Re: Profile Gasket for Pre '93 M42

[Herman Chan <hermanc2@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> Can anyone advise as to problems with a faulty timing case profile
> gasket on the M42 motors? Has anyone actually experienced a failure
> on this?

Yes, at about 60k miles -- on a car with annual (factory) coolant changes.
The prime range seems to be 50-80k miles.

> Does it gradually decompose or just disintegrate and leave
> you stranded on the side of the road?

Depends -- mine was trickling slowly -- I noticed a puddle of coolant under
the car in the parking lot while running errands.  I was able to make it
home by refilling the cooling system and leaving it depressurized.  There
is anecdotal evidence that some have suddenly let go while driving down the
road, creating a potentially hazardous situation with slick coolant on the
road surface.

> I have a 1991 318is which has 45K miles on it. I don't think it
> leaks yet but I'm considering replacing it. The job costs a lot of
> money. I can presume that the new gasket isn't made of the same
> faulty material the originals were made of.

The revised gaskets were phased in around Oct/Nov '93 and have different
part numbers.  They seem to holding up.  If you can spare $600-1200 and
your peace of mind is important, you can have it replaced as a preventive
measure.

However, by doing so, you give up any chance (admittedly very slim) of BMW
NA covering at least part of the repair.  Age/mileage, service history,
dealer service loyalty all factor in -- but short of a formal recall forced
by the government, the best you can do is to plead your individual case and
hope BMW NA comes through with something.  Within the last few days, there
is word that a lawsuit by an owner against BMW Canada was successful.  When
the failure does occur on your car, file a report with the NHTSA thru their
defects hotline.

A net search should yield a few sources of more information.

Herman

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