possible head gasket job

[bimmerd00d]

I am on a VERY limited budget. And will possibly have some help removing the head. What all is entailed in this job aside from the head gasket? As long as i've owned the car, it's never gone past 3/4 on the temp gauge, i've caught it before it got too hot every time. It's only gone there when i needed a new radiator once, and a stuck t'stat once. I just replaced water pump, t'stat, fan clutch, and coolant last night. I can get the kit from BMA for the head gasket for cheap, and that's about all i have to spend. How much is it to machine the head, and how much more to port and polish since it's off. Winfred, this seems like somethin you could answer :)

Brandon H

[ryan roopnarine]

why do you think its breached? if you shop around, i'd say about $60 to get it machined if need be and cleaned up....port/polish and whatnot is significantly more (know somebody in fl that does it for 2-300). i'd suggest if you think there's a chance you won't be doing this with knowledgable help, the "easiest" way is by renting the tool from koala, which allows you to work only with the guidance of the bentley. rental is 75, with a deposit of 750 required. http://www.koalamotorsport.com/services/toolrent.htm
you will likely also need a special thin socket to get the head bolts out, anton ch., i think, had one for sale. expect to use a full set of metric tools, allen keys, and torx sockets, as well as an angle meter=9 dollars or so from DAP. if you need to mill the head, you might want to hold off on ordering the headgasket kit, as if you need the thicker one, you might waste money buying the thinner one. once you compute your costs, expect to spend at least 400 to do this, that's without a port/polish, only including a cleaning/milling. in my limited experience, places seem to want a lot more to deal with m50 or the dohc than the m30 or such....i was still able to find the honest place that didn't try to inflict a fake premium on you for having a "bmw" head, and in two cities, i got the approx 60 estimate for the m50 clean/mill.

[Unregistered]

It isn't clear from this post why you are undertaking this experience. Can you provide more information?

Paul

[ryan roopnarine]

add another 30 or 40 to the machine shop bill for a pressure test, which you can't afford not to do

[Unregistered]

turns out i dont need to, (this is bimmerd00d btw, i can't login for some reason) I thought my coolant was mysteriously disappearing. Turns out i have a slow leak that's not making it's way to the ground. Bottom of the coolant expansion tank, and near the aux water pump.