Journal: M54 Head Gasket Replacement & Other Stuff Too

[JC5]

Pro log:
Well doing a head gasket DIY would be nuts. Plus I'm doing a few other things along the way, so here's a little journal of the events as they happen over the next few weeks.

Back story:
I have owned this car since new. Have done all the maintenance as scheduled / needed. The car has never overheated. That big shiny thing on the front of the motor has been on for 20,000ish miles. A leak down test 3 years ago, when the blower was put on, showed slightly better numbers, but did indicate the head gasket would need to be addressed blower, or no blower. So, the supercharger did NOT cause this condition.

Present Day:
About a 1/2 dozen months ago a leak down test came back within barely out of tolerances. So I decided after some bad luck with local shops I would DIY the head gasket. Replace / upgrade parts along the way. Knocking out a few projects at once. All the proper tools and Bentley manuals will be used. If a better part is made it will be used. Otherwise it's OEM. Believe me I looked & contacted companies directly for parts. If it's out there (and not a gazillion dollars) it's in the mix.

Here's what we're looking at so far.
1- replacement of cooling t-stat, Stewart water pump
2- update oil separator
3- remove head and send to machine shop
4- replace all affected gaskets
5- clean everything
6- replace vanos seals
7- not blow up car, very important

Tools & stuffs used so far:

1- metric wrenches to 16mm & sockets to 22mm w/ breaker bar
2- gasket kit. head gasket comes separately in 2 thicknesses
3- e12 socket for removing head bolts
4- spark plug socket
5- new fluids & filters
6- trusted machine shop
7- new head bolts
8- new vanos seals & exhaust manifold gaskets
9- new spark plugs
10- double vanos timing tools (set)
11- 5-80 ft-lb torque wrench (with newton meter scale is preferred. This way the inch-lb values can be used on the same wrench)
12- tape, plastic bags & makers to label things
13- penetrating oil
14- Patience
15- various other non-related parts that are wise to install ( oil separator, t-stat, sensors, water pump... )
16- vacuum tubes
17- Patience
18- Bentley manual, http://www.pelicanparts.com/bmw/tech...ead-Gasket.htm , http://picasaweb.google.com/cowenj1/BMWFixing#

before

Attempting the headers. This is easier if the front is done first, and they are disconnected from the rest of the system.

Intake out, and everything labeled. Also all nuts, bolts... have been bagged and tagged.

Going to re-build sometime this week. Here's a bottom shot of the intake manifold.

Damn, fouled plugs after 20,000 miles. May go back to the Bosch 4 prong OEM style.

Valve cover off. Not looking bad at all after 156,000 miles.

Vanos removed. New upgraded seals going in from http://www.beisansystems.com/index.html

[JC5]

Picked up the winterized oil separator & hoses. They look like the originals, with foam insulation. After removing the intake to get to the seperator I can see why the labor charges are so high. Wonder if most places would put a new manifold gasket on during re-assembly? The old one had oil on the air return side.



Also here are some notes:


1- soak any bolt that needs to be removed from the exhaust for 24hrs in Penetrating oil.
2-The b@$t@rd bolt under the intake, that mounts near the engine mount is 16mm, and is a problem child.
3- Remove the little junction box by the throttle body. There are 3-10mm bolts holding this in. I found no reference to it in the manual.
4-Remove the heat shields next to and under the exhaust manifold. This will make life easier.
5- Last but not least the TDC pin hole to lock the cam is located under the intake manifold. My arm is pointing to the general area. The light blue thing off to the top right of the pic is the plug.

[JC5]

I've got a concourse event to prep for this coming up weekend, so the actual head removal may drag. The bulk is done.

A local BMWCCA chapter supporter, RRT, recommended a machine shop that frequents BMW work. Great reputation at a great $$$$.

I'm not touching the bottom end at all. Maybe down the line when Mega Millions pans out. The only special tools for removal are the TDC pin, secondary timing chain pin, and spec torx socket. Did pick up special timing tolls from http://www.baumtools.com/ for timing when it all goes back together.

As far as the intake. It's getting cleaned, new cold weather oil separator, throttle body, vacuum hoses..

[JC5]

The concourse event was post-poned , so it's back to the 5er.

One week later and the head is off. I hope to have at the machine shop on Friday. Found the seal on the oil filter housing leaking.

Removing the secondary timing chain guide.


The famed e12 socket to remove the head bolts.


There was a little spring loaded ball in the socket that broke shortly after starting. Used some tape to force enough tension on the bolts, so they could be removed.


Four stages of removing the head bolts in sequence. Not one broke, thank the lord all mighty. Used all of the breaker bar (pipe over socket wrench) Could have used another foot in length


And it's off.


Note the tension on the timing chain to the left of the pic. Hopefully this will minimize any issues with it comming off the crank if that's even possible. Better safe than sorry.






Got a funny feeling the valves were the cause of the low compression numbers.




Bad vacum hose. All are getting replaced.

[JC5]

Time for some cleaning. The whole thing is dirty, dirty, dirty. Pistons, intake, under the intake, rusty brakets....

Re-built the intake tonight. Sooooooo dirty. Sand inparticular.


Didn't get a pic, but the oil separator was gone. Frothy, milky oil in the air return side. Read also this oil separator failure can lead to premature valve cover gasket failure.


Testing Ohm values from the Bentley manual. The values decrease as the temp rises. It was a bit chilly in the basement last night. By the reading on the sensor I mt toes should be freezing off. Time for a new part. Russel BMW gets another $11.

Everything has been cleaned, degreased, and repainted.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Fun fun fun.

[JC5]

It really is fun!!!

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Did you enjoy pulling the intake manifold? By far the biggest pain in my book.

[JC5]

The intake temp sensor was a bit off. At 6.4 kohm my nuts should have been frozen over. The spec is 2.2-2.7 kohm at room temp (68).

It's an $11 part. Looks to be a standard thermocouple.



Ewwww, nastiness inside the upper oil separator.











Ahh almost forgot. The gasket kit. It has ALL the gaskets ( valve cover, fuel ijector, vanos...) needed to complete the job except the head gasket. The head gasket comes in a 2 thicknesses. Won't know which one to get until the machinist is done

[JC5]

Did you enjoy pulling the intake manifold? By far the biggest pain in my book.

Definatly the biggest PIA so far. Followed closely by the header bolts.
Still a bit concered with the cam removal.

[JC5]

Some more notes :

1- the cylinder head is heavy and awkward to physically lift off yourself. Get a friend or cherry picker to help.

2- Also get someone to guide the timing chain through the head during removal. Keep a bit of tension on the chain, so it doesn't come off the crank.

3- Test every part. When in doubt replace it with a new part.

4- Approach the project in sections. For example. Removing the fluids / cover panels / spark plugs in the morning, exhaust system in the afternoon, the intake manifold the next morning, head on the 2nd afternoon...

I just picked up a new intake temp sensor. Looks like the manual is incorrect with the kohm values. Although the new part has a slightly lower reading compared to the original.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Cam removal is nerve racking the first time you do it. Then you realize that it's really easy.

[JC5]

I'm leaving most of Friday morning for the cam removal. Then hopefully to the machine shop in the afternoon.

I'm actually having a lot of fun with this project

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I'm leaving most of Friday morning for the cam removal. Then hopefully to the machine shop in the afternoon.

I'm actually having a lot of fun with this project

With the head out? 10 minutes per cam. 20 if you're really, really taking your time. If you have a buddy/friend/wife/girlfriend/kid/etc. who can hold a wrench to make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the cam doesn't turn while you are pulling the bearings, that makes it easier. (But isn't necessary.)

[JC5]

Gonna review the Pelican article on how to remove them tonight. I remember something about finding "the sweet spot" where the fewest valves are under compression.