Head Gasket Problems

[Reza Taheri]

6 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

If your top left bolt hole is hard to thread it's most likely that someone at some time forgot the special washer or used too long a bolt in the rear cover and ran the bolt into that head bolt screwing up the threads, you need to retap or use a Heli-coil/Time-sert to fix it.

I forgot the special washer. I bought new head bolts that didn't come with washers so I didn't even think about it. That's how this whole thread started back in March. Do I try a retap first? 

[Son of Marty]

32 minutes ago, Reza Taheri said:

Do I try a retap first? 

I would.

[tech71]

Is that bore super shiny and reflecting the piston top or is it completely hosed?

Looks suspicious, 11:00 appears to show some serious scuffing, bet thats #3 that has no compression. Could be a broken compression ring...Among other things

Edited August 9, 2023 by tech71

[Reza Taheri]

Just now, tech71 said:

Is that bore super shiny and reflecting the piston top or is it completely hosed?

Looks suspicious

Hosed. I spent hours shining these stupid piston tops just to learn that they instantly go black again. The bore has been relatively shiny. This car hasn't been daily driven since the early 80s and mostly sat in a garage from 1992-2018

[tech71]

Is that a joke? If so I must not be smart enough to get it.

What is the actual appearance/condition of that cylinder wall?

Edited August 9, 2023 by tech71

[Reza Taheri]

 

 

 

 

[Reza Taheri]

[Reza Taheri]

Alright, I have no idea what I'm looking for here. I started at the crunchy hole and worked my way down and across.

 

 

[Buckeye]

اقا رضا

1). You need to clean cylinder block top surface much better. Google and will find product and know how.

2). Thread bolt hols need to cleaned up. Re-tap and brake cleaner and dry air

3). Use flat bar (machined) and lay it across block and check with feeler gage and see how flat that surface is

4). examine cylinder head bolts and washers. Are they same length, washers are same thickness

5). don not reuse that head gasket. need a new one

What procedure did you use to tighten cylinder head to block?

[Reza Taheri]

1 hour ago, Buckeye said:

اقا رضا

1). You need to clean cylinder block top surface much better. Google and will find product and know how.

2). Thread bolt hols need to cleaned up. Re-tap and brake cleaner and dry air

3). Use flat bar (machined) and lay it across block and check with feeler gage and see how flat that surface is

4). examine cylinder head bolts and washers. Are they same length, washers are same thickness

5). don not reuse that head gasket. need a new one

What procedure did you use to tighten cylinder head to block?

Well, a couple days ago we thought the block was cracked from the bolt holes. 

 

If everyone thinks the block is okay, I'll invest in a carbide scraper and buy another gasket. 

[OldRoller]

It will pay you dividends to run a thread chaser in the head bolt holes. It is a 12mm x 1.75 pitch chaser. You can get a set from Amazon cheap, 6,8,10 and 12 with a thread file.

In practice when removing any component it's a good idea to chase the holes and inspect the bolts. Just because they came out easy doesn't mean they will go back in easy... 

[Buckeye]

I went back and read some of the comments/ suggestions and your replies. What I can offer you here are;

1. You CANNOT run to hardware store and buy washers. 
2. You need to buy OEM Cylinder Head Bolts and Cylinder Head Bolt Washers
3. Drain coolant from the block. You have block drain hole/ plug between cylinder 3 & 4
4. Retap the holes and use small wire brush to clean heck of them
5. Read attached document from Service Bulletin taking about head bolts
6. Use newer method to clamp cylinder head (torque & Angle) 

 

Revised Cylinder Head Bolts Tightening Procedure.PDF

 

[Reza Taheri]

Alright, so I filled each bolt hole with distilled water last night. It's been 12 hours and looks like they are all holding water. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Buckeye]

Not that matters for right now but chain tensioner cap screw should be removed while chain is not fasten to cylinder head.

 

[Reza Taheri]

3 minutes ago, Buckeye said:

I went back and read some of the comments/ suggestions and your replies. What I can offer you here are;

1. You CANNOT run to hardware store and buy washers. 
2. You need to buy OEM Cylinder Head Bolts and Cylinder Head Bolt Washers
3. Drain coolant from the block. You have block drain hole/ plug between cylinder 3 & 4
4. Retap the holes and use small wire brush to clean heck of them
5. Read attached document from Service Bulletin taking about head bolts
6. Use newer method to clamp cylinder head (torque & Angle) 

 

Revised Cylinder Head Bolts Tightening Procedure.PDF 396.77 kB · 0 downloads

Already got the OEM washers from BMW. It's really irritating that washers don't come with new head bolts. That's what got me in this whole mess to begin with. I just opened the package and installed without realizing the original bolts had washers. 

 

Borrowing a retap kit so that's next on the list once we're sure these bolt holes are okay.