Head Gasket symptoms

[bmwfnatic]

For those that have cleaned up a cylinder head in preparation for a new headgasket (not a full rebuild), would the BMW special tool - 83300495104 - for the S65 Alusil block work to clean up the aluminum S54 cylinder head surface? Or could it be used to clean the gasket material off the iron block?

The heads I bring to the machine shop, costs me 75 bucks, not even worth my time trying to do something else at that rate.

For the block I use some loctite gasket remover (it feels like paint stripper) and a plastic scraper, and lots of elbow grease.

If you feel like you must sand the block, I have a piece of aluminum that is longer than the block with some 400 grit glued to it. Use WD40, should only hit the high spots that way, not professional engine building advice, but with the engine in the car sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do…

[Slideways]

The heads I bring to the machine shop, costs me 75 bucks, not even worth my time trying to do something else at that rate.

For the block I use some loctite gasket remover (it feels like paint stripper) and a plastic scraper, and lots of elbow grease.

If you feel like you must sand the block, I have a piece of aluminum that is longer than the block with some 400 grit glued to it. Use WD40, should only hit the high spots that way, not professional engine building advice, but with the engine in the car sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do…

Yeah, machine shop seems like the way to go. The machining stone is a nice idea if it does not remove as much material as a machine shop would. It would be great to keep as much cylinder head material as possible until a full rebuild.

Are you changing the engine oil immediately after the headgasket work or cycling the oil and draining after the first start? I have a feeling a small amount of coolant and other debris can go down the oil drains in the block.

[bmwfnatic]

Yeah, machine shop seems like the way to go. The machining stone is a nice idea if it does not remove as much material as a machine shop would. It would be great to keep as much cylinder head material as possible until a full rebuild.

Are you changing the engine oil immediately after the headgasket work or cycling the oil and draining after the first start? I have a feeling a small amount of coolant and other debris can go down the oil drains in the block.

If there is no damage to the cylinder head then it should not need any significant material removed. The last one I did cleaned up with only 2 thou.

I also had one that was already machined once before due to a failed head gasket, measured it as having over 0.2mm taken off, still no issue and works fine, but that’s an extreme case.

[bmwfnatic]

For the oil I have some Dollar General-tier 5w30 that just goes in and gets idled up to temperature and dumped out again, new filter, 10w60, send it.