What a nightmare

[paultv]

and here's the head top side --

and one of the best tools I recently added to my collection, absolutely invaluable

Paul

[Tedswagon]

What benefit does that have over a tap set? I just use a tap to clean out old threads.

[Brianmoooore]

What benefit does that have over a tap set? I just use a tap to clean out old threads.

Most of the time either can be used, but in cases where the metal of the thread has deformed in a particular place, these will tend to reshape the metal back to where it was, whereas a tap or die will tend to cut the deformed metal away as swarf.

[chatstar123]

How much did you pay for that kit and where did you get it from?

[martauto]

What benefit does that have over a tap set? I just use a tap to clean out old threads.

Most of the time either can be used, but in cases where the metal of the thread has deformed in a particular place, these will tend to reshape the metal back to where it was, whereas a tap or die will tend to cut the deformed metal away as swarf.

Spot on Brian, it seems like these "form " the thread as opposed to what you say as cut away material.
Metric,ok but unc and unf ??
I work in the oil and gas sector now and it is all imperial still but the car side of things are mainly metric.

Mart.

[martauto]

How much did you pay for that kit and where did you get it from?

I have not seen these before ,

Mart.

[paultv]

I had searched everywhere for one of these kits and found this one on Amazon US, it was about 80 euros with duty paid on Black Friday Deal.

I also bought a spark plug bore chaser, I now have clean threads as well as a cross threaded cylinder that is fine, having chased it from the valve side of the head, another brilliant piece of kit.

Paul

[paultv]

So here's the rogue old head gasket, fitted by someone with little idea how to do it, the rear location
pin was missing from the block and had allowed the rear of the gasket to sit about 4 mm off center at the back

This shows the edge of the gasket which hung out the side of the head/block

Cylinder 5 was sufficiently off center to be worn away by the piston, but hadn't broken the flame ring.

Cylinder 6 flame ring was worn away and split open causing failure

Paul

[martauto]

Mart.

[Brianmoooore]

At least you have the satisfaction now of knowing WHY it failed. My own introduction to the world of E30s was by courtesy of another equally clueless 'mechanic' changing a head gasket. It was a very tidy 316 saloon, whose head gasket , I presume, had failed, for reasons unknown to me, and had been replaced by someone who had manged to get most things wrong. It promptly failed again, oozing grey water/oil emulsion from everywhere possible. I acquired it for about a sixth of its value as a running car. It came with a complete spare head, but all that was required was a massive clean up and a gasket set.

[paultv]

Here's what just came out of the engine after running with fresh oil and new filter for about 20 minutes!

Yuck!

Looks spooky eh? water and oil suspension....

So there's plenty of old emulsion still in the system, car is producing a lot of steam when hot, exhaust system is full of water I guess, and the
oil/ water slop will create steam in the cylinders too.

Not sure how many changes it'll need to get really cleaned out.

Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Took months to completely clear from the car in my last post!

[paultv]

Thanks Brian,

At least I know it'll take a while, but I look a bit daft with steam pouring out the back - there's no water loss from the system, so I feel fairly
confident it will finally dry out... doesn't help it's -3 C outside this afternoon!!

Paul

[paultv]

short update:

I drove about 150 Km today and swapped out the oil again, it's much less milky but was steaming ! with swirly light brown traces.

The white smoke out the back is hugely reduced, but still pretty smelly from the deposits in the system.

I've decided to take the car on a job next week - an 800 km round trip - that should bed in the rockers and dry the exhaust system out!

Paul

[Brianmoooore]

Burning a litre of petrol produces something like ten litres of water, so you're not going to eliminate water from your exhaust system! A long drive gets the system up to full temperature, and eliminates most of it as steam, but as soon as you stop, water condenses out of the residual gasses in the system, and are topped up by more water the next time you start the car from cold.
The same thing happens with the engine oil. Some of the steam blows past the piston rings and condenses in the cold oil, only to be expelled again if and when the oil gets up to full temperature.

[paultv]

Been away for a week filming, first in Arras northern France, then on to the tunnel and up to Hampstead Garden Suburb,
with a round trip back to Dortmund, all in appalling conditions, rain, ice and heavy snow - what a crazy idea to test the car out.

Anyway, 1500 km later, all good, used no water - tiny oil leak at the very front exhaust side of the head, which was always there, I think it's a bit
of damage to the block surface.

Anyhow, the old girl performed well, not over thirsty either, although I must say the first 500 km was run at 100 kph and no more - but I let rip on the autobahn when I hit Germany on the way back.

Here she is at St. Judes Church in Hampstead

and here she is frozen solid in the Theatre du Arras artists entrance.

Paul

[martauto]

Glad all is well at last Paul

Mart.

[paultv]

Thanks Mart -

Next up is the front suspension - then the longest trip so far - here to Ibiza and back! 4000 km round trip!

love it!

Paul