tanked and some new valve seals(VITON!!) put in at a reputable machine shop, and let me know if you need any help. You can do this.