Re: Been there...

[Henri Baccouche <henrib@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Finished the job at 2 AM after adjusting the valves , let it warm up for 15
minutes.....and stared at
leak location. Successful........no oil in water or vice versa.

However...... I watched a very light trace/mist of oil forming at the front of
the head gasket, next to
the timing belt cover below the distributor........

I was told during that the 2.5 and the 2.7 liter M20 family engines tend to
leak.....in this area. Is this true ?

Check your car......eliminate the cam seal and the valve cover as sources of
leaking oil by
carefully observing the pattern of dirt build up. A lot of dirt build up is an
indication of leaking oil.....

Oil leaking from this area ends up dripping from the AC bracket.

I have seen a fair share of 100K mile E30 with the M20 engine cars, and come to
think of it I remember
most of them having oil dripping off the AC bracket....... for whatever reason.

Funny thing is.......if this was an Italian/English or etc  car.

I wouldn't even ask the question.

Henri



Bmmerpilot@domain.elided wrote:

> Henri-
>
> Don't know if it will fix your oil leak, but I've done the "head bolt
> transplant" successfully, and from the Dealer tech I understand this was
> common practice. the original reason for this was that some of the head bolts
> were defective, and would snap off where the head meets the shaft of the
> bolt- with disastrous results.
>
> As the "cyberwrench" says, you need to make sure the bolt holes are free of
> oil before you install the new bolt, or you may crack the block. I washed
> mine out with "non-flammable formula" brake cleaner, then blew dry with a
> metal tube fastened to the end of a blow gun- protect your eyes and all
> painted surfaces when doing this, of course (I held a rag around the tube
> witha gloved hand), near the bolt hole opening, and avoid breathing the brake
> cleaner fumes, or contact with your skin. Remember to oil the bolts before
> installing, I dipped them in "Marvel Mystery Oil" and held them up until the
> dripping stopped. I would think ATF or similar light oil would be fine, too.
>
> The Dealer let me talk to their "head bolt transplant" specialist, he said to
> remove the  old bolts one at a time, in the bolt tightening order specified
> in the repair manual, and torque each new bolt completely before removing the
> next old bolt. I believe the procedure was torque to 22 fit lb, then turn 90
> degrees, then another 90 degrees- double check your manual about this. I
> purchased a torque angle gauge from Snap-On, but if you are careful I think
> you could use a cardboard 90 degee gauge and a flex handle.
>
> Make sure your tools are up to this, as you need to apply a fair amount of
> force to the bolt- get a good quality Torx socket (I got a Snap-On socket
> designed for impact wrench use), and use a good, strong flex handle- I'd
> suggest 24" long.
>
> My car is still running strong 120,000 miles after its transplant, so my job
> was a success. The Dealer tech said about 1 out of 20 jobs they did were not
> successful, and they had an up front understanding with the customer what the
> charges would be if the transplant didn't work.
>
> Personally I would try this to correct oil seepage, if I saw coolant in the
> oil I would be inclined to pull the head, as I drive places I wouldn't want
> to walk.
>
> Work safely, and remember as always- YMMV.
>
> Good Luck-
>
> George W. Traminer
> '89 325i

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