Head Gasket Replacement - Total Cost ?

[Jimmy535i]

I know there has been a lot of information on this topic.

After 260K miles the head gasket on my 1990 735il (e32)
gave out this weekend.

White smoke from the exhaust pipe. Oh #H^T :(

Can anyone give me a ball park figure as what to expect
to pay if I have the work done by an indy or at the dealer?

I am in No. NJ.

If I do the work myself I know some of the prices are:

Price of heat gasket set at BMA is $155.25
3 Gal BMW coolant + distilled water is $55.00
6 Quarts Castrol 20/50 + oil filter is $17.00

Note:

Watepump, radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, auxillary fan, and all cooling hoses on car a brand spankin new.

[callen]

Have done this procedure twice...on my 91 535 and just recently 89 735il I purchased.....do it yourself if you have some mechanical ability...really not difficult at all and you'll probably do a better job. Oh also get new head bolts. Probably cost about $60.00. I would also get BMW head gasket set....not sure if the set from BMA is OEM.

Also add cost of an oil change..... oil filter and 6 quarts of oil as you'll definetly want to change it when your done.

2 gallons of Antifreeze should do it...

Callen 91 535i 94 530i 89 735il

[Mr Project]

I actually did use over 3 gallons of coolant doing mine. I did really flush out everything while I had it apart, though.

I spend around $330 on mine, not counting the new injectors that I didn't 'need'.
Gasket set (BMA) : $100
Head decked and pressure tested(Local shop) : $185
New head bolts(BMA) : $40
New exhaust manifold studs and nuts (BMA) : $12

And yes, it's not really that hard. I didn't really have any significant problems, which is kinda unusual for my projects. :)

Seems like indy's charge $700-$1200 when I've heard about it. But yeah, doing it yourself also gives you the opportunity to gasket-match your intake manifold and clean/paint anything you might want to while you are in there.

[Mr Project]

Oh, 3 gallons after it was mixed. Callen is right, you'd only have to buy 2 and mix 50/50.

[Jimmy535i]

Thank You Callen & Mr Project - I looks like I will be taking on this project myself.
Ordered parts from BMA, Lined up a reputable machine shop to do the head work,
Now I just need free up some time to spin the wrenches. I have a Bentley manual and
some pretty good advice here. Will keep you posted.

[Mr Project]

Good luck!! Do be careful removing and installing the head. There is that plastic timing chain guide, and the valves to worry about. It would help to have a friend or a hoist, but I did it by myself and was ok.

It's actually kind of fun since you can clean everything out and know that it's all like new on the inside when you're done. Mine is running better than it ever has since I've owned it. Quite a difference!

[Bill R.]

would definitely have a valve job done on the head at the same time while its off the car. besides just resufacing the head I would have the guides checked and replaced if need or new valves and the guides reamed oversize depending on the condition of your valve stems. bmw only sells the oversize valves now and suggests that you ream your valve guides oversize rather than replacing but the aftermarket has silicone bronze guides available if your valves are in good shape. Then regrind the valves and seats for the best performance and replace the stem seals This will add about 250 to the job most likely but I wouldn't do it any other way while the head is off.







Good luck!! Do be careful removing and installing the head. There is that plastic timing chain guide, and the valves to worry about. It would help to have a friend or a hoist, but I did it by myself and was ok.

It's actually kind of fun since you can clean everything out and know that it's all like new on the inside when you're done. Mine is running better than it ever has since I've owned it. Quite a difference!

[Hector]

the valve stem to guide clearance with a dial indicator accurate to 0.5 mil. The play was well below the spec in Bently and I couldn't believe how tight the tolerance was considering the engine had 173k mi in it. The top of the valve stems looked good with no obvious scoring that I could see but then the head was serviced at around 110k mi and the mechanic had surfaced/cut the valves seats and stem tips. I did replace the valve retainers as these were fatigued and looked cracked but you can't tell from pic. Also replaced seals and lapped the valves with coarse grit compound.

[Hector]

in the pic.

[Jimmy535i]

Replacement project underway - Have a few questions?

1) Is it advisable to remove head with both intake and exhaust manifolds attached?

I have followed all the procedures in the Bentley Manual.
I am at the point where I only need to deal with the timeing chain
and 14 head bolts.

Coolant has be drained from system with no sign of any oil.
Oil has been drained from sump with no signs of any coolant.

So far so good.

[Bill R.]

valve stem clearance, you need to go to .0005 thousands of an inch accuracy to check them. On my cars and on any cars i work on if it had 60k since the last time the valves were ground i would recommend it to the customer that they be done. a good valve job with the seats narrowed up to the correct spec is a big difference in performance. edit to clear up any confusion, if i had the head off with 60k since the last valve job then i would have them done again.







the valve stem to guide clearance with a dial indicator accurate to 0.5 mil. The play was well below the spec in Bently and I couldn't believe how tight the tolerance was considering the engine had 173k mi in it. The top of the valve stems looked good with no obvious scoring that I could see but then the head was serviced at around 110k mi and the mechanic had surfaced/cut the valves seats and stem tips. I did replace the valve retainers as these were fatigued and looked cracked but you can't tell from pic. Also replaced seals and lapped the valves with coarse grit compound.

[Mr Project]

RE: Manifolds -

I would pull the exhaust manifolds off the head (and just leave them connected to the downpipes, but if you've already removed them no biggie) because they are heavy enough to make you wish you had if you are trying to lift the head off manually.

The intake mani is a pain to remove when on the car, so I left mine attached. (and re-attached before installation) Kinda provides a 'handle' to lift with, as well. Definately adds weight and bulk, though!

You guys are making me wish I'd done a valve job... :) Well, I didn't have the $$ anyway, and it does run better than it ever has now, so I'll hold out for a while, I guess. :)

[Mr. BILL]

I'm in the process of doing my M20. I took the intake off. It's just a little easier to handle. It can be done either way. If I had some help, I'd probably take it all out as a unit.

Good luck!

[Jimmy535i]

Thank you Bill and Mr Project. I think I will take exhaust manifolds off while head is on the car. No big deal really. They need to come off at some point anyway.

I saw a shop with a similar project where they left intake manifold on the car.
I guess it depends on how much weight you a looking to hoist. I will be lifting this out manually with help.

Thanks again to all.

[callen]

I took Intake off....bolts fairly easy to get to.....the exhaust though left on....easy to strip nuts and or break a studd...is really heavy though and makes it harder to pull out. Also may mess up old head gasket so you may not see where your leak was. I'd put head back on though by itself.....that way you can just set it down. I did break off a stud or two...just went to dealer. Also I'd buy new brass nuts for exhaust.

Callen 91 535i 89 735il....94 530i

[callen]

I had 190K miles on one and $140K miles on the other and didn't do any head work...and like you they both run excellent....better than ever. Did clean valves and piston really good.

Callen 91 535i 89 735il 94 530i

[Jimmy535i]

Cylider Head Successfully Removed - Thanks to all for the information.

I was able to remove the cylinder head without having to remove both the intake
and exhaust manifolds from the vehicle. Although the project is very time consuming
it is really not that difficult. You need to be meticulous and patient and have
the correct tools for the job. A 1/4 12mm universal socket and several extensions
made removing the intake manifold from the head quite easy. I was pretty fortunate that the exhaust manifold bolts came off without a hitch either.

The cylinder head is on its way to the shop.

[Jimmy535i]

Question about Oil Pan Gasket replacing? Cylinder head is at the shop.

Now that I have the cylider head off to the shop I was contemplating changing the oil pan gasket. However, I do not want to rotate the crank at this point.

Has anyone changed the oil pan gasket with the cylinder head off the motor?

Is there enough room additional room to raise the motor so that the sump can be removed without rotating the crank?